A 31-tab spreadsheet became an AI-powered PEO matching portal.

A US PEO advisory firm that helps businesses and insurance brokers choose the right PEO, an outside provider that runs HR, payroll and benefits. Their advisors match each client to the best-fit PEO from a network of dozens.

The firm's knowledge of the PEO market was their biggest asset, and it was stuck in a spreadsheet. There were 31 PEOs, each on its own tab, with hundreds of details per PEO. The client wanted to "convert the existing worksheet into like an online app."

• Answers were buried. A question like "Who takes a 10-person medical office in Illinois?" meant opening tab after tab and comparing by eye.
• Too much detail for a spreadsheet. Each PEO has around 275 facts, covering underwriting, carriers, benefits, workers' comp, technology, pricing and service.
• Data went stale. The firm's team had to chase every PEO for updates and retype them by hand.
• Slow decisions. Their goal was to "quickly identify which PEOs should receive an RFP" (a request for a price quote). The spreadsheet made that slow.
• Nothing to share. Brokers couldn't safely see the data, and internal ratings had no private home.

We understood the problem, then picked the platform that fits. The PEO Match Portal is a private web portal with an AI assistant at its centre. It turns the firm's PEO knowledge into instant, shareable answers.

• A built-in AI assistant. Ask in plain English, e.g. "What is the best PEO for medical offices in Illinois?" The assistant reads every PEO profile. It replies with a ranked shortlist, a comparison table and the reasons behind each pick, and every PEO it names links straight to its profile.
• Client matching. Tick the client's needs and get a ranked list of best-fit PEOs, with the matching points shown on each.
• PEOs keep their own profiles. Each PEO gets a secure login. They fill in their profile, upload documents and certify it every year, so the firm's team no longer types anything in.
• Every detail a search away. Profiles are split into 22 clear sections. A search box finds any field in any profile.
• A dashboard that flags problems. Out-of-date profiles, incomplete profiles and expiring certifications show up right away, with one-click reminders.
• Safe sharing with brokers. Brokers get their own login to search, match and compare. The firm chooses, field by field, what brokers can see. Private notes and ratings never leave the admin side.

• Best-fit answers in seconds. Questions that meant opening dozens of tabs now take one sentence typed to the AI assistant, which replies with a ranked, explained shortlist.
• One shared home for all PEO knowledge. The whole team and their brokers work from the same live data, with 45 PEOs (up from 31 in the spreadsheet) and about 275 details on each.
• Information that's easy to find. Each profile is organised into clear sections, and every field is one search away.
• No more manual data entry. PEOs enter and certify their own data through a secure login. Most profiles on the dashboard are 100% complete.
• Brokers decide faster. They compare PEOs side by side and run matches themselves, without waiting on the firm's team.
• Sensitive data stays protected. Internal ratings and notes stay private, and broker access is controlled field by field.

12 days to the first working version. Delivered: a secure portal for the firm's team, PEOs and brokers, an AI assistant, client matching, side-by-side comparison and an admin dashboard.