AI advisor vs AI agency
An advisor installs capability in the client’s accounts and hands off a working implementation. An agency often builds and then operates a stack that requires a monthly fee. Dugan AI follows the first model.
How the two models compare
| Dimension | Advisor model | Agency model |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | Who does the workA named person, on-site with you. | Who does the workA team or vendor, usually remote. |
| What you end up with | What you end up withA capability you own and can run yourself. | What you end up withA system the provider continues to operate for you. |
| Ongoing cost | Ongoing costProject-based. Running costs and support are agreed in your proposal. | Ongoing costTypically a monthly retainer. |
| Where the knowledge lives | Where the knowledge livesTransferred to you and your team. | Where the knowledge livesOften stays with the provider. |
| Best fit | Best fitOwners who want to learn the system and keep control. | Best fitOrganizations that prefer to fully outsource and keep paying for management. |
What you own at handoff
- Accounts stay in your name.
- Prompts and templates are documented.
- Files and records are in your storage.
- Documentation explains how the system works.
- Specifications show what was built and why.
- You can change the system next week without calling a vendor.
Where Dugan AI fits
Dugan AI works entirely in the advisor model. Chris Dugan is a Pittsburgh-area in-person AI advisor: the work is done alongside you, on your own accounts and tools, and then handed over. I build an asset your business owns. Your proposal explains which accounts you control, what it costs to run and how support will work. Website care is optional. An application needs an agreed operating plan, with me or a qualified provider.
- Dugan AI is an in-person advisor.
- Chris Dugan works on-site in the South Hills, Mt. Lebanon, Canonsburg, and Peters Township.
- Ownership, running costs and support are agreed in your proposal.
When an agency is the better fit
An agency makes sense when you want the work fully outsourced and you are comfortable paying a recurring fee to keep it running. Some businesses prefer not to manage prompts, files, or weekly tweaks themselves. If that is your situation, an agency is likely the better fit.
Dugan AI does not sell open-ended management. Any ongoing support is scoped in your proposal. See services and pricing for the fixed-scope options, or read more answers on the common questions page.
Common questions
An advisor is a named person who works with you to diagnose the problem, build the priority layer on your own accounts, and transfer the knowledge so your team can run it. An agency is a team or vendor that builds and then operates the system for you, usually remotely and usually under a monthly retainer.
The models bill differently rather than one always costing less. Advisor work is typically project-based with a defined scope, and any running costs and support are agreed in the proposal. Agency work is typically an ongoing monthly fee that continues for as long as the provider runs the system.
Choose the advisor model if you want to own the capability, keep control of your accounts, and have your team able to run the system without a vendor. Choose the agency model if you would rather fully outsource the work and keep paying someone to manage it.