AI automation for businesses

What is AI automation?

AI automation is automation in which AI handles a step that requires understanding. For example, reading an email to determine what it is about or extracting data from an invoice.

Standard automation follows fixed rules: when a customer submits a form, create a task. That works well when the input is structured. AI helps when the input is messy, such as free text in an email or a scanned document.

Do you need AI, or is a rule enough?

Before we discuss AI, we ask three questions.

1. 1.Can you write the solution on a napkin? If it fits in one sentence, such as "field workers see their own customers and schedule their own work", you do not need AI.
2. 2.Would two sensible people give different answers? Then judgement is required, and AI may help. Reading a messy customer email and working out what the customer wants is one example.
3. 3.What happens when it goes wrong? A failed rule is immediately visible. An occasional AI error can remain unnoticed for a long time. If a mistake affects your customer, we keep a person in control.

For most SME tasks, the answer to the first question is yes. In that case, we build a straightforward automation and leave AI out.

A real-world example

An Antwerp contractor has 12 field workers who work at customers' homes. Planning was kept in Excel. Only the owner could update it, which led to many phone calls about who was doing what, who lived closest and what the customer had said after the previous visit.

This caused double bookings and sent the wrong field worker to jobs. Sometimes the closest worker stayed home while a colleague travelled from farther away. That wasted travel time and caused frustration.

The client asked us to build an app. Field workers can see customer details and schedule their own work. The owner no longer has to plan everything. The app does not assign jobs automatically.

Result: around 25 hours saved per week.

This is one project, not an average. The client remains anonymous.

What does it cost?

The price depends on the project. For this contractor, it was:

• Setup: €3,500
• Monthly: €250

That is €6,500 in the first year. If the 25 saved hours per week continue throughout the year, that comes to around 1,300 hours, or roughly €5 per hour saved. Use your own hourly cost to calculate what that means for your business.

Want to know what your project would cost? We can discuss it during the free call.

How we work

1. 1. Analysis and roadmap (days 1 to 3): we identify which tasks take time and which should be removed first.
2. 2. Build and launch (weeks 1 to 2): we build the automation and put it into use.
3. 3. Optimise and scale (from week 3): we measure the results and make adjustments.

You are not locked into one provider, and you pay for results.

Frequently Asked Questions