Search for "AI automation agency" and you will find everyone from a freelancer with a Make.com account to a global consultancy with a 40-page framework. They all use the same words. This guide helps you sort them, ask the right questions, spot the red flags and score providers consistently - whether you are in Austin, Manchester or Brisbane.
The four types of provider
1. Tool-stitchers
One to five people connecting Zapier, Make or n8n to ChatGPT. Fast and cheap for simple automations. Weak on anything that needs judgement, error handling or maintenance.
Fits: low-volume internal automations, tight budgets, you have someone who can maintain it. Watch for: no monitoring, no ownership of failures, "it worked when we handed it over".
2. AI consultancies
Strategy decks, workshops, roadmaps. Often excellent thinking, little or no build. You leave with a plan and a quote from someone else.
Fits: larger companies needing board-level alignment before spending. Watch for: day rates of $150-$400 with no working software at the end.
3. Software agencies with an AI practice
Custom builds by real engineers: agents, RAG pipelines, integrations into your product. Strong on complex work. Delivery is usually project-based; ongoing operation is a separate conversation.
Fits: AI features inside your own product, complex integrations, teams with a technical owner. Watch for: project fee then silence; make sure someone owns the system afterwards.
4. Managed AI providers
Build and run: audit, deploy, monitor, tune weekly, report. Flat monthly fee. Accountable for a metric.
Fits: owner-operated and mid-sized businesses without a technical owner, revenue-critical workflows like lead response and support. Watch for: make sure the "managed" part is real - ask what happened last time an API changed.
GridCore is a software agency with a managed AI offering (Full-Service AI). We build custom AI systems for products and run managed automation for operations. We say that up front so you can weigh the rest of this guide accordingly.
The 12 questions to ask on the first call
- Who exactly will build and maintain this? Names, experience, and whether you will talk to them directly.
- Which workflow would you start with for us, and why? A good answer is specific and tied to a number.
- What metric will we track, and how do we baseline it?
- Walk me through a live example of something similar you run today.
- How do you handle our data? Which models, which API tiers, where hosted, who has access.
- What happens when the model or an API changes? Who notices, who fixes, at what cost.
- What do we own when we leave? Prompts, workflows, integrations, documentation, accounts.
- What are the terms? Minimum length, notice period, what is included in the fee.
- What does your weekly report look like? Ask to see one.
- How do you decide what needs a human in the loop?
- What is the rollout plan for the first 30 days?
- What would make you say no to this project? Honest providers have an answer.
Red flags
- No named engineers or "our team" with no specifics
- No metric, or a metric you cannot measure
- Strategy first, build maybe
- Per-token or per-task pricing that nobody can forecast
- Six- or twelve-month contracts on a first engagement
- Prompts and workflows that stay in the vendor's accounts
- No data processing agreement available
- "Fully autonomous from day one"
- No answer to "what happened last time something broke?"
Pricing benchmarks
| Scope | USD | GBP | AUD | CAD | NZD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool-stitcher, per project | $1,000 - $5,000 | £800 - £3,900 | A$1,500 - A$7,500 | C$1,350 - C$6,800 | NZ$1,650 - NZ$8,250 |
| AI consultancy, per day | $1,200 - $3,200 | £950 - £2,500 | A$1,800 - A$4,800 | C$1,650 - C$4,350 | NZ$2,000 - NZ$5,300 |
| Software agency, per AI build | $5,000 - $50,000 | £3,900 - £39,000 | A$7,500 - A$75,000 | C$6,800 - C$68,000 | NZ$8,250 - NZ$82,500 |
| Managed AI, per month (1-2 workflows) | $1,500 - $2,500 | £1,150 - £1,950 | A$2,250 - A$3,750 | C$2,050 - C$3,400 | NZ$2,500 - NZ$4,150 |
| Managed AI, per month (3-6 workflows) | $3,000 - $6,000 | £2,350 - £4,700 | A$4,500 - A$9,000 | C$4,100 - C$8,150 | NZ$4,950 - NZ$9,900 |
Non-USD figures are indicative conversions; we invoice in USD, GBP or AUD.
A scoring sheet you can copy
Score each provider 1-5 on each line; weight as shown.
| Criterion | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Named senior engineers you can talk to | 3x | Non-negotiable |
| Specific first workflow + metric | 3x | Shows they understand your business |
| Runs the system after launch (managed) | 2x | Unless you have a technical owner |
| Data terms in writing | 2x | Region, API tier, access, DPA |
| Ownership of everything built | 2x | In your accounts |
| Month-to-month terms | 2x | Confidence signal |
| Live example shown | 1x | |
| Weekly report shown | 1x | |
| Clear 30-day rollout plan | 1x | |
| Price within benchmark | 1x | Cheapest is rarely best |
A provider scoring under 60 out of a possible 90 is usually the wrong fit regardless of price.
Evaluating GridCore against this guide
Named senior engineers (5+ years), a first workflow recommendation and metric after a one-week audit, managed operation with weekly tuning and a two-minute report, flat monthly fee, month-to-month, everything built in your accounts, data handled in your region. If you would like to run us through the scoring sheet, book a call and we will answer all twelve questions.
Related: AI automation for small business and what Full-Service AI means.
