What an automation really costs
The quote names one number, for building it. The calculation that decides whether it was worth it has four items, and three only show up after a year.
September 1, 2026 · 10 min readSERVICE 02 — AUTOMATIONS
Process automation for the work that repeats every week.
Writing quotes, filing invoices, sorting emails, copying data from A to B: I build automations that take on these and many more tasks. With n8n, Make, Zapier or custom code, connected to the tools you already use.
48h first resultsFixed price per automationOne point of contactGDPR from day one
PROCESS AUTOMATIONN8NMAKEZAPIERINTEGRATIONS & APISAI AUTOMATIONWORKFLOWS
EXAMPLE: ENQUIRY TO QUOTE
An enquiry comes in via form or email, AI reads it, checks the data and sorts it, the quote goes out as a PDF, CRM entry included. If you want, you approve the quote first; otherwise that step also runs automatically. All in all it takes about 40 seconds instead of 35 minutes.
WHEN AN AUTOMATION PAYS OFF
If you do a task the same way for the third time, it belongs automated.
Most companies don't lose time to one big thing, but to thirty small ones. Half an hour for a quote, ten minutes for filing, twenty minutes transferring data to accounting. Every week. Per person. Automation targets exactly that: the recurring steps with clear rules.
A
The task repeats regularly and always runs roughly the same way.
B
Information travels via copy & paste between tools, emails and spreadsheets.
C
Mistakes happen because eventually nobody double-checks routine steps.
D
Something sits untouched because one particular person has no time right now.
The automations I build most often.
USE CASESSALES
Generate quotes automatically
An enquiry comes in, the data gets checked, the quote is produced as a PDF and sent out. You just give the final approval.
LEADS
Capture and route leads
Form, phone, WhatsApp or a portal: every enquiry lands in the CRM, gets a reply and an owner.
ACCOUNTING
Invoices and receipts
Receipts get read, matched and handed to accounting. Manual filing and follow-up questions disappear.
COMMUNICATION
Pre-sort and answer emails
AI reads along, works out what it's about, suggests a reply and files everything in the right place.
DATA
Keep systems in sync
CRM, inventory, shop and spreadsheets talk to each other, so everyone works from the same numbers.
REPORTING
Reports that write themselves
Numbers from every source, every Monday in your inbox. With a short AI-written summary included.
Your case isn't listed? Almost anything that runs by the book today can be automated. Tell me briefly how it works and you'll get an honest read.
What an automation delivers, on paper.
THE NUMBERSSAMPLE CALCULATION: CREATING A QUOTE
Manual duration35 min
Cases per month20
Time per month11.7 h
Internal hourly rate (assumed €60)€700/month
One-time automation cost€990
Pays for itself after6 weeks
Plug in your own numbers: duration × cases × hourly rate. If the result is above €300 a month, it's almost always worth it. On top of the time saved, enquiries stop sitting untouched.
The same process, before and after
| STEP | BY HAND | AUTOMATED |
|---|---|---|
| Capture the enquiry | Read email, type it in | Automatic, 8 s |
| Check the data | Follow up by email | Follow-up sent automatically |
| Write the quote | Copy template, adjust | PDF from master data |
| File it | Find folder, rename | CRM and Drive at once |
| Follow up | If someone remembers | After 5 days, reliably |
| Total per case | 35 min | 40 s + approval |
How an automation project runs with me.
PROCESS1
Map the process
A 30-minute call. We go through the process step by step and mark what eats time.
2
Fixed price and plan
You get it in writing: what gets automated, what it costs and when it goes live. Billed as a fixed price, no timesheets.
3
Build and test
First version within 48 hours. We run it alongside your normal workflow until it holds up cleanly.
4
Handover or ongoing care
A short training session and checklist for your team so you can run it yourselves. Or I take on monitoring and further development.
TECH
I work with the tools you already have.
You don't need a new platform that replaces everything. Automations run on n8n, Make or Zapier — self-hosted on your own server for sensitive data. I connect systems that have an interface directly, and build one when there isn't one.
n8n · self-hostedMake & ZapierOpenAI & ClaudeCRM systemsInventory systemsDATEV & lexofficeGoogle & Microsoft 365WordPress & WooCommerceREST & webhook APIsCustom code
How you'll know it's working
IN PRACTICE“All of my special requirements were considered and implemented well. The collaboration worked wonderfully.”
FROM THE FIELD
From a form submission straight to a finished enquiry in the system
One client now receives 25 to 30 enquiries a month that arrive fully captured and routed. Typing things in by hand and hunting through old emails disappears entirely.
Discuss a similar process →FIXED PRICE
The price is set before I start any work.
48 HOURS
A first working version you can test yourself.
YOURS TO KEEP
Workflows, code and docs live in your own accounts.
ONE POINT OF CONTACT
You talk directly to the developer building the automation.
What does an automation cost?
Fixed price, agreed upfront.
ALL PRICES NETSingle automation
from €990One clearly-scoped process that runs without you from now on.
- Process discovery and concept
- Built in n8n, Make or Zapier
- Connected to your existing tools
- Tested with real data
- A short walkthrough for your team
MOST CHOSEN
Automation bundle
from €2,990Three to five processes that together take a whole area off your plate.
- Analysis of every process in the area
- Prioritized by time saved
- Multiple automations, working together
- AI steps wherever they genuinely help
- Documentation and training
Operations & growth
from €290/monthFor anyone who'd rather not handle maintenance themselves.
