Using AI to evolve

Evolving Legacy SaaS Systems 
Using Intelligent AI Integration

FranConnect is a mature, enterprise SaaS platform supporting complex franchise and multi-location operations. While functionally robust, the platform lacked the intelligence layer customers increasingly expected. Franchisees were spending hours on repetitive support questions, manual data queries, and routine operational tasks.


The challenge was introducing AI quickly enough to beat the franchise market, without the luxury of a multi-year rebuild or massive R&D investment.

My Role

I led the strategy, design, and execution of Frannie AI*, an embedded AI agent framework within FranConnect.


I was responsible for identifying where AI would deliver immediate value, designing the integration strategy with available tools, driving adoption through product design, and ensuring measurable business impact.

This was a platform-level initiative with executive visibility and compressed timelines.


*I designed and branded the product system; naming and ‘fox’ mascot was set by exec team. Had to swoop in for the cleanup.

Challenges & 
Opportunities

Several strategic pressures made it clear that introducing AI was no longer optional, it was becoming necessary to improve efficiency and stay competitive.

  1. Support burden
    Franchisees spent significant time on repetitive questions that could be automated (document lookups, data queries, process explanations).

  2. Competitive pressure
    The market was moving toward AI-powered platforms. We needed to demonstrate AI capability fast or risk looking outdated.

  3. Legacy constraints
    Building custom AI from scratch would take 18+ months. I needed a solution that could ship in weeks, not years.

  4. Speed to value
    We needed to prove AI's impact quickly to secure buy-in for larger investments and custom development.

Together, these constraints shaped the approach. The goal was to launch a practical AI capability quickly, demonstrate real user value, and create momentum for deeper AI investment.

My Approach

Started with What Was Available
Rather than wait for a custom-built solution, I took a pragmatic approach: leverage existing AI tools to prove value, then invest in custom development once we had traction.


I facilitated workshops with engineering, customer success, and operations. Instead of mapping every manual task, we mapped what we could actually build with third-party AI tools available to us right now.

Two quick wins emerged:


  • Data Analyst agent: MicroStrategy AI for analytics queries


  • Franchisee Support agent: Custom GPT for document reading and automated responses

Ran a Fast Pilot to Validate the Approach
I integrated these third-party solutions and ran a pilot with 10 interested brands. The focus was simple: can AI handle the repetitive customer support questions and data queries that eat up franchisee time?


The pilot worked. Franchisees used the AI agents heavily, support ticket volume dropped, and we had concrete proof that AI could deliver value in this context.



Our customers wanted more, and fast! With validated demand, I contracted an outside firm to build custom AI agents mapped to our workflows.

We scaled 5x in under a year
Each agent eliminated specific manual work and integrated seamlessly into existing workflows. We scaled from 2 to 10 agents within 12 months:

Designed for Trust and Adoption
I treated AI skepticism as a design problem, not a user problem. Key decisions included:


  • In-context AI assistance rather than a separate "AI dashboard"

  • Progressive rollout starting with low-risk tasks (support questions) before high-stakes workflows (compliance, contracts)

  • Positioning Frannie as a "co-pilot" rather than replacement, emphasizing augmentation over automation

Execution & Implementation

My execution model worked as follows:


  • Integrated third-party AI tools (custom GPT, MicroStrategy AI) in weeks


  • Ran POCs with 10 brands to validate approach


  • Contracted outside firm for custom agent development based on pilot results


  • Built internal training materials and ran enablement sessions


  • Rolled out capabilities incrementally to minimize risk and build confidence


  • Expanded from 2 to 10 agents in under 12 months based on demand and workflows

Results & Impact

Frannie AI delivered measurable impact across the portfolio:

  • 65% adoption rate within 6 months


  • 35% customer base upsold to AI-enabled tiers ($3.2M incremental ARR)


  • Zero churn among Frannie AI customers over 24 months (vs. 12% baseline)


  • 500K+ interactions processed monthly


  • First franchise platform with embedded AI 


  • Scaled from 2 to 10 agents in under a year


Frannie AI transformed FranConnect from a system of record into an intelligence ops partner.

Why Work With Me?

Most organizations struggle to move AI beyond proof-of-concept or hype.

I lead AI product development by balancing aggressive execution with customer empathy. I ship fast, validate constantly, and scale what works - turning emerging technology into products customers actually use and love.


My work at FranConnect has contributed to 4x ARR growth ($15M to $60M) through innovative AI integration products like Frannie.