Prepared for
Meridian Services SA · 18-person B2B services firm, Geneva (illustrative)
Reference
DIAG-2026-081 · SAMPLE
Delivery
Written PDF · 72 h · + 30-min walkthrough call
00 Executive summary
The verdict first — everything below backs it up.
~15 h/week
manual load found across the 3 retained workflows
~CHF 38'220/yr
indicative gross value of recoverable time*
CHF 6'875
build balance after bundle discount and credit for the diagnostic already paid
~10.5 h/week
recoverable capacity in this scenario, to be validated*
- Start with invoicing & reminders — highest impact, lowest effort, live in two weeks.
- One process examined is not worth automating (meeting scheduling) — we say so, and it stays out of the quote.
- One risk flagged before it costs you: duplicate client records in the CRM would poison automated routing — a 2-hour cleanup fixes it, included in Phase 2 prep.
*Illustrative estimate for this fictional scenario — assumptions in section 03, challenge them.
01 Process map — where the hours go
Four workflows examined with your team. Manual steps flagged in amber; what breaks today noted under each.
INVOICING & REMINDERS · ~6 h/week
Quote accepted→Manual invoice creation→Manual email send→Manual reminders→Manual reconciliation
Breaks today: reminders skipped in busy weeks → payment delays stretch; reconciliation errors surface at month-end.
INBOUND EMAIL TRIAGE · ~5 h/week
Email arrives→Manual read & categorize→Manual routing→CRM logged
Breaks today: requests sit unrouted overnight; the same three questions are answered by hand daily.
CLIENT ONBOARDING · ~4 h/week
Contract signed→Manual doc collection→Manual account setup→Manual welcome sequence
Breaks today: onboarding takes 9 days on average because document chasing depends on whoever has time.
Examined, not retained: meeting scheduling (~1 h/week). Volume is too low — an automation here would cost more than it saves. Keep it manual. You pay us to tell you this, too.
02 Opportunity matrix — what to do first
Every candidate scored on impact × effort × risk. High impact + low effort goes first; low impact stays out.
| Candidate | Impact | Effort | Risk | Recommendation |
|---|
| Invoicing & reminders | High | Low | Low | #1 — build now |
| Email triage & routing | High | Medium | Low | #2 — build now |
| Client onboarding | Medium | Medium | Low | #3 — build now |
| Expense capture | Medium | Low | Low | Later — revisit Q1 |
| Meeting scheduling | Low | Low | Low | Not worth it |
03 Value model — recoverable time and costs
70% of manual time recoverable, assumedCHF 70/h loaded cost52 weeks/year
Three assumptions, stated so you can challenge them. Your real figures are confirmed during the diagnostic call.
| Automation | Hours today | Hours after | Recoverable/week | Gross value CHF/year* |
|---|
| Invoicing & reminders | 6.0 h | 1.8 h | ~4.2 h | 15'288 |
| Email triage & routing | 5.0 h | 1.5 h | ~3.5 h | 12'740 |
| Client onboarding | 4.0 h | 1.2 h | ~2.8 h | 10'192 |
Indicative annual gross value of time*~CHF 38'220
Initial investment, diagnostic included (section 06)CHF 7'565
*Illustrative calculation: (4.2 + 3.5 + 2.8) h × CHF 70/h × 52 weeks = CHF 38'220/year. This is the gross value of recoverable work capacity, not an automatic payroll reduction, cash saving or revenue. The time actually freed up and how it is used must be verified.
To calculate actual payback: divide the CHF 7'565 initial investment by verified monthly net cash savings, only if positive. Deduct maintenance, hosting, APIs and internal oversight time; also account for deployment time and ramp-up. The value of time alone cannot establish a payback period.
As a sensitivity example, the listed AutoPilot option from CHF 690/month represents CHF 8'280/year: CHF 38'220 − CHF 8'280 = CHF 29'940/year of time value after that fee alone, before other costs. This is still not monetary profit; your diagnostic must test these assumptions against your actual figures.
04 What stays human — by design
Automation prepares; people decide. Every consequential step keeps a human checkpoint.
- Invoices above CHF 5'000 or with unusual amounts wait for your approval before sending.
- Emails flagged sensitive (complaint, legal, key account) route to a person with full context — never auto-answered.
- The onboarding welcome call stays human — the automation just makes sure everything is ready before it.
This is also your nLPD posture: no automated individual decision with significant effect — the workflow prepares, your team signs off.
05 Prioritized roadmap — with acceptance criteria
Sequenced so value lands early. Each phase has a measurable "done", and you decide go/no-go between phases.
| Phase | Scope | Timeline | Accepted when |
|---|
| Phase 1 | Invoicing & reminders live on your infrastructure | Weeks 1–2 | 2 weeks in production, zero manual fixes |
| Phase 2 | CRM cleanup (2 h) + email triage & routing | Weeks 3–4 | 90%+ of inbound correctly routed over 10 days |
| Phase 3 | Client onboarding + documentation & handover | Weeks 5–6 | One real client onboarded end-to-end, docs delivered |
Go/no-go between phases: if Phase 1 doesn't meet its acceptance criteria, you stop there — nothing further is billed.
06 Firm fixed quote
Fixed price per automation in this fictional example. Your own scope and quote are established during the diagnostic.
| Item | Fixed price |
|---|
| Invoicing & reminders automation | CHF 3'000 |
| Email triage & routing automation | CHF 2'900 |
| Client onboarding automation | CHF 3'000 |
| Subtotal for the 3 automations | CHF 8'900 |
| Bundle discount (15% of CHF 8'900) | − CHF 1'335 |
| Credit for the diagnostic already paid | − CHF 690 |
Build balance after diagnostic creditCHF 6'875
Balance calculation: CHF 8'900 − CHF 1'335 − CHF 690 = CHF 6'875. Diagnostic and build therefore total CHF 7'565 (CHF 690 already paid + the CHF 6'875 balance), before any recurring costs.
Optional AutoPilot maintenance from CHF 690/month — optional being the point: you own the code, workflows and data, documented. Payment by card, TWINT or crypto.
07 Build-or-DIY guidance — the honest call
Where we genuinely add value, and where you don't need us.
- Invoicing: the reminder logic is simple enough that your ops lead can maintain it after we build it — we document it so they can. Your Bexio plan already includes API access; no extra licence needed.
- Email triage: this is where our expertise earns its keep — edge cases, routing rules and the sensitive-email guardrails take experience to get right.
- Onboarding: build once, leave on autopilot. Worth doing properly, then it barely needs touching.
- Where you'd waste money: a real-time analytics dashboard you'd look at twice. We've left it out of the quote on purpose.
08 What we need from you
About one hour of your team's time in total, plus these accesses — least-privilege, revocable, on your infrastructure.
- Bexio API key (invoicing scope only)
- Read access to the shared inbox (delegate, not password)
- Bank camt.053 export — read-only, for reconciliation
- A VPS or server you own (we can help you set one up in 30 minutes)
- One 30-minute review slot per phase for sign-off
09 Next steps & guarantees
- Day 0: you green-light Phase 1 — kickoff within the week.
- Weeks 1–2: first automation live on your infrastructure; acceptance criteria measured, not promised.
- 30-day money-back on setup fees, no questions asked. Maintenance cancellable with 30 days' notice.
- Handover included: documentation, access and code are yours — you are never locked in.