AI Automation Pricing for South African Service Businesses
Pricing depends on workflows, channels, integrations, and setup complexity. Below are the engagement shapes we offer and the factors that influence each scope. The safest next step is a free 5-minute assessment — it maps your operation against our system so the call we have is about fit, not budget guessing.
Why pricing depends on workflows, not flat numbers
Two SA businesses in the same niche often need very different automation systems. A solo dental practice taking 30 calls per week is structurally different from a multi-location group running 300 calls per week with three calendar systems and a practice-management platform. Same niche — different setup complexity, different channel mix, different integration surface area.
Five factors most influence scope and price:
- Workflows included — booking, follow-up, lead qualification, missed-call recovery, review automation, and combinations.
- Channels included — phone, WhatsApp, web chat, email, CRM, calendar.
- Integration complexity — does your stack include practice-management software, multiple calendars, an existing CRM, or custom APIs?
- Call and message volume — how many enquiries per week, peak load, after-hours expectations.
- Setup and ongoing optimisation — initial scoping, launch support, monthly tuning, A/B testing, dashboards.
Below are the three engagement shapes we offer, with what is included at each level. We scope every engagement on a free 5-minute assessment first so the proposal we send is honest, not anchored.
Focused Automation
Best for solo operators & clinics under 5 staffOne fully-managed automation. Built, tested, deployed, and managed. Best entry point if you have one painful repetitive task you want gone first.
Choose one of:
- ✓ AI Receptionist — answers calls 24/7, books appointments
- ✓ WhatsApp Automation — qualifies leads, books bookings
- ✓ AI Lead Generation — finds and scores prospects daily
- ✓ Content Engine — daily LinkedIn + X posts on autopilot
Typically included:
- ✓ Full setup + integration with your existing tools
- ✓ Capacity sized to your call/message volume
- ✓ Telegram alerts for every lead
- ✓ Designed with POPIA in mind — consult a legal or compliance adviser
- ✓ Practical scoping & launch support
Typically not included at this level: CRM sync, custom integrations beyond Google Workspace / WhatsApp / your calendar. For those, see Growth System.
Pricing depends on workflows, channels, integrations, and setup complexity. Start a free 5-minute audit for a scoped quote.
Growth System
⭐ Most common — multi-location SMBsTwo automations running together, talking to your CRM, with a monthly performance review. Best for businesses that already have a system and want to layer AI on top.
Everything in Focused Automation, plus:
- ✓ A second automation from the Focused list
- ✓ CRM sync (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, or Bigin)
- ✓ WhatsApp Business API set-up & verification
- ✓ Capacity sized to your channel volume
- ✓ Daily Telegram performance summary
Plus:
- ✓ Monthly 30-min performance review call
- ✓ A/B test of subject lines, scripts, hooks
- ✓ Priority support response time
- ✓ Quarterly system audit + tuning
Best fit: medical practices with 3-10 staff, real estate agencies, e-commerce stores with established traffic.
Pricing depends on workflows, channels, integrations, and setup complexity. Start a free 5-minute audit for a scoped quote.
Multi-Channel Automation
Full system — for serious operatorsThe full multi-module automation stack we run for ourselves. Every layer of your business — sales, comms, ops, reporting — running on AI agents that talk to each other.
Everything in Growth System, plus:
- ✓ Full multi-module system (no “pick one” — you get the whole stack)
- ✓ Twitter/X auto-publishing
- ✓ Live revenue dashboard (Telegram + web)
- ✓ Capacity sized to peak channel volume (fair use)
- ✓ Custom integrations (your stack, not ours)
Plus:
- ✓ Dedicated 90-min setup call with Zakaria
- ✓ Weekly check-in for the first 60 days
- ✓ Same-business-day support response
- ✓ Case study production for your business
Best fit: agencies, multi-location clinics, or operators who want a single retainer that replaces 3-4 SaaS subscriptions.
Pricing depends on workflows, channels, integrations, and setup complexity. Start a free 5-minute audit for a scoped quote.
Custom Enterprise
For operations with 50+ staff, multi-tenant requirements, on-premise deployment needs, or compliance regimes beyond POPIA (consult a legal or compliance adviser for industry-specific requirements). Includes a dedicated solutions engineer and a 30-day pilot.
Tell us what you need on a 30-min discovery call. We scope each enterprise engagement openly — we have walked away from enterprise quotes when we are not the right fit.
Pricing depends on workflows, channels, integrations, and setup complexity. Book an enterprise discovery call.
Third-party costs to ask about with any AI agency
Three vendor-passthrough line items every South African business owner should ask about before signing — with us, or any other AI automation provider:
1. WhatsApp Business API conversation fees
Meta charges roughly R0.30 to R0.80 per conversation (24-hour session window) directly. Marketing-initiated conversations are typically most expensive. We discuss volume expectations during scoping so the budget is honest.
2. Twilio voice minute charges
AI receptionists run on Twilio. Inbound voice in South Africa is roughly R0.40 to R0.80 per minute. Engagements are sized to expected volume during scoping.
3. AI inference
Some AI agencies use OpenAI or Anthropic and bill variable cost back to you. We default to Groq Llama 3.3 70B (free tier) with paid Anthropic as a fallback — most clients pay R0 in inference fees on day-to-day load. Engagements include a clearly defined monthly ceiling.
Pricing if you are not in Cape Town
Geography does not change engagement scope. We serve clients in Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, Sandton, Stellenbosch, and outside SA on the same architecture. Most engagements are remote over Zoom; on-site setup days are scoped separately if needed.
Pricing FAQ
Do you require an annual contract?
No. All plans are month-to-month. Cancel any time with 30 days notice. We earn the renewal every month.
How do you handle scoping and expectations?
Every engagement starts with a scoping call where we map your current operations and discuss realistic expectations. Specific outcomes depend on your workflow, call volume, and implementation scope — we'd rather under-promise and over-deliver than commit to outcomes we can't see yet.
Can I move between engagement levels mid-engagement?
Yes. Scope expansions take effect immediately and we re-scope the engagement. Scope reductions take effect at the next billing cycle.
Are engagements billed in Rand or US Dollars?
For South African clients — strictly Rand, billed via SA EFT or Paystack. For US/Canada clients we run a separate USD engagement model.
What if my business does not fit any of these shapes?
Take the free 5-minute assessment. It maps your actual situation against our system and tells you which engagement shape (or whether none) fits — honest answer, even if the honest answer is “you do not need us yet.”
Still not sure which engagement shape fits?
Take the free 5-minute assessment. We map your business against our system and tell you which engagement shape — or none — is right. Built for South African operators who would rather see a scoped, honest plan than sit through a pitch deck.