Building a SaaS tool with AI: turning a business problem into a product

AI now makes it possible to build tools that used to be complex or costly to implement. But building faster doesn't mean building anything.

The starting point of a good SaaS is usually not artificial intelligence. It's a friction.

Start with the problem

Imagine a sales team spending several hours a week: searching for information across different tools; updating files; preparing reports; following up with prospects; consolidating data; producing reporting.

The first mistake would be to ask: “How do we integrate AI?” The better question is: “Why are we still doing this task manually?”

This is where product work begins.

From problem to tool

A process can be analysed simply: INPUT → ACTION → DECISION → OUTPUT.

What information comes in? What does the user do? What decisions must they make? What result must they produce?

Once this chain is understood, some steps can be simplified, automated or assisted. The SaaS then becomes the technological translation of a business process.

Where does AI come in?

AI can be used to: read and structure documents; categorise information; summarise; search; generate content; detect anomalies; assist decisions; enrich data; create recommendations; interact with information in natural language.

But not every feature needs AI. Sometimes a well-designed business rule is more reliable, faster and cheaper.

The right product doesn't use as much AI as possible. It uses the right technology in the right place.