Cost
How Much Does AI Automation Cost for a Small Business?
The cost of AI automation for a small business depends mainly on how many jobs you hand over, how complicated they are, and how much work the agents get through each month. There's no one-size price list: you get a clear written figure after a free call, before any work starts.
Why there's no price list
Two businesses can both say "we want help with enquiries" and need very different things. One has a single inbox and a handful of questions to ask. The other has several brands, a web form, phone calls and a quoting process that depends on three suppliers. A fixed price list would overcharge the first and short-change the second.
So the price follows the free call. Once I understand your business, you get a figure in writing before anything starts. No obligation, and no surprises later.
What you're paying for
Your written price covers two things. The first is building and testing the agents around how you work: mapping the job, connecting your tools, writing the rules and trying it on real examples. The second is keeping them running: watching how they're doing, fixing what goes wrong, covering the running costs and improving them as your business changes.
What makes it cheaper
- Starting with one job. One well-chosen agent is quicker to build than five, and you see the benefit sooner.
- Clear, repeatable work. Jobs that go the same way each time need fewer rules and fewer exceptions.
- Tools you already use. Ordinary email, web forms and online calendars are straightforward to work with.
- Email rather than phone. Written work costs less to run than phone calls.
What makes it dearer
- Several agents joined up. Enquiries feeding quotes feeding bookings is more valuable, and more work to build and test.
- Phone calls. Calling customers is one of the most useful jobs to hand over, and one of the more expensive to run.
- High volume. More enquiries, calls and invoices mean higher running costs.
- Complicated pricing. Lots of special cases take longer to write down and test.
- Several brands or inboxes. Each needs its own rules, voice and checks.
- Paper or unusual systems. Some things need sorting out before an agent can help.
What to compare it against
The fair comparison isn't other software. It's the cost of doing the work the way you do it now. How many hours a week go on enquiries, quotes, chasing and paperwork? Whose hours are they? How many jobs are lost because a reply or quote went out too late?
On the free call we work that out with your numbers, not mine. If the sums don't add up, I'll say so.
An example from my own business
From my own business
My own setup is at the bigger end. Several brands, several inboxes, and agents that join up enquiries, supplier quotes, customer quotes, booking calls, the job board, invoicing, receipts and social posts. A business that just wants its enquiries answered faster would need a small part of that, and the price would reflect it.
What we need from you to price it
- The jobs that eat most of your time.
- Roughly how many enquiries, quotes and calls you handle in a typical week.
- The tools you use now.
- What you'd want to check before it goes out.
Common worries
You get the price in writing before work starts. If you later want more agents, that's priced separately, and only goes ahead if you agree.
Yes. No obligation, and you'll come away knowing what could be handed to an agent, whether you work with me or not.
Then I'll tell you on the call. Not every business needs this, and I'd rather say so than sell something that doesn't pay its way.
Get a clear, written price.
Book a free call. We'll look at where your time goes and whether an agent can take it off you. Pricing follows the call, and there's no obligation.