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Employees

AI employees: agents for Slack, Teams and e-mail

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slack · #sales

# sales

Sandra

@fox-assistant, summarise this week’s open quotes for me

Fox Assistant AI

Five open quotes, CHF 38,400 in total. Two expire on Friday: a bakery in Liestal (CHF 6,200) and a painting firm in Gelterkinden (CHF 4,900).

Sandra

Send them both a friendly reminder

Fox Assistant AI

Two drafts are ready. E-mails to customers only go out after your approval. Send now?

AI Employees

Imagine a colleague who never sleeps, knows your processes and can be reached in Slack, Teams or by e-mail. That’s exactly what an AI employee is: an agent with a role profile, access to your tools and clear approvals. We build it as a custom solution or set up OpenAI dots and comparable agents for you. You decide which route fits.

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01

Why an AI employee is more than a chatbot

A chatbot waits until someone asks a question and then answers from a fixed body of knowledge. An AI employee goes further. It has a clearly defined role, access to the tools it needs for it, and works through tasks on its own: it reads new e-mails, checks data in the CRM, creates an appointment or writes a draft quote. Your team talks to it where they already work, for example in Slack, Microsoft Teams or by e-mail. And it keeps running when nobody is in the office, for instance when monitoring an inbox or an online shop.

So the difference isn’t the language model, it’s how it is embedded. A good AI employee knows what it is responsible for, whom it needs to ask and where its limits are. It works with your data instead of general internet knowledge and leaves a traceable record. Without this foundation, even the best model remains a toy. Since major providers such as OpenAI with dots or Anthropic with Claude in Slack started offering their own agents for teams, the topic has become tangible for SMEs too. For Swiss businesses with tight staffing, it is a real opportunity, provided role, permissions and responsibility are clearly defined from the start.

02

What an AI employee from Fox Computers can do

We set up an agent that takes over a specific task in your business and is connected to your systems to do it. It answers internal questions from manuals, price lists and file shares, sorts incoming support e-mails by topic and urgency, and prepares replies. It keeps the CRM up to date, enters appointments, creates draft quotes from enquiries and posts a short report to the team channel every morning. If you wish, it monitors inboxes, forms or your online shop and gets in touch as soon as something needs your attention. New employees find templates and answers with it, without interrupting anyone on the team.

We connect what you already use: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, calendars, Bexio or Abacus, your CRM, a ticketing system or your website. Where an interface is missing, we build a bridge, just as we do for our automations. What matters to us is that the AI employee isn’t allowed to do everything just because it technically could. It gets exactly the permissions its role requires, and asks before it moves money, deletes data or writes externally on behalf of your company. Every action is logged, so you can always see what it did and why.

ai employee · today

Done today

  • 12 support e-mails answered
  • CRM updated with new leads
  • Blind service quote prepared
  • Monday’s appointments confirmed
  • Daily report posted in channel

2 approvals waiting for you

03

Your own agent or OpenAI dots: two routes

The first route is your own AI employee that we build and run for you. Technically, we rely on platforms such as n8n and proven agent frameworks, combined with a cloud model or a local model. Hosting can be in Switzerland or on your premises, as you prefer. The big advantage is freedom of channels: besides Slack and Teams, your team or your clients can also reach the agent by e-mail, WhatsApp, Telegram or via a chat on your website. You decide where the data is stored, which model does the computing and how deeply it connects to your systems.

The second route is a ready-made agent from a major provider. On 29 September 2026, OpenAI introduced dots, always-on agents in ChatGPT that can also be reached via Slack and Microsoft Teams. In Switzerland, dots is available through ChatGPT Business Premium, and the first dot is included in that licence. Comparable options are Claude in Slack from Anthropic and agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot. We set up the agent, connect it to your tools, define approval rules and train your team. In return, you are tied to the provider’s channels, prices and data centres. Together, we work out which route suits your role.

04

Typical roles for AI employees in an SME

The knowledge colleague answers internal questions: how does a complaint get handled, where is the current price list, which warranty applies to this product? She answers from your documents and cites the source. The support assistant reads incoming e-mails, sorts them by topic and urgency, drafts replies to standard questions and forwards the rest to the right person. The sales assistant summarises open quotes, reminds you of due follow-ups, maintains contacts in the CRM and turns an enquiry into a draft quote that you only need to check and approve. That way, no enquiry gets left behind just because sales is busy.

