Yes, AI can be worthwhile for a small business. Small applications such as an internal or website chatbot start at AI Værk from €2,000. Whether the investment pays off depends on how often the task occurs, how much work remains and what it costs to operate.
You do not need a large AI programme to begin. Choose a workflow you understand: recurring enquiries, internal information searches or extracting information from documents. Compare the current effort with a realistic improvement.
What is a realistic starting budget?
- From €2,000: a clearly bounded application, such as a simple internal or website chatbot.
- Around €3,000–€5,000: automate a specific workflow, or set up an AI workspace and train the team, depending on scope. These are alternative examples, not an inclusive bundle.
- From around €10,000: review several workflows, develop a strategy and implement selected solutions. Integrations and operational requirements determine further effort.
Hardware, hosting, licences, model usage and optional support may add to the cost. Our pricing page explains how we distinguish initial and recurring costs in a proposal. All quoted offer prices are in euros and exclude VAT.
What can a €2,000 project actually deliver?
One bounded example is a website chatbot for recurring questions about your services. You provide approved information. Together we define what it should answer and when it should refer someone to a person. The application is configured, checked against typical questions and explained to your team. We establish whether this scope fits the starting price before quoting.
An information assistant is different from a system that places orders, calculates individual prices or combines customer data from several applications. Additional interfaces, poorly prepared sources and special access rules change the effort. A specific scope of work matters more than a long list of supposed AI features.
These five questions help establish what your project actually needs.
1. What should be finished at the end?
“Use AI to handle emails” leaves a lot open. A concrete goal is: incoming enquiries are identified, enriched with information from the CRM and prepared as draft replies for approval.
That defines what needs to be built and tested. It also makes the result measurable: how much manual work remains per enquiry? How often are corrections needed? Which cases still go to a person?
2. How much integration is involved?
A workflow within one system differs from a process spanning email, document storage, CRM and accounting. Existing interfaces, access permissions and data quality all affect the effort required.
Ask which connections the proposal includes. Who sets up access? What happens when information is missing or contradictory? And who makes adjustments when a connected system changes?
3. Which costs are one-off?
Implementation includes understanding the process, technical planning, configuration or development, integration and testing with your team. It also includes getting people started: employees need to know how the workflow works and when to step in.
At AI Værk, you receive a binding proposal for an agreed scope. For flexible work, we agree the effort and a cost ceiling. We discuss and price additional ideas before starting extra work. Existing tools are used where they already suit the task.
4. What does ongoing operation cost?
Beyond software and model usage, costs can include hosting, monitoring, support and further development. Ask about expected usage and how any excess is charged. Clarify what ongoing support includes.
A low starting price tells you little if nobody is clearly responsible for keeping the process running. Compare proposals over the same period and with the same scope of service.
For private AI on your own servers, include hardware, energy, updates and maintenance in the calculation. Dedicated hosting has a different cost structure. We choose the operating model according to the task and your confidentiality requirements.
5. When does automation pay off?
Illustrative calculation: neither a price offer nor a customer result. All amounts and time savings below are hypothetical.
| Calculation | Example |
|---|---|
| Volume × time saved | 500 cases × 3 minutes = 25 hours |
| Value of capacity | 25 hours × EUR 40 = EUR 1,000 / month |
| Ongoing operation | EUR 200 / month |
| Calculated benefit | EUR 1,000 − EUR 200 = EUR 800 / month |
| Initial implementation | EUR 8,000 |
| Calculated payback | EUR 8,000 ÷ EUR 800 = 10 months |
This calculation depends entirely on your inputs. Available capacity does not automatically mean a lower payroll bill. The benefit comes when your team uses that time to handle more work, respond faster or clear a backlog. Errors, rework and quality also belong in the assessment.
What a comparable proposal should include
- The specific process and expected outcome.
- The systems, interfaces and data sources included.
- Testing, human approvals and exception handling.
- One-off and ongoing costs, with their assumptions.
- Responsibility for operation, support and later changes.
With these details, you can compare the solution your team will actually use. Our AI process automation service explains how we take a first workflow into everyday operation.
Start with a process that matters
At Kirsch & Drechsler, the first workshops grew into an ongoing partnership covering knowledge management, a chatbot, automation and joint product development. That first step created a foundation the company continues to use. See our work with Kirsch & Drechsler.
Which process regularly takes up your team's time? Send us a description, the systems involved and a rough monthly volume. We will help you assess a worthwhile implementation and the costs to consider. Discuss your automation project.
What if you do not yet know which project is worthwhile?
The first call is free. For a closer assessment, we offer an AI audit. It provides recommendations, ideas for concrete projects and practical guidance on secure AI use. The full fee is credited when AI Værk implements; otherwise it costs €500. If we find no economically worthwhile use of AI, the fee is waived; only expenses agreed in advance remain payable.
For a first estimate, use the process cost calculator. Our guide to AI for small businesses shows how to choose a manageable starting point.
Our fictional AI audit example shows how a workflow becomes a recommendation, with the assumptions and reasons for or against development made explicit.
