Original Objective
Original Objective is a Manchester-based AI and software consultancy founded in 2013 that builds custom AI chatbots, voice agents, and workflow automation for UK businesses from SMBs to enterprises, with deep CRM and vertical-specific integrations and an emerging agentic workforce SaaS called Orto.run.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersKnutsford, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Original Objective does
Original Objective is a Manchester-based AI and software engineering consultancy founded in 2013 that designs and builds custom AI platforms, intelligent chatbots, voice agents, workflow automation, and full-stack software for UK businesses. Its core offerings span four productized service lines — AI Customer Service Automation, AI Voice Agents, AI Sales & Lead Qualification, and AI Workflow Automation — underpinned by an AI Engineering practice covering production systems, integration services, systems architecture, and SaaS feature embedding. The technology stack combines third-party foundation models (OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, ElevenLabs for voice) with proprietary orchestration through n8n workflows and the emerging Orto.run agentic workforce platform, which structures AI agents into an org chart with approval gates and quality graders.
The firm operates across multiple verticals with deep CRM, helpdesk, and industry-system integrations, including Real Estate (Reapit, Alto, Jupix, Expert Agent, Dezrez), Social Housing (Aareon QL, MRI, Capita, NEC, Civica), Automotive, and E-commerce (Shopify MCP). Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: project-based professional services (£500 to £50,000+ per build) layered with recurring monthly support retainers (£200–£2,000/month) and subscription voice agent services from £500/month. Go-to-market is direct sales via discovery calls, heavily supported by a 95% client referral rate, content-led marketing, and a 500+ subscriber AI Growth Newsletter. Notable enterprise and government clients include Bet365, Kohler, Ticketmaster, National Grid, and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
The company employs 1–10 people and operates from a Manchester Innovation Hub with a registered office in Knutsford, serving only the UK market. No external funding has been disclosed, indicating bootstrap independence. Strategic direction in 2026 is shifting from pure services toward productized recurring revenue through the Orto.run SaaS platform currently in private beta, alongside vertical SaaS extensions for AI shopping agents and AI-powered social housing and automotive solutions.
Original Objective firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Original Objective
- Legal name
- Original Objective
- Website
- https://originalobjective.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Original Objective is a Manchester-based AI and software consultancy founded in 2013 that builds custom AI chatbots, voice agents, and workflow automation for UK businesses from SMBs to enterprises, with deep CRM and vertical-specific integrations and an emerging agentic workforce SaaS called Orto.run.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Original Objective industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Engineering & Custom Software Services
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI) (HDAEANAI), Model Serving, Inference & Deployment Platforms (APIs, Edge/On-Prem) (HDAEANAC), AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)
Keywords
Where Original Objective is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knutsford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Original Objective business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Automation Projects: Project-based professional services for custom AI builds across three cost bands: Simple workflow automation (£500-£2,000), AI chatbots and voice agents (£2,000-£10,000), and custom AI systems (£10,000-£50,000+).
- Ongoing Support Retainers: Monthly support and maintenance retainers covering monitoring, updates, and fixes. Light support at £200-£500/month, managed service at £500-£2,000/month.
- AI Voice Agent Solutions: Monthly subscription for AI voice agent solutions starting from £500/month, dependent on call volume and complexity.
- API and Infrastructure Costs: Pass-through costs for API usage (OpenAI GPT-4.1, Eleven Labs voice), hosting (n8n, cloud servers), and telephony. Typically £50-£500/month depending on volume.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | AI Voice Agents from £500/month |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | AI Customer Service Automation: £3,000-£12,000 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Band 1: Simple Workflow Automation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Band 2: AI-Assisted Processes |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Band 3: Custom AI Builds |
| Subscription | Monthly | Support Retainers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Original Objective product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Original Objective is a Manchester-based AI and software engineering consultancy that designs and builds custom AI platforms, intelligent chatbots, voice agents, business workflow automation, and full-stack software for UK businesses. The company delivers bespoke AI solutions integrated with clients' existing CRM, helpdesk, and communication tools, organised around four core offerings (AI Customer Service Automation, AI Voice Agents, AI Sales & Lead Qualification, AI Workflow Automation) underpinned by an AI Engineering practice. The portfolio also includes vertical sector solutions for real estate, automotive, and social housing, plus a hosted agentic workforce SaaS platform called Orto.run (in private beta).
Product overview
Original Objective is a Manchester-based AI and software consultancy offering a portfolio of AI-powered services organized around four core products: AI Customer Service Automation, AI Voice Agents, AI Sales & Lead Qualification, and AI Workflow Automation, all underpinned by an AI Engineering practice that handles production systems, integration services, systems architecture, and embedding AI features into SaaS products. The portfolio also includes three vertical sector solutions (AI for Real Estate, AI for Automotive, AI for Social Housing) targeting industry-specific workflows and system integrations. The company also develops a SaaS product called Orto.run, a hosted agentic workforce platform (in private beta) featuring an org chart of shared AI agents for service businesses. Supporting tools include an AI ROI Calculator and an AI Readiness Quiz, alongside a Software Development service for custom builds and an AI Growth Newsletter. The offering is structured as a platform of AI-powered services with sector-specific extensions, unified by a common AI engineering backbone.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Orto: A hosted agentic workforce platform for UK service businesses, currently in private beta. Built by Original Objective to provide teams of AI agents for marketing, sales, operations, customer service, engineering, and finance functions.
