The Question   Controllers and operations managers evaluating AI agents ask whether competitors have already implemented.   The concern is reasonable. Falling behind competitors creates strategic disadvantage.  Understanding actual adoption rates versus perception prevents both complacency and unnecessary urgency.    Current Adoption Reality   Less than 5 percent of mid-market companies have implemented AI agents for ERP exception handling as of early 2025, though adoption is

The Gap   Enterprise companies deploy AI through dedicated teams with $500K-$2M annual budgets.   Consumer AI (ChatGPT, Claude) provides capabilities but lacks business system integration.   Mid-market companies sit between these extremes with AI needs but without enterprise resources or consumer limitations.    This gap explains why mid-market companies struggle finding AI solutions fitting their operational reality and budget constraints.    Enterprise AI Reality   What Ent

The Strategic Opening   When ERP publishers decline to build capabilities their customers need, they create opportunities for companies willing to implement solutions independently. This pattern repeats across technology waves.    AI agents for exception handling represent current opportunity. Publishers will not build this capability. Mid-market companies implementing now gain 2-3 year operational advantage over competitors waiting for vendor solutions.      Why Publishers A

The Expectation   Controllers and operations managers evaluating AI agents often ask: "Why should we implement this separately? Why doesn't our ERP vendor just build exception handling into the product?"    The question is reasonable. ERP vendors add features regularly. Exception handling affects every customer. The capability seems like natural product evolution.    Understanding why vendors will not build this prevents waiting for solutions that will not arrive.      The Co

The Misapplication Risk   Most AI agent discussions focus on where the technology works. Equally important is understanding where it does not work. Misapplication creates poor outcomes, implementation failures, and organizational resistance that affects future automation efforts.    Mid-market companies benefit more from knowing when to avoid AI agents than from knowing their capabilities. Clear boundaries prevent wasted effort.      Scenario 1: Low Exception Volume   When th

The Evaluation Challenge   AI agent providers range from platform vendors to implementation consultants to full-service operators. Discovery conversations determine fit between your needs and provider capabilities.    Poor vendor selection creates implementation struggles regardless of technology capability. The right questions reveal whether provider understands your operational reality.    Implementation Approach Questions   1. "How do you typically structure the pilot impl