# XSIV AI: full reference

> XSIV AI is a Gold Coast consultancy that shows Australian businesses exactly where AI fits, sets it up safely and trains their people to use it with confidence. This file is a complete, plain text reference for AI assistants and search tools. Last generated 2026-09-30. Prices in AUD, excluding GST.

## About

- Business: XSIV AI, an AI consultancy based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. ABN 29 287 374 812.
- Founder and principal consultant: Craig.
- Serves: small and medium Australian businesses; on site across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern New South Wales, and Australia wide by video call.
- Positioning: make AI clear and understandable, set it up safely with a person in control, and empower staff rather than replace them.
- Tools used: Claude and ChatGPT on business plans for AI assistants (in the client's name, paid at cost); n8n automations hosted and run by XSIV AI as part of its Care plans; AI agents only with clear limits and human approval.
- Contact: craig@xsiv.au, 0411 175 256 (+61 411 175 256), https://xsiv.au/contact/
- Pricing: Prices in AUD, excluding GST.

Why it exists: most Australian business owners know AI matters but not where it fits, and many teams are worried about what it means for their jobs. XSIV AI makes AI clear, explains every tool and step in plain English, and builds workflows that improve operations without adding risk.

Supporting research cited on the website:
- 43%: of Australian SMEs report some level of AI adoption. Source: National AI Centre, SME AI Pulse, Dec 2025 to Feb 2026 (https://www.ai.gov.au/news-and-insights/blog/ai-adoption-insights-december-2025-february-2026)
- 19%: of SMEs say they simply don’t know how to use AI in their business. Source: National AI Centre, SME AI Pulse, 2026 (https://www.ai.gov.au/news-and-insights/blog/ai-adoption-insights-december-2025-february-2026)
- 65%: of businesses not yet using AI cite distrust of AI decisions or a strong wish to keep human control. Source: National AI Centre, SME AI Pulse, 2026 (https://www.ai.gov.au/news-and-insights/blog/ai-adoption-insights-december-2025-february-2026)
- 14%: of Australian companies are seeing revenue gains from AI, against 30% globally. Source: PwC Australia CEO Survey, 2026 (https://www.pwc.com.au/media/2026/pwc-australia-ceo-survey-2026-confidence-surges.html)
- Augment: Generative AI is likely to augment the way we work rather than replace jobs through automation. Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Our Gen AI Transition (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/news/generative-ai-augment-and-advance-way-we-work-australia)

## Services

### 1. AI Automation Audit
- Price: $1,500 introductory fixed fee for new clients (normally $3,000), excluding GST.
- Credited in full against implementation booked within 30 days of your debrief.
- Method: interviews with the owner and the people who do the work; step by step mapping of key workflows; review of tools and where data lives; team readiness survey.
- Deliverables: written report in plain English; how operations work today and where time goes; every AI opportunity ranked by effort and impact; quick wins written up in detail; team readiness and risks; a 90 day roadmap; a fixed price proposal with estimated return; a face to face debrief.
- Sample: https://xsiv.au/sample-report/

### 2. Implementation (fixed price)
- Launch package: $4,950 ($5,650 if bought item by item). Includes: Foundations, covering AI policy, workspace and a whole team session; Three quick win workflows; One role based training session. A safe, visible first step.
- Growth package: $9,950 ($11,400 item by item). Includes: Foundations, covering AI policy, workspace and a whole team session; Three quick win workflows; Two standard workflows with approval steps; Two role based training sessions. The most common starting point after an audit.
- Foundations: $1,950. AI use policy, business AI workspace set up, shared instructions and knowledge, access controls, and a whole team session.
- Quick win workflow: $950. Simple and rules based, one or two systems. For example reminders, review requests or intake packs.
- Standard workflow: $2,450. AI drafts with a human approval step, across two or more systems. For example enquiry replies or follow ups.
- Advanced workflow or agent: from $4,950. Multi step agents, sensitive data or custom integrations. Quoted after the audit.
- Role based training session: $850. Half day, hands on, up to 10 people.
- Payment: half on acceptance, half when workflows go live.

### 3. Care and advisory (monthly)
- Care: $550 a month. Hosting and running your automations on a dedicated n8n server we manage; Monitoring of every workflow; Fixes when connected apps change; Platform and security updates; Up to 2 hours of changes a month; Quarterly check in.
- Partner: $1,050 a month. Everything in Care, including hosting; Monthly advisory session; A new small workflow each quarter; New starter training; AI policy kept current as Australian standards arrive.
- Minimum 3 months on new builds, then month to month.