Products and services
- AI Customer Service Automation AI-powered chatbot and voice agent solution that handles customer queries across website chat, WhatsApp, phone, and social channels 24/7, with smart routing, CRM integration, and sentiment detection for priority escalation. Targets UK businesses seeking to automate customer support.
- AI Voice Agents AI-powered phone agents that answer calls in natural speech, handle appointment booking, lead qualification, and customer service routing, working 24/7 without hold queues. Subscription starts from £500/month depending on call volume and complexity.
- AI Sales & Lead Qualification AI-driven lead capture, qualification scoring, and automated sales pipeline management that captures inbound leads, asks qualifying questions, scores prospects based on criteria, and routes hot leads to sales teams immediately. Targets UK businesses seeking to automate lead handling.
- AI Workflow Automation AI-powered automation that processes incoming emails, forms, or documents and triggers workflows in CRM or internal systems, eliminating manual data entry and broken handoffs between tools. Includes lead routing, invoice parsing, email sorting, and appointment reminders using n8n, Make.com, and Zapier.
- AI Engineering Professional services practice encompassing AI Production Systems (monitoring and scaling AI in production), AI Integration Services (connecting AI to existing business tools), AI Systems Architecture (designing custom AI infrastructure), and AI Features for SaaS (embedding AI into software products). Targets engineering teams and SaaS product owners.
- AI for Real Estate AI automation solutions tailored for estate agents and property businesses, including lead reactivation, automated viewing booking, AI customer service, property matching, and CRM integration with property platforms such as Reapit, Alto, Jupix, Expert Agent, and Dezrez.
- AI for Automotive AI-powered digital solutions for automotive dealerships covering AI video generation (static images to marketing videos), 360-degree virtual showrooms, WhatsApp automation, real-time inventory sync, smart finance calculator integration, and CRM/dealer management system integration with Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
- AI for Social Housing AI and voice solutions for social housing providers including AI voice assistants for tenant support, intelligent repairs management, tenant portals and mobile apps, predictive maintenance, and compliance tracking, integrated with housing management systems including Aareon QL, MRI, Capita, NEC, and Civica.
- Orto.run Agentic Workforce Platform Hosted agentic workforce platform featuring an org chart of shared AI agents (CEO, VP, specialist agents for copywriter, researcher, sales rep, web developer, analytics engineer) that collectively handle marketing, sales, engineering, and operational work for service businesses. Supports plain-English briefing, inline approval gates, self-improving skill libraries, MCP tool integration, and multi-tenant scoping. In private beta.
- Software Development Services Custom software development services including AWS and Azure cloud solutions, e-commerce builds, mobile app development, web design, Umbraco CMS development, web apps, custom portals, and Vibe Coding production support for UK businesses.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60-80% of routine customer enquiries handled without human intervention
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Original Objective
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Original Objective technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration48 records
AI capability17 records
Feature7 records
Original Objective partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SalesforcecoreCRM integration partner for AI customer service automation. Connects AI agents to Salesforce CRM for real-time customer history access and automated ticket creation.
- OpenAI (ChatGPT)coreAI model provider for chatbots and customer service automation using GPT models. Powers natural language understanding and response generation.
- n8ncoreWorkflow automation platform used for Band 1 simple workflow automation projects. Self-hosted option at £20-50/month for unlimited workflows.
- Anthropic (Claude)coreAI model provider using Claude for customer service automation and complex reasoning tasks. Alternative to OpenAI GPT models.
- UmbracocoreCMS platform for custom website and portal development. Official Umbraco development partner for web applications and CMS implementations.
- Microsoft AzurecoreCloud infrastructure provider for hosting AI solutions, web applications, and enterprise systems. Azure cloud solutions offered as part of software development services.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreCloud infrastructure provider for hosting AI solutions and enterprise systems. AWS cloud solutions offered alongside Azure as part of software development services.
- ElevenLabscoreVoice synthesis provider for AI voice agents, delivering natural human-like voices for phone automation at £0.15-0.30 per minute.
- HubSpotcoreCRM integration partner for AI customer service and voice agents. Customer history available to AI in real time.
- ZendeskcoreHelpdesk platform integration. Tickets created and updated automatically by AI customer service agents.
- WhatsAppcoreMessaging channel for AI customer service and WhatsApp Business API integration. AI handles enquiries, bookings, and customer communication via WhatsApp.
