AI automation · Kent and UK-wide
Let routine admin run itself, with a person still in charge
An automation joins up software you already use, so a routine job happens without anyone copying and pasting. Add an AI step and it can also read a message, pick out the details and write a first draft. We build these on established tools such as Zapier, Make and Microsoft Power Automate, tested on your real examples and written up.
Usually from £395 per automation, quoted
Based in Kent, working with businesses across the UK: on site in Kent, by video anywhere else.
How an AI automation works
Every automation has three parts. A trigger starts it: a form is filled in on your website, or an email arrives with a PDF attached. Then come the steps: copy these details into a spreadsheet, save this file to that folder. An AI step is one more step that reads and writes text. It can sort an enquiry into quote, complaint or booking, pull the invoice number out of an email, or draft a reply.
The AI step is what's new. It copes with the messy parts that used to need a person, like a customer who writes three paragraphs instead of filling in the form. It's also the step most likely to get something wrong, so its output goes somewhere a person looks first.
Not sure where to start? The AI Kick-Start picks the likeliest job. To answer website visitors straight away, you want an AI assistant for your website instead.
Four automations that suit a small firm
Enquiries
Web enquiry to drafted reply
AI drafts a reply from your price list and usual wording, the details go into your spreadsheet or CRM, and the draft waits in your inbox for you to send.
Accounts
Invoices from email to the right folder
Supplier invoices are saved to a named folder, the supplier, date and amount are logged, and a copy goes to your bookkeeper.
Meetings
Meeting notes to an action list
When a recorded meeting ends, the notes become a list of who agreed to do what, emailed to everyone who attended.
AI meeting notesReviews
New review to suggested reply
A new Google review arrives with a suggested reply in your voice. You edit it and post it yourself.
Zapier, Make or Power Automate: what each costs to run
You pay the tool provider directly, on top of the build fee.
| Tool | Free option | Paid plans start at | AI steps | Often suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 100 tasks a month, two-step automations only | $19.99 a month billed yearly, or $29.99 monthly, for 750 tasks | AI by Zapier is on paid plans and uses up your tasks | Simple chains between popular web apps |
| Make | 1,000 credits a month, 2 active automations, runs at most every 15 minutes | $9 a month for 10,000 credits (Core) | Some AI modules use several credits per run | Longer automations with branches, on a tight budget |
| Power Automate | Included with Microsoft 365 business plans, standard connectors only | £11.50 per user a month, ex VAT, billed yearly (Premium) | AI Builder credits come with Premium, not the included version | Firms whose work lives in Outlook, SharePoint and Teams |
Prices checked October 2026. Zapier and Make bill in US dollars, so the cost in pounds moves with the exchange rate.
What to watch out for
- Usage creeping upZapier counts tasks, Make counts credits and Power Automate counts actions a day. Going over Zapier's allowance on monthly billing costs 2.5 times the normal rate, so we size the plan from your real volumes.
- Paying for AI you don't needA plain filter step first, so only the messages that need reading reach the AI, keeps the bill down.
- Customer data passing throughZapier and Make both publish data processing agreements. We check them, and keep personal details out of AI steps that don't need them.
- Something changing underneathA renamed form field or a new invoice layout can stop an automation. Each one alerts a named person when a run fails, rather than failing quietly.
The rule we build to: a person approves anything a customer sees
AI drafts, sorts and summarises. It doesn't send. Replies wait in your drafts folder, review responses wait for you to post them, and anything that moves money needs a person to press the button. A wrong guess by the AI is then caught by you, not by a customer.
Once it's running, look after it yourself or have us do it under Managed AI.
From first call to handover
-
Free call and fixed quote
Fifteen minutes about the job you'd like gone, then a written price, usually from £395, plus the likely monthly tool cost. -
Built and tested in your accounts
It lives in an account in your business's name, not ours, and is tested on past examples, including the awkward ones. -
Written up and handed over
A short document: what triggers it, which accounts it touches, what it costs each month and how to switch it off.
Questions people ask
What is AI automation for a small business?
Joining up the software you already use so routine jobs run on their own, with an AI step that can read and write text. Typical examples are logging enquiries, filing invoices and drafting replies for a person to check.
Is Zapier free?
There's a free plan with 100 tasks a month and two-step automations only, without AI by Zapier (checked October 2026). Most business automations need a paid plan.
Do we need to pay for Power Automate if we have Microsoft 365?
Not always. Microsoft 365 business plans include Power Automate with standard connectors, up to 6,000 actions a day per user. Premium connectors and AI Builder credits need the Premium licence, £11.50 per user a month ex VAT, billed yearly (checked October 2026).
Can the automation reply to customers on its own?
It could, but we don't build it that way. AI makes confident mistakes, so drafts wait for a person to check and send them.
What happens if an automation breaks?
It alerts whoever we agree, and the written notes explain how to pause it. Under Managed AI, the alert comes to us.
Who you'll work with
James Hayes Consulting is led by Ross Hayes, who builds software for his own businesses and uses AI tools in them every day. We set AI up on your real work, explain it in plain English, and tell you straight if something isn’t worth paying for.
Every project starts with a free 15-minute call, and prices are agreed in writing before you commit.
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