Automation and Operations
Which processes to automate first: a simple scoring method
Score each process on hours, clarity, data readiness and risk, check payback, then automate the top one or two. Worked example and pass/fail test.
Process
AI Operations Assistant
Day-to-day operational requests handled directly, across scheduling, tracking and routine follow-ups, without waiting for a person.
Operations teams lose whole days to small requests: can we move this, where is that, who is following up. AI Operations Assistant handles those routine requests directly, across the tools your team already uses. It schedules, tracks tasks to completion and follows up when something stalls. Anything outside your written rules goes to the approver you name, with the context already gathered.
- Routine scheduling and status requests handled without waiting
- Stalled tasks followed up automatically until they close
- Actions outside your rules sent to an approver first
$6,200
20–30 working days
Optional maintenance $310/mo
What it is
AI Operations Assistant handles routine operational requests directly: scheduling, status updates, tracking tasks to completion and following up when something stalls. It works across the tools your team already runs, escalating to a person only when a request needs judgment your rules do not cover.
Why businesses buy it
Every routine request that lands on an operations manager is a small interruption, and together they crowd out the work only that person can do. Follow-ups slip, tasks stall quietly and the same questions get asked twice. This build handles the patterned requests your playbook already describes and escalates the rest, tested across 50 documented scenarios before launch. The Scope Card fixes the systems, workflows and approval rules before you order, so you know exactly what it does on its own and what always reaches a person.
Problems this solves
Operations managers spend the day answering routine status requests
The assistant handles routine requests directly, such as scheduling and status updates, across the tools your team already runs. Managers are left with work that needs judgment.
Tasks stall because no one follows up
The assistant tracks tasks to completion and follows up when something stalls. Up to six workflows apply your approval rules, so follow-ups happen consistently rather than when someone remembers.
Requests that need judgment get handled like routine ones
The assistant escalates to a person whenever a request needs judgment your rules do not cover. Routine work moves fast, and exceptions reach someone who can decide.
A good fit if
Your operations manager or ops team spends real time on requests that follow a pattern, such as scheduling, status checks or chasing a task that has stalled.
You can write down the rules for common requests, such as who approves what and when something should be escalated, rather than every case needing fresh judgment.
Requests currently arrive through a mix of email, Slack and tickets, and you want them handled without someone manually triaging each one.
You want a single channel where operational requests are logged and tracked to completion, with escalation to the right person built in.
Not the right fit if
You need a single documented procedure to run reliably every time, rather than broader open-ended requests. See AI SOP Execution Agent.
You mainly need internal announcements drafted and scheduled, not requests actioned. See AI Internal Communications.
You want operations, reporting, SOPs and decisions connected as one system spanning several areas. See AI Business Operations OS.
Your request volume needs more than two connected systems with write access or six workflows. Add a note at checkout for a written Change Quote, or use our Custom AI enquiry form.
How it works
- Requests come in through one channel. Email, Slack or your ticketing tool, wherever your team already sends operational requests.
- Each request is matched to a rule. Using the playbook you provided, such as approval limits and qualification criteria, so common requests are handled the same way every time.
- Routine work is completed directly. Scheduling, status updates and tracking happen in the connected systems themselves, up to two systems with read and write access.
- Anything outside the rules is escalated. The approver you named is looped in with the context already gathered, rather than a bare notification with no detail.
- Stalled tasks get followed up automatically. If something has not moved by the time you set, a reminder or escalation goes out without someone having to notice first.
- Everything is tracked to completion. You can see what was requested, what was done, and what is still open, across up to six workflows.
What you provide within 72 hours
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
- Admin or API access to the connected systems, ideally sandbox or test records to start with.
- Your rules and playbook, such as qualification criteria, approval limits and your refund or exception policy.
- 10 real sample requests, whether from email threads, tickets or conversations, so the assistant learns the actual patterns.
- The name of the approver for requests that need a person's judgment.
- Admin access and API keys for every connected system, shared by adding our team as a user or creating a key you control, never by email.
- Your business information (company basics, hours and brand voice), shared during intake.
- One decision-maker who can sign off on the finished setup.
- An API key for your own AI model account (for example OpenAI or Google Gemini), created for this build with a spending limit.
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.
Timeline
Start
Intake verified, your playbook and escalation rules confirmed.
Weeks 1–2
Request handling and routing logic are built around your rules.
Week 3
Read and write access is connected across up to two systems.
Weeks 3–4
50 documented test scenarios are run and results sent to you.
Week 4
Your review and two rounds of changes to the workflows.