The scheduler coordinates appointments, finds free slots in the team calendar and sends confirmations. The watcher monitors inboxes, forms or your online shop and reports new orders, unusual patterns or enquiries left unanswered. And the onboarding companion helps new employees in their first weeks, finds templates, explains processes and answers questions someone on the team would otherwise have to answer. We recommend starting with exactly one role that takes a lot of time and is clearly defined. An accounting firm might start with the support inbox, a trades business with scheduling. If it works well, the next one follows, step by step and based on real experience.

ai employee · night shift
  1. mail.inboxSpare part enquiry answered
  2. shop.orderDelivery time checked, customer informed
  3. monitor.websiteError in contact form detected
  4. slack.techReport posted with screenshot
  5. report.morningSummary for the team

Read more

05

How an AI employee works in Slack, Teams and e-mail

Day to day, an AI employee feels like another team member. In Slack or Microsoft Teams, you mention it in a channel or message it directly: “Summarise this week’s open quotes for me” or “Book Ms Meier in for Thursday at ten”. It replies in the same thread, briefly and with links to the sources. By e-mail, your own agent gets its own address, to which you forward enquiries or which it monitors itself. Via WhatsApp or a chat on your website, it can also talk directly to your clients, within clearly defined limits, of course.

Around the clock doesn’t mean it chats all the time. Many tasks run quietly in the background: it checks the support inbox every hour, syncs appointments or posts the daily report to the channel at seven. If it isn’t sure about something or needs approval, it asks the person responsible instead of guessing. You decide when it speaks up and when it stays quiet, so it doesn’t add extra noise. Outside office hours, it collects enquiries, answers simple cases and lays out the rest so your team can pick up straight away in the morning.

06

How the rollout works

We start with a role profile, just like a job advert. What should the AI employee do, whom does it work for, which systems does it need, what may it decide on its own and when must it ask? The result is a clear description with tasks, permissions and measurable goals, such as enquiries answered per week or hours saved. Then we decide together whether your own agent or a solution like OpenAI dots is the better fit. Next, we connect the systems, add your knowledge and set up channels and approval rules. At every step, you can see what we are working on.

Next comes a test phase with real cases and a small part of the team. The AI employee first works in draft mode: it suggests, a human decides. This way your team learns how it works, and we sharpen instructions and rules. Only when the results are right does the go-live for everyone follow, typically after two to four weeks. After that, we stay on it: we analyse the logs, adjust the role, keep models and interfaces up to date and show you what it has achieved. The agent gets more permissions step by step, once it has proven itself.

07

Data protection, permissions and approvals

An AI employee has access to e-mails, client data and documents. That’s why, before launch, we set out which data it may see, where it is processed and who checks its work. We comply with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP) and, where you have clients in the EU, the GDPR. With your own agent, everything can run on a server in Switzerland or on your premises, with a local model if you wish, so no data leaves the building. With cloud services like dots, we check the provider’s terms and tell you openly where the limits are.

Clear approvals are just as important. Anything that moves money, deletes data or goes out on behalf of your company needs a human’s confirmation. The AI employee prepares, you decide with one click. With OpenAI dots, this can be controlled with custom rules per action: act without asking, pre-approve, ask first or hand over to a human. With your own agent, we build the same levels straight into the workflow. Every action is logged, access runs through dedicated accounts with minimal permissions, and you can pause the agent at any time. That way you stay in control, even when it works at night.

08

What an AI employee costs

Setting up an AI employee for one role starts at CHF 4,800 and takes two to four weeks. This includes the role profile, connection to your most important tools, channel setup, approval rules, a test phase and rollout with your team. For operation and support, we charge from CHF 290 per month: monitoring, updates, adjustments to the role and a review of what the agent has achieved. On top of that come costs for models or licences, such as usage fees for a cloud model with your own agent, or ChatGPT Business Premium licences with dots. All figures are starting prices; the effort depends on scope and systems.

An honest comparison: your own agent usually takes a little more effort to set up, but running costs stay easy to plan because there is no per-person licence. With dots and similar services, getting started is faster, but licences are billed per person per month and keep running. Weigh both against the time the role costs today. If an employee spends five hours every week sorting, updating records and summarising, the benefit quickly becomes tangible. You get a transparent quote up front and, after launch, measurable figures instead of promises.

Prices

Starting prices and the process are all on one page, so you know what to expect before our first conversation.

Packages and prices

ai employee · first month
Enquiries answered
11 h
CRM maintained
6 h
Quotes prepared
5 h
Reports created
3 h
25Team hours freed up

Our building blocks for your success

  • Always there, around the clock

    It answers questions and gets tasks done at night and at weekends too.

  • Works in your channels

    Your team talks to it in Slack, Teams, by e-mail or on WhatsApp.

  • Knows what you know

    Answers come from your documents, price lists and processes, not from the internet.

  • Clear role, clear limits

    A role profile sets out what it may do and when a human signs off.

  • Connected to your tools

    CRM, Bexio, calendar and ticketing system stay up to date, with no copy and paste.

  • Vendor-independent

    Custom agent or OpenAI dots: we choose the route that suits you.

How we work

  1. 01

    Analysis & Potential

    We find the processes where automation or AI delivers the greatest benefit.

  2. 02

    Concept & Selection

    We choose the right tools and models, matched to data protection and budget.

