What does AI workflow automation cost in Switzerland?

Price three parts, not one number.

“How much does AI cost?” has no useful answer until the work is named. A workflow such as “answer routine customer enquiries from the approved knowledge base and send each draft to the service owner” can be priced. “Use AI in customer service” cannot. The first step is the same one that decides whether the workflow is worth building at all: describe the trigger, the sources, the output and the person who approves it.

Once the workflow is named, its cost has three parts. The first is a one-off implementation: scoping, connecting the systems, building the steps, testing them against real examples and launching with the team. The second is the running cost after launch: model usage, connector or automation subscriptions, hosting and support. The third is easy to forget: the time your team keeps spending on review, approvals and exceptions. A quote that covers only the first part is not a budget.

What AIFAB charges, offer by offer.

AIFAB publishes indicative prices in Swiss francs for each offer, so a first conversation can start from real numbers. The table below is generated from the same offer records as the pricing page.

Two rules shape which line applies. A workflow that crosses several systems, or whose scope is still uncertain, starts with a Workflow Blueprint: a short, paid definition step whose fee is credited against an implementation signed within the agreed period. Connected work across a department needs a Blueprint before an Operations Pack. Prices are indicative; the written proposal confirms the scope, the exclusions, tax and any third-party costs before work begins.

What moves a workflow up or down the range.

Within a range, the price follows the work rather than the size of the company. The main drivers are predictable:

• Systems and access: each additional system needs an interface, permissions and tests. A workflow that reads one inbox and writes to one CRM is simpler than one that also touches an ERP and a document store.
• Input quality: clean, consistent inputs are quicker to automate than scanned documents, free-text exceptions or fields that mean different things in different teams.
• Exceptions: the normal path is rarely the expensive part. Each exception that needs its own handling, owner or message adds design and test effort.
• Approval steps: a single review before sending is different from several sign-offs with expiry, substitutes and an audit record.
• Languages and volume: drafts in several languages and high daily volume need more test cases and closer monitoring.
• Acceptance evidence: agreeing in advance which examples must pass keeps the price honest for both sides, because “done” is defined before the build starts.

A larger company does not automatically mean a larger price, and a small company does not automatically mean a small one. One clearly scoped workflow in a large company can cost less than a tangled workflow in a small one.

Plan the running costs from the start.

Running costs depend on how often the workflow runs and how much text it processes. Model usage is usually charged per volume of text, so a workflow that drafts short replies costs less to run than one that reads long contracts. Connector and automation subscriptions, hosting and logging add a predictable monthly amount.

Production runs in accounts you own, with your own credentials, so the usage of models and platforms stays visible to you. Third-party subscriptions, model usage and platform fees are confirmed separately from AIFAB's price. Support after launch is its own line: Care keeps an operating workflow useful as rules, sources and systems change, with an agreed support allowance rather than unlimited support. Ask for an estimate of each running cost at the expected volume before you approve a build, and agree what happens if the volume grows.

Compare the cost with the capacity it releases.

The useful comparison is not the price against zero, but the price against the time the workflow gives back. Count the handling time today, the handling time after automation including review, and the number of cases. Use 52 weeks for a year, and subtract the running costs.

The ROI Calculator runs the same arithmetic with your own figures and keeps capacity value separate from cash savings. Treat its result as a starting point for the conversation, not a forecast.

Start small enough to decide quickly.

The cheapest mistake is the one caught before the build. A free 45-minute Triage Clinic looks at one documented workflow and tells you whether it fits, what it would roughly involve and which offer matches. If the answer is “not yet”, you have spent an hour, not a project budget.

Bring one workflow, its owner, the systems involved and an approximate monthly volume. A redacted example is enough to start. From there, a fixed scope with written exclusions keeps the price predictable, and the Workflow Fit Checker helps you prepare in advance.