What is a fractional CAIO versus an AI consultant?

A consultant often leaves you with slides. A fractional CAIO is accountable for a roadmap, prioritized use cases, working workflows where appropriate, governance, and how models and automation connect to your ERP and data, not a disconnected pilot.

Do you replace our IT team or ERP partner?

No. We coordinate with whoever keeps your systems running. Our edge is fluency in both finance operations and systems, so automation and AI attach to real workflows and real data contracts.

How do you measure success?

Every build should tie to something a buyer can observe: hours removed from close, faster ticket triage, fewer manual handoffs, or error reduction in a defined process. We document the baseline and the post state so progress is concrete, not cosmetic.

What if we are not ready for automation yet?

We will say so. Weak process or missing data governance breaks most AI work. In those cases we sequence foundation first, sometimes alongside a fractional CFO or systems architect from the same bench.

Fractional CAIO

Your AI strategy, governance, and build, under one accountable partner.

Most engagements stop at recommendations. We pair strategy with implementation: workflows, assistants, governance, and ERP-connected context where your business actually runs.

Book a Free Discovery Call AI readiness resources

Vitals AI/ Strategy · Use-Case Roadmap

Live

Use Cases

12 identified

01AP automation
High
02Close summary
High
03AR follow-up
High
04Contract intake
Med
05Payroll flags
Med

Priority Matrix

Impact vs. Effort

Active Sprint

AP automationBuilding
Close summaryLive
AR follow-upLive

Time Reclaimed · Avg.

32 hrs/mo

across active workflows

When this matters

You should not have to guess which AI ideas are real for your business.

Boards ask about AI, vendors pitch shiny tools, and your team is already underwater on manual work. The hard part is knowing what to ignore, what to pilot, and what to operationalize, with sensible data boundaries.

Company Vitals places a fractional CAIO in your cadence: a prioritized use-case inventory, a phased roadmap, hands-on builds where ROI is clear, and governance that fits SMB risk, not enterprise theater.

Who this is for

When you need a fractional CAIO

Strong fit when:

Repetitive finance or ops work is consuming senior time (close, AP, reporting handoffs)
You have data but lack reliable ways to query, summarize, or act on it in workflow
Leadership needs an AI narrative and guardrails stakeholders can actually follow
You want automation that connects to QuickBooks, NetSuite, Business Central, Odoo, or your warehouse of truth, not a chatbot in a silo

What's included

The four pillars of the engagement

AI strategy and roadmap, current-state assessment, ranked use cases, 6/12/18-month phasing

Workflow build, automation with tools such as n8n, Zapier, or Workato; assistants and retrieval where data allows

Governance and risk, data handling, model and vendor choices, employee acceptable-use framing proportionate to your size

ERP and systems integration, tie workflows and AI to the systems that produce your numbers (where your stack allows)

Investment

Transparent starting points (full proposals after discovery)

Ongoing CAIO engagements often start around $5,500/month after discovery.
Fixed-fee AI discovery sprint options commonly fall in the $7,500–$15,000 range depending on scope.

Your first 90 days

What engagement looks like

Day 30

Discovery

AI readiness audit
Use-case prioritization
Governance framework
Tool stack assessment

Day 60

First Wins

2–3 automations live (invoice, reporting, or data entry)
AI assistant scoped
Integration map

Day 90

Scale

Automation ROI baseline
6-month roadmap finalized
Team training complete
Second-wave workflows

Timelines are representative. Exact sequencing adjusted for your starting point.

Differentiators you can test in conversation

Vendor-neutral: we sharpen what you own before recommending net-new tools.
ERP-aware: we speak the systems that generate your financial truth.
Measured ops impact: hours and dollars attached to workflows we touch.

For a self-serve starting point, see the AI Readiness Checklist on our resources hub.

Our process

From discovery to delivery

A simple, four-step path designed to minimize disruption.

Discovery call

We learn about your business, priorities, and constraints in about 30 minutes.

Deep-dive review

We assess your current state, financials, systems, or AI maturity as relevant.

Proposal

You receive a scoped plan with deliverables and investment options (often three tiers).

Onboarding

We integrate with your team and aim to deliver measurable value in the first 30 days.

How getting started works

FAQ

Common questions

Get Started Today

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Book a free, no-pressure discovery call. You will speak directly with a member of our leadership team, not a salesperson.

Book a Free Discovery Call Or contact us by email