  3. 03

    Build & Integration

    We build the solution and integrate it cleanly into your existing systems.

  4. 04

    Operation & Expansion

    We monitor operation, measure the benefit and expand step by step.

Questions and answers

What is an AI employee?

An AI employee is an AI agent with a fixed role that can be reached in Slack, Teams or by e-mail and completes tasks on its own. Unlike a chatbot, it doesn’t just answer questions but works with your tools: it maintains the CRM, sorts e-mails, schedules appointments or writes draft quotes. Fox Computers sets it up with a role profile that, like a job description, defines what it does, what it may do and when a human decides. Setup for one role starts at CHF 4,800.

What is OpenAI dots and is it available in Switzerland?

OpenAI dots are always-on AI agents in ChatGPT, launched on 29 September 2026, and available in Switzerland via ChatGPT Business Premium. Each dot pursues goals in the background, uses connected apps and can be reached via Slack and Microsoft Teams as well as ChatGPT. The first dot is included in the Business Premium licence. With the individual ChatGPT Pro subscription, however, dots are not available in Switzerland, and access is being rolled out in stages. Fox Computers sets up dots for your team, connects the tools and defines approval rules.

Custom AI agent or OpenAI dots: which fits better?

A custom agent suits WhatsApp, e-mail and data kept in Switzerland; dots suit a quick start in Slack and Teams. With a custom agent based on n8n and agent frameworks, you choose the model, hosting and channels yourself and pay no per-user licence. OpenAI dots runs in the provider’s cloud, is quick to set up and is continuously developed, but you’re tied to its channels, prices and rules. Fox Computers compares both routes based on your role, your data and your budget, and recommends the right one.

Which channels can I use to talk to an AI employee?

An AI employee can be reached in Slack, Microsoft Teams, by e-mail, WhatsApp, Telegram or via a chat on your website, depending on the solution chosen. We connect a custom agent from Fox Computers to almost any of these channels, even several at once, so your team asks in Slack and your customers on WhatsApp. At launch, OpenAI dots can be used via ChatGPT, Slack and Microsoft Teams; WhatsApp isn’t included, and as things stand neither are e-mail and SMS. If you need both, we combine the routes.

Does an AI employee really work around the clock?

Yes, an AI employee works around the clock, including nights, weekends and holidays, as long as the servers and connected services are available. It monitors inboxes, answers simple enquiries and prepares tasks so your team can pick up straight away in the morning. Anything that needs approval it sets aside instead of deciding itself. With your own agent, automatic monitoring alerts Fox Computers if something gets stuck. Operation and support start from CHF 290 per month.

What is an AI employee allowed to decide on its own?

An AI employee only decides what its role profile allows; anything involving money, deletions or external communication needs a human’s approval. Fox Computers sets these rules together with you before launch. Typically, it may answer internal questions and keep the CRM up to date on its own, but it only sends a quote to a client after you click. With OpenAI dots, such rules can be set per action; with your own agent, we build them straight into the workflow. Every action is logged, and it only gets more permissions once it has proven itself.

Is an AI employee compatible with Swiss data protection law?

Yes, an AI employee can be run in line with the revFADP and the GDPR, provided data access, storage location and responsibility are clearly set out before launch. With your own agent, Fox Computers can run everything on a server in Switzerland or on your premises, with a local model if you wish, so no data leaves the building. With OpenAI dots, according to OpenAI, data from business workspaces is not used for training by default, but processing takes place in the provider’s cloud. We check which data the agent sees, grant minimal permissions and log every access.

How much does an AI employee cost for an SME?

Setting up an AI employee for one role at Fox Computers starts from CHF 4,800, with operation and support from CHF 290 per month. On top of that come model or licence costs: with your own agent, usage fees for a cloud model or your own server; with OpenAI dots, the ChatGPT Business Premium licences per person per month. These are starting prices; more systems, channels or roles increase the effort. Before we start, you get a quote with a clear scope, so you can weigh the costs against the time these tasks take today.

How long does it take until an AI employee is up and running?

An AI employee for one role is usually in use after two to four weeks, including a test phase with real cases. Fox Computers starts with the role profile, then connects systems and knowledge and sets up channels and approvals. During the test phase the agent works in draft mode and a human checks every action. Only when the results are right does the go-live for the whole team follow. With OpenAI dots, setup is often faster; with your own agent, the timeline depends on the number of interfaces.

Will an AI employee replace my staff?

No, an AI employee doesn’t replace people. It takes recurring routine work off your team and frees up time for advice, clients and decisions. It sorts, summarises, updates records and prepares, while responsibility stays with your people. Especially in Swiss SMEs that struggle to find skilled staff, this helps the existing team handle more work. Fox Computers introduces the agent together with your team, so it is seen as support rather than a threat. We start with one role and measure how many hours a week are freed up.

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