Becoming an AI-first enterprise takes a thousand small steps

AI is here to stay in business. It’s a topic in boardrooms, coffee corners and strategy papers alike, sparking both excitement and uncertainty. At Sofigate, we’ve had a front-row seat to how Nordic organisations are taking their first steps with AI and to the kinds of approaches that truly make a difference. Read how organisations are putting AI into practice today and how we help them realise their AI-first potential.

The AI landscape is fast-evolving and diverse. For many, the first step has come through familiar platforms such as Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT, an easy way to explore without major investment. Yet these tools reveal only a glimpse of what’s possible.

“Adopting AI is not primarily a technical challenge; it’s a shift in mindset. The biggest obstacle often isn’t the technology itself, but the change it brings,” says Ville Murtonen, who leads one of Sofigate’s AI teams.

According to Murtonen, rather than diving in headfirst, organisations should advance through controlled experiments that build understanding and confidence step by step.

“The right approach is to start with gradual improvements, learn, and move forward as your maturity grows. The real value of AI doesn’t come from one big project but from a thousand small improvements.”

Practical solutions that deliver results

At Sofigate, we turn this mindset into practice through concrete actions that bring measurable results. Our AI solutions can be grouped into three key layers.

The first includes ready-made AI features within platforms such as ServiceNow and Salesforce, for instance automatic ticket summarisation and solution recommendations.

The second consists of our own lightweight applications, designed for quick, low-risk experimentation.

The third, and perhaps the most transformative, are AI agent solutions, self-directing agents capable of making decisions and executing actions independently. Today, Sofigate already has more than 50 ready-made AI agents that can be deployed as they are or lightly customised for different industries.

“AI Agent solutions take automation far beyond traditional tools. They can automate not only processes, but also decision-making and complex multi-step tasks in everyday work.”

These capabilities come to life in real operations, where AI supports both people and processes.

Smarter everyday work: from customer service to IT support

One of these concrete meeting points can be found in customer service and IT support, where AI saves time, reduces routine work and enhances the service experience.

“When a support ticket runs to several pages, a new handler would normally need to read it all before even getting to the point. AI summarises it in seconds; what the issue is, what’s been done and what needs to happen next.”

But AI doesn’t just summarise messages. It also suggests solutions, updates knowledge base articles and extracts key details from attachments such as error codes, identifiers and anomalies.

The same logic applies to user account and access management: AI agents can read a request, check systems and carry out the right actions automatically.

“An agent can reason through a situation much like a person. It checks background systems and performs the necessary actions on its own.

With these solutions, our clients have achieved up to 90% faster processes and significant time savings.

The business value and competitive edge of AI

Every Sofigate AI project begins with clear goals and measurable outcomes such as shorter lead times, higher customer satisfaction and less manual work.

“We must be able to show leadership the tangible benefits AI brings. Metrics are introduced from the very first project.”

While the biggest gains may come from automation, faster service, better quality and more time for expert work, AI is rapidly evolving from a tool for efficiency into a strategic enabler.

AI no longer simply streamlines processes; it opens new opportunities and builds competitive advantage. The focus is shifting beyond cost savings towards creating new ways of working and new business opportunities. To realise the full potential of AI, both leaders and employees need training to understand, lead and apply it, in order to see its impact directly in business results.

“In customer service, for example, AI can already recognise user preferences and deliver genuinely personalised experiences. These solutions remember user history and behaviours, enabling a service that feels individual, something humans alone can’t achieve at scale.”

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Learning is the true value of AI

While AI clearly brings efficiency gains and cost savings, maturity doesn’t happen overnight. It grows through experimentation and learning. When people understand how AI works, they begin to discover new ways of using it themselves.

“Once an organisation has the chance to experiment and work with AI, ideas start to emerge, and they’re often even better than what we could suggest from the outside.”

Within just a few months, the mindset begins to shift: AI no longer feels unfamiliar but becomes a natural part of everyday work. It stops being a project and becomes part of the organisation’s culture and identity.

This focus also shapes our AI offering at Sofigate.

AI solutions that grow alongside our customers

We’ve built a multi-layered AI offering that combines ServiceNow and Salesforce platforms, Sofigate-developed AI agents and a cost-effective application layer of our own.

“If embracing AI still feels like a big leap, we also offer a lighter option that lets you start small, learn fast and grow towards large-scale adoption”, Murtonen says.

Whichever the starting point, every step offers meaningful insight.

“Learning about AI is valuable in itself. Many large organisations have said that even if a project delivers nothing else, the learning alone makes it worthwhile.”

To sum up:

“The true value of AI doesn’t come from one big project that saves millions. It comes from a thousand small steps that, together, transform the entire organisation.”