Go-live
Live, handover report sent, 30 days of support begins.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20–30 working days | $6,200 |
| Express | 15–25 working days | $7,300 |
| Rush | 10–20 working days | $8,350 |
What you receive at handover
- AI Operations Assistant configured in your environment on one channel
- Up to six operational workflows built around your approval rules
- Read and write connection to up to two agreed systems, plus up to 100 reference documents
- Test report covering 50 documented test scenarios
- Admin guide and a written handover report
- 30 days of post-launch support
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Can take routine requests off managers' plates
- Helps stalled tasks get chased without anyone remembering to
- Makes escalations reach the right person
- Routine requests handled without a manager
- Use the assistant's log to count requests it closed versus those escalated each month.
- Tasks overdue at week end
- Count overdue tasks in your task tool every Friday for a month before launch and after.
- Manager time on routine requests
- Ask managers to log time on routine requests for a week before launch and a week after.
Before you start: For one week, log the routine requests your operations team handles. Record overdue tasks at week end.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
The build price is one-time. Running it costs roughly $50 to $250 a month in AI model usage and hosting, plus whatever plan you already pay for the connected systems, such as your CRM or helpdesk.
AI usage during the build and testing is also billed to your accounts, so you keep ownership of every provider relationship. Nothing runs through us.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
If you need something outside the Scope Card, add a note at checkout. You get a written Change Quote, and that work only starts once you accept it. Your original order runs on its normal timeline either way. Larger or bespoke projects go through the Custom AI request form instead.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
Optional monthly maintenance covers monitoring, fixes, model and platform updates, a monthly health report and monthly change hours for changes such as an updated rule or a new escalation path. It starts after the 30 days of support that come with the build, bills monthly, and can be cancelled any month.
$310/mo (5% of the build price a month, includes 3 change hours)
Optional. Starts after the post-launch support period. Cancel any month.
How maintenance worksHow this compares
| Do it yourself with a SaaS tool | Hire a custom agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | A helpdesk or ops platform charges a monthly seat fee per agent | An ops consultant quotes after discovery calls | Ours is one fixed price, shown on this page before you buy |
| Scope | An ops platform is a blank canvas you configure yourself | A consultant agrees scope during the engagement | Ours is written on the Scope Card before purchase |
| Delivery | An ops platform is live once someone sets up the rules | A consultant engagement usually takes several weeks | Ours has a fixed delivery time shown before you buy, with faster options |
| Routing | An ops platform routes on rules you write and maintain yourself | A consultant's process depends on who documented it | Ours routes on the playbook you gave us at intake |
| Tracking | An ops platform shows raw tickets, not completion status by workflow | A consultant's tracking depends on what was agreed | Ours tracks each request to completion across your workflows |
Questions about this product
How much does AI Operations Assistant cost?
The price for each delivery speed is shown in the panel on this page. It covers request handling across up to two connected systems, your escalation rules built into up to six workflows, 50 documented test scenarios and two rounds of changes. Running costs for AI usage and hosting, roughly $50 to $250 a month, are paid in your own accounts.
What kinds of requests can it actually handle?
Routine operational requests that follow a pattern you can describe, such as scheduling, status checks and tracking tasks to completion, across up to six workflows. Anything that needs judgment your playbook does not cover is escalated to the approver you named, with the context already gathered, rather than being guessed at.
How long does AI Operations Assistant take to launch?
The launch date for each speed is listed in the delivery panel on this page, counted from the day your intake is complete and access is verified. Sending your playbook, escalation rules and system access within 72 hours of ordering keeps the earliest date. Before launch, the assistant is tested on 50 documented scenarios so you see how it handles your requests.
What access does it need to my systems?
Admin or API access to up to two connected systems, ideally with sandbox or test records so the workflows can be built and tested safely first. Access is shared by adding our team as a user or creating a key you control, never by email, and covers both reading current status and writing updates back into the system.
Does it replace my operations manager?
No. It handles the routine requests that follow a documented pattern, so your operations manager spends less time on repetitive scheduling and status chasing. Anything outside your written rules, or that needs a judgment call, is escalated to the person you name rather than decided automatically.
Can I add more workflows or request types later?
Small adjustments to an existing workflow, such as a new escalation rule, fit inside the monthly change hours included with maintenance. A genuinely new request type beyond the six workflows included, or a third connected system, is scoped and quoted separately as an add-on.
What does running the assistant cost each month?
Roughly $50 to $250 a month in AI model usage and hosting, paid directly in your own accounts, plus whatever you already pay for the connected systems such as your CRM or helpdesk plan. We do not add a markup on top, so running cost scales with actual request volume rather than a flat fee.
Do I own the setup once it is delivered?
Yes. The workflows run inside your own connected systems and accounts, not ours, so nothing is locked into a proprietary platform. The 30 days of post-launch support cover fixing anything that does not match the Scope Card, and monthly maintenance afterward is optional, not required to keep it running.
Guides on this topic
All guides Stop letting routine requests eat your operations team's week.
Order AI Operations Assistant and it starts handling routine requests on a fixed delivery date. The scope above is what you get, in writing, before you pay.
Works well with
Process
AI Business Operations OS
Connects daily ops, reporting, SOPs and decisions into one operating system.
