Artificial intelligence in SAP Business One: how to double your consulting firm's profit margin

The technology consulting market is at a turning point. On one side, companies are ignoring evolution and seeing their margins squeezed; on the other, consultancies are embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to scale results, not just headcount.

In a recent episode of BuildersSkyone's Fernando Drumondof Trusted revealed how AI is transforming the SAP Business One (SAP B1). The main point is clear: AI is not just a technological "makeover," but a complete redesign of processes that can double a consulting firm's profitability.

The end of the hype and the beginning of transformational reality

We've already experienced waves of BI, mobility, and cloud computing. The difference with AI is its ability to act as the foundation of a company's "source of truth" for data. For SAP consulting firms, the window of opportunity lies in extracting real value from ERP systems, enhancing human capabilities and generating direct profitability.

Today, technology implementation, which previously relied on the three pillars of People, Processes, and Technology, has seen the technical layer become much easier to manipulate. The challenge now is to ensure that people and processes are not "swallowed up" by the ease of use of the tool, but rather empowered by it.

The 3 layers of AI implementation in companies

To structure the adoption of AI strategically, Fernando Drumond defines three levels of maturity that consulting firms should apply to their clients:

1. Observation layer (real-time insights)

At this stage, AI only observes processes and operations. It identifies patterns in the data and provides insights for managers to make decisions.

• Practical example: a chatbot connected to SAP B1 (SAP Business One) that responds, via natural language, with the week's revenue, eliminating the need to export manual reports to Excel.

2. Recommendation layer (pattern identification)

Here, AI goes beyond raw data: it recommends actions based on identified behaviors, although the final decision is still made by a human.

• Practical example: in the finance department, AI analyzes customers' payment history and predicts cash flow gaps, suggesting early payment of receivables even before the problem occurs.

3. Autonomous execution layer (guardrails)

This is the most advanced level, where the AI ​​performs actions on its own within the ERP system, respecting defined limits (the so-called guardrails).

• Practical example: automatic posting of invoices up to R$ 5,000.00 directly into SAP, requiring human approval only for amounts exceeding this.

The "AI first" strategy: how to double your margin

Many consulting firms make the mistake of treating AI merely as an add-on or an email writing assistant. Studies in partnership with Harvard Business School show that the productivity gain from implementing AI in isolated processes is only 5% to 10%.

However, when the consulting firm adopts an AI-First, redesigning the entire process, the gains become exponential.

The recurring revenue hack

Historically, consulting firms sold allocated hours. With AI, the model changes:

1. Unique development: you build an intelligent agent (e.g., a billing chatbot) only once.
2. Infinite scale: this same agent solves the pain point for "N" customers.
3. Recurring monetization: the agent is charged for their ongoing service, decoupling profit from the number of hours worked by their team.

Success stories: from theory to practice

The practical application of these technologies is already showing impressive results in operational efficiency:

• Reduced documentation: In implementation meetings, the time spent taking notes on what the client said has been replaced by AI analyses that take only 3 minutes.
• Instant data lakes: creating complex data infrastructures that previously took days and required expensive licenses can now be done in 5 minutes using tools like Skyone Studio.
• E-commerce in 24 hours: concept VibeCoding (AI-accelerated development), it was possible to launch an e-commerce platform integrated with SAP in just one day for a client whose project had been delayed for months.

Cybersecurity and governance: the role of the cloud

There is no efficient AI without data security. Solutions like Skyone Autosky allow legacy ERPs to be migrated to the cloud without code changes, creating an AI-ready infrastructure with ISO 27001 security and a Zero Trust.

This foundation is essential for the consultancy to scale AI projects without exposing clients' critical data to cyber vulnerabilities.

Conclusion: the next step for the SAP consultant

Artificial Intelligence is not meant to replace consultants, but to elevate their role: from executors of manual tasks to architects of intelligent solutions. The ability to reason about data and autonomously complete complex tasks is what will define market leaders in the coming years.

Do you want to deepen your knowledge and learn how to apply these strategies in practice?

Fernando Drumond has prepared an exclusive course on implementing AI in the SAP market, available on the Builders platform. Register now and discover how to lead this digital transformation.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify:

Builders Podcast – How to double your consulting firm's profit margin with AI

Written by Skyone