The most common AI mistake isn't moving too slowly — it's automating a broken process and making the breakage faster. Automation should follow a clear map of where time is actually being lost, not a general enthusiasm for new tools.
The safest starting point is usually the most repetitive, lowest-judgment task in the business: intake, follow-up, scheduling, first-pass data entry. Prove value there before automating anything that touches a client relationship directly.
Keep a human in the loop on anything with real consequences. The goal is a team that moves faster with better information, not a team that has quietly stopped checking its own work.