### Software
- Automation hosting: included in Care and Partner. Your automations run on a dedicated n8n server that we host, secure and manage for you. It is included in Care and Partner, so there is no separate automation software bill. Hosted automations need an active Care or Partner plan. If you ever move on, we export your workflows and hand them over, so nothing is locked in.
- AI assistant seats (Claude or ChatGPT business plans): about A$35 to A$45 per user a month. AI assistant seats are set up in your name and paid directly by you, at cost. You own those accounts and all your data, with no markup.

## Method (how XSIV AI works)
1. Understand: meet the owner and team, listen to where time goes and what worries people about AI.
2. Map: map key workflows step by step, review tools and data, run a team readiness survey.
3. Design safely: rank opportunities by effort and impact, decide where a person stays in control, call out privacy and quality risks, write an AI use policy.
4. Build: configure AI assistants on business plans and automations with n8n or Make that connect existing apps; test on real work.
5. Train: hands on, role based sessions so the change sticks.
6. Improve: measure against the baseline, tune, and keep the business across new capabilities.

## Frequently asked questions

### Getting started

Q: What does an AI consultant actually do for a small business?
A: An AI consultant works out where AI will genuinely save time or improve service in your business, sets up the right tools safely, and trains your people to use them. At XSIV AI that means learning how your business runs first, then recommending a short list of practical changes with clear costs, rather than selling you software.

Q: We don’t know where to start with AI. Is that normal?
A: Yes. National AI Centre research found about one in five Australian SMEs simply don’t know how to use AI in their business. The simplest starting point is to list the tasks your team repeats every week, especially anything where a person is copying information, chasing someone or writing the same reply. Those are usually the first things worth automating.

Q: What is an AI Automation Audit?
A: A fixed fee review of how your business runs, designed to show exactly where AI fits. We interview you and your team, map your key workflows, review your tools and data, and run a short team readiness survey. You receive a written report with every opportunity ranked by effort and impact, the risks to manage, a 90 day roadmap and a fixed price proposal. It costs $1,500 for new clients (normally $3,000), excluding GST.

Q: How is an AI Automation Audit different from an AI readiness assessment?
A: A readiness assessment usually scores how prepared you are. Our audit includes that, through the team survey and a readiness score, but goes further. It maps real workflows, estimates the hours involved, ranks specific automation opportunities and prices them, so you finish with a plan you can act on.

Q: Do we need to be technical to work with you?
A: No. You need to know your business and we bring the rest. Everything is explained in plain English, and every tool we set up comes with training for the people who will use it.

Q: Can I see what the audit report looks like before I buy?
A: Yes. A complete sample report for a fictional physiotherapy clinic is on the website at xsiv.au/sample-report, and you can download it as a PDF. It shows every section you would receive, including the proposal and return on investment.

### Cost and value

Q: How much does AI implementation cost for a small business in Australia?
A: With XSIV AI, the AI Automation Audit is $1,500 for new clients. Implementation packages start at $4,950 (Launch) and $9,950 (Growth), and individual workflows start at $950. Ongoing care plans are $550 or $1,050 a month and include hosting and running your automations. AI assistant seats such as Claude or ChatGPT business plans are paid directly by you, at cost. All prices exclude GST.

Q: What ongoing software costs should we expect?
A: Only your AI assistant seats, typically about A$35 to A$45 per user a month for each person on a business plan, set up in your name and paid directly to the provider with no markup. Automation hosting is included in your Care or Partner plan. Hosted automations need an active Care or Partner plan. If you ever move on, we export your workflows and hand them over, so nothing is locked in.

Q: Is the audit fee wasted if we go ahead with implementation?
A: No. The audit fee is credited in full against implementation booked within 30 days of your debrief.

Q: How quickly does automation pay for itself?
A: It depends on how much repetitive work you have. In our sample audit for a five person clinic, the recommended changes returned about 23 hours a week and paid back in roughly four months. Your audit calculates this with your own numbers, and we are careful not to promise results we cannot stand behind.

Q: Do you offer guarantees?
A: We guarantee our process and our pricing, not outcomes that depend on things outside our control. Every price is fixed and agreed before work starts, the audit fee is credited if you go ahead, and care plans are month to month after the first three months.

