How much does process automation cost?
SAKU Agency’s public rates, what makes an automation invoice vary, the recurring costs nobody announces, and the method to work out how fast the investment pays for itself.
Short answer: at SAKU Agency, building a turnkey workflow starts at €1,200, billed once. A system of 3 to 5 interconnected workflows starts at €3,700. The optional monthly retainer runs from €490 to €1,490 per month. The initial audit is free.
The rates in detail
| Service | Price | Billing | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI automation audit | Free | — | 2-hour interview with the founder, mapping of 5 key processes, estimated ROI per task, prioritised roadmap |
| 1 turnkey workflow | from €1,200 | once | n8n workflow connected to your tools, tested on real data, documentation, 1-hour training, 30 days of support |
| Multi-process system | from €3,700 | once, on quote | 3 to 5 interconnected workflows, CRM and business tool integration, real-time dashboard, 3 months of support |
| Maintenance | €490 | per month | Continuous monitoring, fixes and updates, third-party subscriptions included, AI usage included, monthly report, response within 24 h |
| Operational AI partnership | €1,490 | per month | Ongoing maintenance, priority support within 4 h, quarterly audit included, reduced rate on every new workflow |
The build carries no duration commitment. Only the monthly retainer involves 60 days’ notice.
What makes the price vary?
Four factors, in decreasing order of impact:
- The number of tools to connect. Connecting two tools with documented APIs is quick. Connecting five, one of which is a line-of-business application with no API, changes the nature of the job.
- The quality of the input data. A clean file with stable naming costs little; free-text data accumulated over ten years requires normalisation first.
- The level of validation required. A workflow that executes unsupervised costs less than one that must log, trace and get every step approved — but the latter is sometimes non-negotiable.
- Volume. It has little effect on the build price, but a large effect on recurring costs.
The recurring costs to watch
This is the line item most often left out of quotes. Two categories:
- Subscriptions to the third-party tools the workflow connects to — CRM, email platform, data enrichment service.
- AI service usage, billed by consumption by the model providers. It depends directly on the volume processed.
At SAKU Agency these two are not included in the setup fee: they are re-billed on actual usage, or covered by the monthly retainer. Demanding that clarity from any provider is a good test — an automation quote that stays silent on it is an incomplete quote.
How fast does the investment pay for itself?
The calculation is simple, and you can run it yourself before any meeting:
Break-even (in months) = build cost ÷ (hours saved per month × fully loaded hourly cost − monthly recurring costs)
If the denominator is negative or close to zero, the workflow is not viable: either widen its scope, or drop it. That is a perfectly acceptable conclusion for an audit.
The formula is deliberately conservative: it counts time only. It ignores revenue recovered — quotes chased in time, prospects handled before they cool, data-entry errors avoided — because those gains are real but harder to guarantee up front.
Should you pay for an audit?
With us, no: the audit is free and carries no commitment. It produces a map of your processes, estimated ROI per task and a prioritised roadmap — including the conclusion “this process is not worth automating” when that is the honest answer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to automate a process in a small company?
At SAKU Agency, building a turnkey workflow starts at €1,200, billed once, and a system of 3 to 5 interconnected workflows starts at €3,700. The optional monthly retainer runs from €490 to €1,490 per month. The initial audit is free.
Are there hidden costs in an automation project?
Two recurring items must appear in any serious quote: subscriptions to the connected third-party tools, and AI service usage billed by consumption. At SAKU Agency they are not included in the setup fee: they are re-billed on actual usage, or covered by the monthly retainer.
Is there a minimum commitment period?
Not for the build: it is billed once, with no duration commitment. The monthly retainer can be cancelled at any time with 60 days’ notice.
How do I know whether an automation will pay off?
Divide the build cost by the net monthly gain: hours saved per month multiplied by your fully loaded hourly cost, minus monthly recurring costs. If the result is beyond twelve months, widen the scope or drop it.
A free audit of your processes, with no commitment: 5 key processes mapped, estimated ROI per task, prioritised roadmap.
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