AI automation FAQs: cost, timing and ownership
Cost is at the top, because that is the question everyone opens with.
How much does an automation or agent project cost?
A two-week AI Workflow Diagnostic is $1,500 fixed, with $750 credited to a pilot. A pilot of one workflow, integration or agent is $4,000 fixed. Production builds start at $6,000 per workflow and are quoted after the pilot. Human-in-the-loop review starts at $10 per reviewer hour. Model usage fees and tool subscriptions are separate and paid by you.
Which service should I start with?
Almost everyone starts with the AI Workflow Diagnostic. It scores your processes, produces an ROI estimate on your own numbers and returns a fixed pilot price you can use with any vendor. You can skip it only if you already have the process mapped, the monthly volumes and a written success metric.
What is the difference between workflow automation and an AI agent?
A workflow runs a fixed sequence you defined in advance. An agent plans its own steps, chooses which tools to call and adapts to what it finds, inside permissions and spend caps you set. Use a workflow when the path is known; use an agent when the path depends on the case.
Do I need human-in-the-loop review on every build?
No. The checkpoint belongs only where a wrong output costs money, legal exposure or customer trust. Everything above the agreed confidence threshold runs untouched; everything below it goes to an exception queue with an alert to a named person. Low-risk internal tasks usually need no reviewer at all.
How long does a build take?
The diagnostic is two weeks. A pilot is three to four weeks. Production timing is quoted after the pilot and depends on how many users and systems are involved. Delays almost always come from access and approvals on the client side, not from engineering.
Do the builds run in our accounts or yours?
Yours, wherever the architecture allows. Credentials stay with you, our access is least-privilege and named, and it is removed at handover. You receive admin access, an export of the build and a runbook, so your team can run it without us.
What happens if the pilot does not work?
You receive a go/no-go report with the measured results and the reasons. If the workflow cannot reach the agreed metric, no production quote is issued and you owe nothing beyond the pilot fee. Where the failure is on our side, rework inside the pilot scope is free.
Can you work with our existing n8n, Make or Zapier setup?
Yes. We build inside whichever platform you already pay for, and the diagnostic says plainly when your current tool is the wrong fit and what switching would cost. We do not require you to move to a platform we prefer.