Why the range is so wide
“Business automation” can mean a WhatsApp reminder that goes out when an invoice is overdue. It can also mean a system that reads purchase bills with AI, checks them, posts them to Tally and reports on them. Both are automation, and they’re very different amounts of work. So a single price would mislead you, and anyone quoting one before seeing your process is guessing.
What I can give you is the range my projects fall in, what puts a project at each end of it, and how to work out which end you’re likely to be at before you speak to anyone.
Business automation price levels and what each includes
The levels below describe scope. They aren’t separate price lists: your quote depends on your process, and it’s fixed before work starts.
| Where it sits | What’s included | A typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Near ₹50,000 | One process, one connection, one team using it | Payment reminders on WhatsApp from an overdue invoice list |
| Middle of the range | One process end to end, with checks, a review screen and two or three connected tools | Bills read, reviewed and posted into Tally |
| Near ₹10 lakh | Several processes on shared data, with roles, reports and two-way sync | Leads, payments, dues and reports running in one system |
Every level includes the same basics: a written scope, weekly demos on your own data, training at launch, and the code handed over to you. Those aren’t add-ons.
What drives the cost of automation
Six things move a project up or down the range. If you know these answers before a call, you’ll get a sharper estimate.
- How many systems are involved. Each connection needs mapping, testing and its own failure handling. Two tools is a very different job from five.
- Whether those systems have an API. Modern tools connect cleanly. Older software may need a Tally integration layer or a connector on an office PC before any automation can start.
- One-way or two-way data. Reading from a system is simpler than writing to it. Writing means handling rejections, duplicates and retries, because a mistake lands in your books.
- How messy the input is. A clean export is easy. PDFs in different layouts, phone photos and hand-typed narrations need more rules, more checks and a review step.
- How many exceptions your process has. The normal case is usually the easy part. Part-payments, bounced cheques and credit notes are where the work goes.
- How many people and roles use it. A tool for one accountant needs little. A system where sales, accounts and owners each see different data needs logins, permissions and an audit trail.
Running costs to budget for
The build isn’t the only cost, so ask about these before you sign anything, with me or anyone else.
- WhatsApp messages. Business-initiated messages go through the WhatsApp Business API using templates approved by Meta, and Meta charges for them. The bill depends on your message volume and type.
- AI usage. If AI reads documents or answers questions, you pay the provider for what you use. I track the cost of every task and add monthly limits, so an AI bill never surprises you.
- Hosting. Web-based systems need a server. For most small systems this is a minor cost, but it’s recurring.
- Support and changes. After launch you can have support on a simple monthly plan, or pay for changes on request. Nothing forces you into either, because the code is yours.
Custom automation vs off-the-shelf tools
Custom isn’t always the right call. If a ready-made tool covers your process, buy it. It’ll be cheaper to start, and someone else maintains it. I’ll tell you that on the audit call, because automating the wrong thing helps neither of us.
| Off-the-shelf tool | Custom automation | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low | ₹50,000 to ₹10 lakh |
| Ongoing cost | Subscription, often per user | Running costs, plus support if you want it |
| Fit with your process | You adapt to the software | Built around how you work |
| Works with Tally and WhatsApp | Only what the vendor supports | Whatever you need connected |
| Who owns it | The vendor | You, including the code |
| Best when | Your process is standard | Your process is unusual, or the tools need to talk to each other |
A useful test: if your team would still be exporting from the new tool and retyping into Tally, it hasn’t removed the work, only moved it. That’s usually when custom business automation services start to make sense.
How to work out whether it’s worth it
You don’t need a complicated model. Take the task you want to automate and write down three numbers from your own business: the hours your team spends on it each month, what those hours cost you, and what mistakes in that task cost you, such as lost input tax credit or a payment nobody followed up.
Compare that monthly cost with the build price. If a task eats a large part of someone’s week, it’s usually worth it. If it takes an hour a month, it usually isn’t, however annoying it feels. And some of the value never appears in that sum: reports that arrive on time, payments chased without anyone remembering to do it, and staff doing work that needs judgement.
How to keep the cost down
- Start with one process. Pick the one your team repeats most and gets wrong most expensively. If it proves itself, add the next.
- Start from the files you already have. Most automations can begin from your current Excel files and exports, so you don’t need a new system first.
- Keep your accounting software. Connecting to Tally costs less than replacing it, and your accountants keep their tools.
- Write down the exceptions early. Surprises found halfway through are what stretch projects. Bring your awkward cases to the first call.
- Don’t automate a broken process. If the steps don’t make sense on paper, fix that first. Software only makes a bad process faster.
What you get before you commit
The first step costs nothing. On a free 30-minute audit call you show me the work, and I tell you what can be automated and what can’t. Then you get a written plan: what will be built, how long it will take and what it will cost. There’s no open-ended billing.
To see the kind of work behind these numbers, look at WhatsApp payment reminder automation for the smaller end, or the bank statement to Tally case study. If you’re comparing this with a full system, the guide to custom ERP cost in India covers that decision. CA firms can also read about the processes to automate first.
Frequently asked questions
My projects start at about ₹50,000, which covers one process with one connection, such as WhatsApp reminders from an overdue invoice list. Below that, a ready-made tool is usually better value. I’ll tell you so on the audit call rather than build something you don’t need.
Often, if one task takes a real share of someone’s week or causes costly mistakes. Small businesses can gain the most because one person usually does the repeated work. If a task takes an hour a month, leave it alone and spend the money elsewhere.
There can be. WhatsApp messages, AI usage and hosting are paid to those providers based on your use. Support from me is optional, on a simple monthly plan or on request. You own the code, so you’re never locked into paying me to keep it running.
It depends on the scope, and I’d rather not guess before seeing your process. After the free audit call you get a written timeline with the fixed quote. Either way you see working software every week, on your own data, rather than waiting for one big reveal.
You can certainly build in stages, which is how most work should start: one process first, then the next once it proves itself. Each stage gets its own scope and quote, so you’re only ever committing to the part you’ve already seen a plan for.
Related service: Business Automation