Automation, explained honestly.
Each card below is the short version, and scrolling the page gives you the gist. The full articles carry the sources for every number.
- Money
What does the automation industry typically charge?
Almost nobody in this market publishes a price. These are the ones who do, and ours.
Hourly$250/hr Process audit$1,500 One workflow$5,000 Full build$50,000+ Typical retainer$1,500 to $2,000/mo Oursfrom $190/moAPI = door. Has a door = hours. No door = thousands.
AI made building cheaper. It did not make understanding your goals as a business cheaper.
- Getting paid
Late invoices are killing me
48%of invoices paid late $1.1bnlost to it every year No.1cause of owner stress"I always feel awkward following up. It's so time consuming and emotionally draining."
1The invoice goes out the day the job closes. 2Reminders send themselves, in your name. Never embarrassed, never late. 3The moment they pay, it stops.First move: turn on Xero's built-in reminders. Free.
- The honest version
The automation that worked perfectly and nearly killed the business
200calls a day, before 20calls a day, afterThe AI receptionist worked exactly as sold. The 180 missing calls were customers.
Fine: an electrician using it to take job details. Fatal: a business where the call is the sale.Automate the back office, not the customer relationship.
- Plain English
What is AI automation, once you take the hype out?
Your software, talking to your other software, so nobody has to remember anything.
- ✕Not AI replacing your staff.
- ✕Not a chatbot.
- ✕Not another app to learn.
- ✕Not a project you finish.
12%formal adoption, every business (ABS) 66%of SMBs surveyed use some AI 5%actually get the benefitThe tools are easy now. Knowing what to automate is the hard part.