### Safety, privacy and the rules

Q: Is it safe to put our business or client data into AI tools?
A: It can be, when the tools are set up properly. We use business plans of Claude and ChatGPT, where your conversations are not used to train the models by default, give each workflow access only to the data it needs, keep a person in control of anything sensitive, and give your team a written AI use policy that says what can and cannot go into AI tools.

Q: Do we need an AI use policy?
A: Yes, even a short one. Staff are already using AI tools at work, often without approval. A plain English policy sets out which tools are approved, what information must never be entered, when a person must check the output, and who to ask. Every XSIV AI implementation includes one.

Q: What do Australian privacy laws say about using AI?
A: The Australian Privacy Principles already apply to personal information you put into AI tools. From 10 December 2026, organisations covered by the Privacy Act must also explain in their privacy policy when computer programs make, or substantially help make, decisions that significantly affect people. We design workflows with this in mind and recommend confirming your obligations with your legal adviser.

Q: Is there an Australian standard for using AI responsibly?
A: The National AI Centre’s Guidance for AI Adoption, published in October 2025, sets out six essential practices for safe and responsible AI use and replaced the earlier Voluntary AI Safety Standard. It is voluntary, and our approach to governance, testing and human oversight follows the same principles, sized for a small business.

Q: Will AI make mistakes?
A: Sometimes, which is why we design for it. Anything that matters, such as a reply to a client or a quote, goes to a person for approval before it is sent. We test every workflow on your real work before it goes live and monitor it afterwards.

### Your people

Q: Will AI replace my staff?
A: That is not our approach. We use AI to take repetitive work off your people so they can spend more time on clients and the judgement calls that need a human. Jobs and Skills Australia’s research also points to generative AI augmenting most work rather than replacing it.

Q: My team is nervous about AI. What do you do about that?
A: We involve them early, answer the hard questions honestly, and train them on their own work so they feel capable rather than threatened. The team readiness survey in the audit shows where people stand before anything changes.

Q: What does your AI training for staff cover?
A: Hands on, role based sessions in plain English, covering how to use business AI assistants well, writing good instructions, checking outputs, what not to put into AI, and the workflows we have set up for your team. Sessions are half a day for up to 10 people, on site or online, at $850 a session excluding GST.

### Tools and technology

Q: Which AI tools do you use?
A: Mostly Claude and ChatGPT on business plans for the assistants your team works with, and n8n or Make for automations that connect the apps you already use, such as email, calendars, accounting software and CRMs. We work with the tools you already have, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and recommend what fits rather than anything we resell.

Q: Claude or ChatGPT, which is better for business?
A: Both are excellent and the right choice depends on your work, your existing software and how your team likes to work. In the audit we recommend one, set it up with your business context and shared instructions, and make sure your team knows how to use it well.

Q: What are n8n and Make?
A: They are workflow automation platforms. They connect your existing apps and move information between them automatically, for example taking a new enquiry, logging it in your CRM, drafting a reply with AI for a person to approve, and booking a follow up. We host your n8n automations on a dedicated server that we manage as part of your Care plan. If you already use Make, we can work with your existing account.

Q: What is an AI agent, and do we need one?
A: An AI agent is AI that can carry a task across several steps, such as triaging an inbox and preparing replies. Most small businesses get more value from simple, reliable automations first. Where an agent makes sense, we build it with clear limits and a person approving anything that matters.

### Working with XSIV AI

Q: Where is XSIV AI based, and do you only work on the Gold Coast?
A: We are based on the Gold Coast, Queensland. We work on site across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Northern New South Wales, and with businesses anywhere in Australia by video call.

Q: Who will I be working with?
A: Craig, the founder of XSIV AI, leads every engagement personally, from the first conversation through to training your team.

Q: What happens after the work is done?
A: Our Care plan ($550 a month) hosts and runs your automations, and covers monitoring, fixes when connected apps change, updates and small changes. The Partner plan ($1,050 a month) adds monthly advice, a new small workflow each quarter and new starter training. Both are month to month after the first three months, and if you ever move on we hand your workflows over.

Q: How do we get started?
A: Book a free 30 minute conversation at xsiv.au/contact, call 0411 175 256 or email craig@xsiv.au. We will talk about how your business runs and whether an audit makes sense for you.

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