AI automation for SMEs in Switzerland

A process automation from Fox Computers costs from CHF 5,000 for one process, which is selected, mapped, connected to your tools and tested with real cases. The price depends on how many systems are involved and how many exceptions the process has. Before we start, you get a fixed-price quote. On top of that there may be running costs for platforms such as Make or for AI models billed by usage. At low volumes, that’s often just a few francs a month. Extensions are billed at CHF 160 per hour.

At Fox Computers, a first automation is usually running reliably in everyday use after two to four weeks. During that time we clarify the process, connect the systems involved, build in error handling and test with real cases from your business. It only goes live once everything runs stably. Until then, your team works as usual and the existing process remains as a fallback. If many systems or approvals hang on the process, it can take a little longer. That will be stated in the quote beforehand.

Anything that happens regularly and follows fixed rules can be automated: transferring data, sorting e-mails, creating documents, syncing systems. Typical examples from Swiss SMEs are web form enquiries that land straight in the CRM, invoices with a QR code that are created and sent automatically at the end of the month, or supplier invoices that move from the inbox into accounting. Appointment confirmations, stock syncing between shop and till, and weekly reports run by themselves too. Fox Computers always starts with the biggest time-waster in your business.

In our experience, first automations often save 5 to 15 hours a week, depending on the process, volume and team size. What matters is how often a task comes up: a process that costs five minutes ten times a day eats up around four hours a week. A worked example: five hours saved at an internal hourly rate of CHF 80 comes to around CHF 18,400 a year over 46 working weeks. So a process automation from CHF 5,000 often pays for itself within a few months. Fox Computers quantifies the potential up front, so you know what the automation will bring you before you start.

Fox Computers works mainly with n8n and Make, supplemented by custom scripts and interfaces when a platform reaches its limits. Zapier is also possible if you already use it. n8n has the advantage that it can be self-hosted, for example on your server or with a Swiss hosting provider. That keeps the data under your control, with no fees per execution. Make is well suited to fast, clear workflows in the cloud. Where a step needs to understand language, we integrate models from OpenAI, Anthropic or Mistral, or a local model.

Yes. Bexio, Abacus, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer interfaces through which Fox Computers can read and write data automatically. That way, contacts from the web form land in the CRM, invoices in accounting and appointments in the Outlook or Google calendar, without anyone retyping anything. Common CRM systems, WooCommerce shops, ticketing systems and spreadsheets can be connected too. Where software has no open interface, we often find another route, for example via exports, e-mail or file storage. We clarify whether and how it works before the quote, so you don’t get any surprises.

Yes. Fox Computers plans every automation in line with the Swiss data protection act, the revFADP (Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection), and, where necessary, the GDPR. In concrete terms: encrypted connections, access with the fewest possible permissions and only the data the process really needs. Where sensitive data flows, n8n runs on your own server or with a Swiss hosting provider instead of in someone else’s cloud. For AI steps, we use API access where, according to the provider, business data is not used for training, or a local model. So you always know where your data is processed.

Then you’re notified immediately, because Fox Computers builds error handling into every workflow so nothing gets left lying unnoticed. If, say, a Bexio or Microsoft 365 interface briefly goes down, the workflow automatically tries again. If it still doesn’t work, the case lands with all its details in a list or as an e-mail with the person responsible. Every run is logged, so you can trace what happened when. For sensitive steps, such as sending an invoice, we build in approval by a human. That keeps control with you.

No. Many processes can be automated with clear rules, without any AI, which makes them cheaper, faster and fully traceable. Moving data from A to B, creating an invoice or sending a reminder doesn’t need a language model. Fox Computers uses AI where a step has to understand language or unstructured content: classifying a freely worded customer e-mail, reading line items from a PDF or drafting a reply. We often combine both in one workflow with n8n or Make. That way we only use AI where it brings a real advantage.

If you wish, Fox Computers takes over maintenance, monitors the workflows and adapts them when interfaces or processes change. That matters, because providers such as Bexio, Microsoft or Google change their interfaces from time to time, and your business keeps evolving too. In the first weeks after launch, we watch especially closely and fine-tune details. After that, we bill adjustments at CHF 160 per hour or agree a support arrangement set out in the quote. Every process is documented, so you understand what’s happening. You don’t need any technical knowledge for this.