Custom AI employees vs off-the-shelf tools
Off-the-shelf tools are quick for basic, simple work. Custom AI employees pay off for demanding work that depends on your own tools, data and approval steps.
Basic work, simple tools
For everyday tasks like summarising a document or drafting a quick email, an off-the-shelf assistant is fine. It's cheap, quick to roll out and good enough. Building something custom for that would be a waste.
Demanding work, custom AI employees
The picture changes for work that depends on your own tools, data and approval steps: month-end checks, pipeline hygiene, onboarding. Generic tools don't know your process, so people end up copying and pasting around them. A custom AI employee is built around the process, connected to the right systems and owned by a named person.
Most companies need both. The useful decision is which work goes where, and that's what our ownership workshop sorts out.
Where to go from here
If this sounds like the way you want to work with AI, the next step is a short conversation. We'll look at the work your teams repeat every week and tell you honestly which of it suits an AI employee and which doesn't.
From there you have two routes. On Platform your team builds its own AI employees after one onboarding call. On Managed, Switch runs a workshop, presents the plan to leadership, builds up to five AI employees, rolls them out and holds weekly implementation calls. You can try it first with a free test alongside a Switch team member.
Which fits which job
Job
Tool
Verdict
Approved by
Basic, simple tasks everyone does
General-purpose agent
Off-the-shelf
Individual
Demanding work tied to your processes
Custom AI employee
Custom build
Named owner
Deciding which is which
Ownership workshop
Agent map
Leadership
See what an AI employee would do for your team.
30 minutes with Switch. We map your first agents with you.
How it works with Switch
Step 1
Agree the plan
Agree the steps, owners and dates together.
Step 2
Map your needs
Understand your workflow, pain points and goals.
Step 3
See it on your work
See a working agent on your own workflow.
Step 4
Business case
Connect the value to cost, revenue and margin.
Step 5
Price and terms
Agree scope and price for one first agent.
Step 6
References
Hear from customers who have done it.
Step 7
Procurement
Clear legal, security and vendor onboarding.
Step 8
Sign and start
Sign the shared scope and book the kick-off.
Related integrations
By company size
Questions
Do we need both?
Usually yes: a general-purpose agent for the basics, and custom AI employees for the demanding work.
Does a person still approve the work?
Yes. Every AI employee hands its result to a named person in Teams or Slack, who approves, edits or rejects it before anything is sent or changed.
Will AI employees replace people on the team?
No. They take repeatable work off the team's plate so people spend their time on judgement, customers and decisions.
How do we get started?
Start with a free test together with a Switch team member, then choose Platform to build your own AI employees or Managed to have Switch find, build and roll them out for you.