Our article on AI automation for Jersey businesses was recently featured in the Jersey Evening Post (June 2025 edition). It highlights how local organisations can streamline operations, reduce manual workload, and stay competitive by embracing AI-powered solutions.
You can read the full article below:
Is yours falling behind?
By Phil de Gruchy, Managing Director of BlueLlama.co.uk, a local AI automation and digital agency.
Many businesses in Jersey rely on time intensive processes, especially in sectors like finance and legal where detail and accuracy are everything. But AI is quietly reshaping how admin-heavy work gets done. Old business processes are being re-examined, as structured tasks (whether repetitive, rules-based or analytical) can now be handled by AI, freeing people to focus on higher-value work.
Whatever business you run, it’s likely your team spends a lot of time on time-consuming operational work like onboarding, compliance checks, reporting and responding to the same customer queries. These are exactly the kind of tasks AI can handle – often faster, cheaper and more accurately than a human.
Why it’s time to act
For an island whose economy is built on knowledge work, that shift carries both risk and opportunity. Progress in AI is moving faster than most expected and keeping up is a real challenge. But it’s the businesses that start experimenting with AI now who will build understanding, gain confidence and be in a far stronger position when its adoption becomes widespread.
Don’t think it’s just big businesses investing in AI, the tools are out there to empower smaller companies to play the game too. Generative AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama have cost millions to develop but are available to use at very low usage costs or even for free. Thanks to no-code and low-code tools like Microsoft’s Power Automate, Zapier and Make.com, you don’t need programming skills to start connecting systems and building out automations.
“Nobody has it all figured out, but those who start early will have the biggest advantage. Waiting might feel safe but in the context of AI, it could be the riskiest move of all.”
-Phil de Gruchy, Managing Director of Blue Llama.
Your team are already using AI
Whether you’ve got an AI policy in place or not, chances are members of your team are already using AI tools. Most of the time it’s happening organically and they’re using ChatGPT or CoPilot to write emails, draft documents and create minutes.
This quiet revolution is just the beginning. The next step is where things get really interesting: taking AI out of the browser and embedding it into actual systems and workflows. This means automating tasks, connecting platforms and creating AI agents that can follow instructions and take action. It is at this point when AI starts to become a core part of how your business runs.
What everyday AI automation actually looks like in your business
In most businesses, the same software gets used time and time again: your CRM, accounting system, messaging, email, spreadsheets and calendars. Automation tools can link these together, pulling and pushing data between them, while AI makes intelligent decisions and takes action based on the outputs.
Imagine an automation being triggered when a new client fills out an enquiry form on your website. A workflow is initiated to check, summarise and add the form details to your CRM. Then an AI agent reviews the information, identifies any missing items and sends an email to the client to request them. Finally a personalised summary is sent to your team through MS Teams updating them and laying out the next steps to take. No manual data entry. No copy and paste between platforms. And most important of all – no wasted time.
It’s not just happening behind the scenes. Chatbots and AI agents can also act as helpful front-facing tools, answering client queries, guiding users through complex processes, or serving as internal assistants that pull answers instantly from your documents or policies.
How Jersey businesses are already using AI
At Blue Llama, we’ve been collaborating with local businesses to implement AI solutions that streamline operations and enhance efficiency.
For instance, we partnered with All Island Media to transform the labour intensive process of extracting information from court documents to populate the Jersey Confidential website and magazine. Previously, their team spent over four hours each week scanning large PDFs of cases heard in the island’s courts. We developed an AI-powered workflow that split these large PDFs into individual cases, categorised them by case type (such as property, debt, or loans), extracted the core bits of information needed, and automatically sent this data to their website. This solution led to an 80% reduction in manual processing time and enabled faster publication of new information.
In another project, we assisted a retailer in automating their first line of customer support. By leveraging their existing knowledge base and past customer communication, we implemented an AI-driven system that responds to the majority of customer inquiries automatically and escalates more complex requests to the appropriate team member. This not only compensated for the loss of one of their team but also significantly reduced response times and operational costs.
These examples highlight the tangible benefits of integrating AI into business processes. With many of the companies we’ve worked with, a small initial AI project has initiated further opportunities for automation and a cycle of efficiency gains.
Make use of the Productivity Grant
“AI-powered automation sits right at the heart of what the Productivity Grant is designed to support: helping local businesses improve output, streamline operations and reduce admin-heavy workload.”
Anish Bagga, Automation Architect, Blue Llama
With matched funding available for projects from £5,000 to £75,000, now is a rare opportunity to explore what AI could do for your business, without taking on the full financial hit yourself.
Whether it’s simplifying internal workflows, automating repetitive tasks or freeing up your team to focus on more valuable work, AI can deliver meaningful gains quickly, especially when backed by the right support.
The tools are ready. The funding is there. The next move is yours.
Final thought
You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Start with one process. One problem. One experiment. Learn from it. Build confidence. That’s how the momentum begins.
Not sure where to start? That’s exactly where most businesses are. We’ll help you find a smart, simple starting point and make your first AI move feel like second nature.
At Blue Llama we are helping Jersey businesses take their first steps with AI – simply, securely and in ways that make sense for them.
Now is the time to explore what’s next.
You can also view the full newsletter online via the Jersey Evening Post here:
