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By MAAS·studios · Published

What does AI automation cost a small business?

Buying an AI tool differs from commissioning a working process. Compare setup, recurring fees, usage and the tasks your team will still perform.

In this article
  1. Separate the four cost categories
  2. The MAAS Enquiry Assistant pilot
  3. Calculate a possible ongoing month
  4. Questions before signing

Separate the four cost categories

Ask for setup, ongoing support, variable usage and third-party licences as separate lines. A low monthly fee says little if essential software or implementation is charged separately. Establish which tasks remain with your staff.

Compare equivalent scope. Connecting one form to one record system is not a complete CRM replacement. Additional mailboxes, migrating historical data and automatic sending each change the work. Specify the included systems, accounts and data flows.

The MAAS Enquiry Assistant pilot

The defined pilot costs €1,000 once, excluding VAT and external costs specified upfront. Payment is €500 before starting and €500 after explicit acceptance. It covers one form or shared mailbox, up to two standard integrations, summaries, draft replies, follow-up tasks, testing and handover.

Measurement runs for 14 calendar days and up to 40 unique enquiries. No monthly base or case fee applies during the pilot. Target delivery is five working days after access, content and scope are complete, subject to technical review. This is the MAAS offer, not a market average.

Calculate a possible ongoing month

Subject to a new agreement, proposed continuation costs €199 per month plus €7.50 per complete, checked and explicitly accepted case. Forty accepted cases cost €499. The pilot plus one such month totals €1,499, excluding VAT and extra costs. The table contains cost examples, not included volumes.

Standard capacity is 40 unique incoming enquiries per month, including incomplete enquiries. The 80-case example requires an agreed higher limit. Duplicates, spam and correcting our errors incur no extra case fee. The monthly base still applies with no accepted cases.

Cost examples excluding VAT and agreed extra costs; higher volumes require agreement.
Accepted casesPossible monthly cost
0€199
20€349
40€499
80€799

Questions before signing

Request the supplier list, licences, usage limits, access arrangements, support and cancellation terms. Agree who handles exceptions and when additional work requires another quote. The pilot ends after its agreed period; continuation is not automatic.

Bring your current software, monthly volume and one anonymised enquiry to the discussion. Different AI processes or additional integrations receive a separate proposal. The free assessment helps organise your questions; it is not a final quote.

How could this work for your business?

Email the task you would like to improve and the software you use. Receive a personal response about a suitable first step; you do not need to choose a pilot yet.

Personal reply within 1 working day · no obligation

Opens an editable draft in your email app. You choose when to send it. Customer details are not needed.

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