- Monitoring and troubleshooting
- Adjusted whenever tools update
- New steps added on request
- Direct contact via chat and phone
- Cancel any month
The price range depends on three things: how many steps the process has, how clean the data is, and whether the tools involved have an interface. After the intro call, you get a number that holds.
HONESTLY
When I'd advise against an automation.
Not every process should be automated. In these four cases I say so already on the intro call, before any budget flows into a project that won't pay off for you.
01
The process isn't settled yet
If everyone on the team does it differently, you end up automating the chaos too. The process should be clearly defined and followed in practice first, before we automate it. That usually just takes a conversation, not its own project.
02
It happens twice a year
Rare tasks don't pay off, and nobody remembers how the automation works. A good checklist is the better solution here.
03
Every case needs a real judgment call
Where experience and negotiation are involved, I automate at most the preparation. The rest should stay with a human.
04
The real problem is somewhere else
Often what's needed first is a clean data foundation or a clear owner on the team. I'll say so openly, so you don't spend the budget for nothing.
BACKGROUND
Process automation for small and mid-sized businesses
By Chris Pump, developer since 2021Last updated: August 2026
Automation is often sold as a huge project: new software, months of rollout, days of consulting. In practice it looks different. The processes that cost small and mid-sized businesses the most time are rarely complicated. There are just too many of them, sitting between systems. That's exactly where automation helps: it connects what's already there and takes over the steps someone used to do by hand.
Classic automation or AI automation?
Both have their place. Where clear rules, fixed formats and the same path always apply, a cleanly built workflow with no AI is entirely enough. But as soon as text needs to be understood, categorized or drafted, language models come into play: summarizing an email, categorizing an enquiry, preparing a quote from a call transcript. In most projects I mix both, because that runs cheaper and more reliably than an AI trying to do everything alone.
What automation actually delivers
You notice the time saved fastest. Reliability matters more in the long run: enquiries don't sit untouched, invoices go out on time, data lives in one place. On top of that comes response speed. Whoever replies to an enquiry within minutes instead of the next day wins business that would otherwise go elsewhere. And because every step is logged, you can see in black and white, for the first time, where the process actually gets stuck.
GDPR and data protection
Before building anything, we clarify which data actually needs to pass through which system at all. Often less is needed than you'd think. When it gets sensitive, we use European providers, self-hosted automation servers, or locally run models. Data processing agreements and deletion periods are settled during the project, not as an afterthought.
Why Kasoria
At Kasoria you talk to the person who also builds your automation, no account manager and no translation loop between consulting and implementation. I've been developing since 2021 and work with AI every day, so you get an honest read on what actually pays off and what still doesn't run reliably in practice. If an automation doesn't make sense, I'll say that too.
KEEP READING
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August 29, 2026 · 9 min read
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August 21, 2026 · 9 min readFAQ
Common questions about automations.
How long until an automation is up and running?
A single automation is usually live within a few days; you see first results within 48 hours. Bigger bundles take two to four weeks, depending on how quickly I get access and sample data.
Do I have to switch my software?
No. I build around your existing tools. Only if a system has no interface at all, and none can be added, do we talk about an alternative.
What happens if an automation makes a mistake?
Every process has checkpoints and notifications. Critical steps only run after your approval. If something fails, you see it right away, not only when a customer asks.
Is it worth it with three employees?
Especially then. The smaller the team, the more expensive every hour of manual work is. We start with the process that eats the most time and use it to figure out whether more are worth doing.
Do the automations belong to me?
Yes. Workflows, code and documentation live in your own accounts. You can keep working on them yourself at any time, or hand them to someone else, without having to ask me for access.
Does my team lose tasks because of this?
In practice, the tasks that disappear are the ones nobody enjoys: typing things in, filing, chasing up. The work that needs experience and judgment stays with a human. That's exactly what there's more time for then.
Are there ongoing fees on top of the project cost?
Usually yes, but modest: Make and Zapier cost roughly €20 to €80 a month depending on volume, self-hosted n8n around €10 to €20 in server costs. AI steps are billed per request and land in the low single-digit euros for typical volumes. You get the expected running costs in writing before we start.
Who runs the server for a self-hosted automation?
Either you or I, whichever you prefer. Usually it's a small server with a German provider, running under your own name. I handle updates and monitoring as part of ongoing care, but you always keep access.
What happens if you're ever unreachable?
Every automation is built to keep running without me, and every process is documented. Critical steps always have a manual fallback. So you're never dependent on me picking up the phone.
Does the collaboration also work fully remote?
Yes, I work remotely only. Projects run over video call and shared access. For the process discovery, a screen share where you show me the workflow once is enough.
What access do you need from me?
Only the systems that appear in the process, ideally with your own user account with limited rights. For sensitive data, we start by working with test data. After the project, access is revoked — that's part of the handover.
What if I want to change something later?
Small adjustments are included in ongoing care. Without it, I bill them individually, or you make them yourself: the workflows are deliberately built so texts, recipients and thresholds sit in one place.
Pairs well with this
MORE SERVICESWHAT'S NEXT?
Tell me about the process that costs you hours every week.
30 minutes, free and with no obligation. Afterwards you'll know whether an automation is worth it, what it costs and how fast it runs.
Usually answered the same working day.