- Google CalendarcoreCalendar integration for AI voice agents to book, reschedule, and confirm appointments in real time without double bookings.
- ShopifycoreE-commerce platform for AI integrations including abandoned basket recovery, personalised recommendations, and Shopify MCP connectivity for AI shopping agents.
- Aareon QLcoreHousing management system integration for social housing AI solutions. Tenant repairs reporting, appointment booking, and property management automation.
- MRI SoftwarecoreHousing management system integration for social housing providers alongside Aareon QL.
- Capita One HousingcoreHousing management system integration for social housing AI automation solutions.
- NEC HousingcoreHousing management system integration for social housing AI solutions.
- Civica CxcoreHousing management system integration for social housing providers using Civica platform.
- ReapitcoreProperty CRM integration for estate agent AI solutions. Automated lead routing, viewing bookings, and CRM updates.
- AltocoreProperty CRM (by Reapit) integration for estate agent AI automation.
- JupixcoreProperty management system integration for estate agent AI solutions.
- Expert AgentcoreProperty CRM integration for real estate AI automation alongside Reapit, Alto, and Jupix.
- DezrezcoreProperty management software integration for estate agent AI solutions.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Original Objective competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sabai: UK-based AI consultancy building custom AI agents and automation for SMEs and mid-market businesses. Directly comparable as a bespoke AI engineering and automation services firm targeting UK clients with custom-built AI solutions.
- The Bot Forge: UK AI consultancy building custom chatbots, voice assistants, and automation for businesses. Directly comparable as a small UK-based bespoke AI services firm targeting similar mid-market customers with chat/voice automation.
- Brainpool AI: Global network of AI experts delivering custom AI consulting and engineering services. Comparable as a bespoke AI engineering services provider, though operating as a talent network rather than a UK-focused agency with vertical depth.
Broad incumbents
- Faculty AI: UK-based AI consultancy providing applied AI solutions to enterprise and government. Comparable as a UK AI engineering services firm with enterprise clients, though operating at a much larger scale and with a stronger research/data-science orientation.
- BJSS: Large UK enterprise technology consultancy delivering custom software, cloud, and data/AI engineering. Comparable as a UK AI and software engineering services firm but at significantly larger scale across enterprise and public sector.
- PolyAI: UK-based enterprise voice AI company providing AI phone agents for customer service. Overlaps directly with Original Objective's AI voice agent offering but operates as a scaled enterprise software vendor rather than a UK-mid-market consultancy.
- Voiceflow: Established conversational AI platform enabling teams to build chat and voice agents. Comparable as a voice/chat AI builder serving overlapping customer use cases (customer service, voice agents), though Voiceflow is a software platform rather than a services-led consultancy.
Emerging players
- n8n: Workflow automation platform used by Original Objective for Band 1 projects. Comparable as part of the underlying automation stack Original Objective builds on; competing agencies and in-house teams using n8n directly substitute for Original Objective's services at the low end.
- Fyxer AI: UK AI productivity tool for email and meeting workflows targeting SMBs and professional services. Comparable as a UK AI product/automation company serving overlapping customer segments (professional services, SMBs) with AI workflow automation.
- Synthflow AI: AI voice agent platform enabling businesses to deploy conversational voice AI without coding. Comparable product overlap on AI voice agents targeting SMBs and mid-market, though delivered as a SaaS platform rather than custom-built services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Original Objective social profiles
Digital presenceOriginal Objective compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Original Objective financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Original Objective leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Original Objective funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Original Objective M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Original Objective
What does Original Objective do?
Original Objective is a Manchester-based AI and software engineering consultancy that designs and builds custom AI platforms, intelligent chatbots, voice agents, business workflow automation, and full-stack software for UK businesses. The company delivers bespoke AI solutions integrated with clients' existing CRM, helpdesk, and communication tools, organised around four core offerings (AI Customer Service Automation, AI Voice Agents, AI Sales & Lead Qualification, AI Workflow Automation) underpinned by an AI Engineering practice. The portfolio also includes vertical sector solutions for real estate, automotive, and social housing, plus a hosted agentic workforce SaaS platform called Orto.run (in private beta).
Is Original Objective a public or private company?
Original Objective is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Original Objective founded?
Original Objective was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Original Objective based?
Original Objective is headquartered in Knutsford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Original Objective make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. AI Automation Projects are the primary driver. The others are ongoing Support Retainers, AI Voice Agent Solutions and API and Infrastructure Costs.
Who are Original Objective's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sabai, The Bot Forge and Brainpool AI. Broad incumbents are Faculty AI, BJSS, PolyAI and Voiceflow. Emerging players are n8n, Fyxer AI and Synthflow AI.
Does Original Objective have an API?
No public API is recorded for Original Objective.
What industry is Original Objective in?
Original Objective's product category is AI Engineering & Custom Software Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAHAF, AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services, with a secondary code of HDAEANAI, AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7371.