01
It starts when something happens
An order email, a web enquiry, a supplier invoice, a new starter. The automation picks it up the moment it arrives, any hour of the day, and AI reads the messy parts like a PDF or a free-text email.
AI automation and workflow automation for UK businesses
Stop doing the same job twice
Every business has work that runs the same way every single time, and someone doing it by hand. We map it, automate it inside the systems you already use, and give you the hours back.
★★★★★5.0 across 53 Google reviews
Your first automation, live in month oneIt takes over a real job somebody does by hand today. Not a demo, not a pilot.
Inside the tools you already runYour CRM, your accounts package, your inbox and your website. Nothing gets ripped out and replaced.
Yours, documented and handed overEvery automation comes with the documentation and the training, and you own all of it outright.
How it works
How AI and workflow automation works
Automation takes a job that runs the same way every time and runs it for you, inside the software you already use. Here is a trade order for an example heating supplier, from email to invoice in about eight seconds.
02
It follows your rules
Prices, limits, stock, who approves what. We write your rules down with the people who do the job, and the automation follows them exactly, the same way every time.
03
It does the work where you work
The order is filed, the warehouse gets its picking list and the invoice is drafted, inside the software you already run. Nobody copies, pastes or rekeys a thing.
04
A person handles the exceptions
Anything outside your rules comes to the right person with everything they need to decide in a minute. Your team stops processing and starts judging.
The example business is fictional. The steps are the ones we automate for real trade suppliers.
Who this works for
Sound familiar? These are the jobs we automate first
Industry matters less than the bottleneck. Most businesses we work with recognise at least two of these.
01Where most clients start
You process orders by hand
Orders arrive as emails, PDFs and calls, and somebody rekeys every line into your system before anything can ship.
Common in: distributors, wholesalers, trade suppliers and ecommerce
Orders filed in seconds, exceptions flagged
02
You quote or estimate a lot
Every quote takes a skilled person hours, and the slow ones lose the job to whoever answered first.
Common in: builders, installers, fabricators, agencies and manufacturers
Quotes drafted from your price list
03
Your inbox runs the business
Everything lands in one place, and something always gets missed on the busy days.
Common in: service, property and professional services
Every email sorted, logged and routed
04
Invoices eat the finance team
Supplier invoices are keyed in by hand, and customer invoices get chased late or not at all.
Common in: any business that buys or invoices on account
Invoices matched, posted and chased on time
05
You book appointments all day
Someone spends their day arranging, confirming and rearranging, and no-shows still waste the slot.
Common in: clinics, salons, garages and trades
Bookings, reminders and rebooking handled
06
You hire and onboard often
Screening, interviews and induction eat weeks that nobody has, and new starters arrive to no login.
Common in: logistics, hospitality, care and construction
Onboarding that runs from a start date
What we build for you
Watch a job collapse from hours to minutes
These are real processes we automate for UK businesses. Pick one and watch the manual steps fold away, leaving only the parts that still need a person.
By hand today11 steps
→
Once automated3 steps
How this runs by hand today
Time by hand—
After automation—
Every—
Illustrative examples based on processes we see in most businesses. Step counts and timings are conservative estimates, not results from a specific client.
Automation for every team
Workflow automation for every part of your business
Most businesses start with one team, prove it, then roll out. Pick a team to watch one of its workflows run, step by step.
Run logNew enquiry from the websiteRan in 4 seconds
- Enquiry capturedWebsite form: kitchen refit, budget £18k
- Added to the CRMNew contact and deal, source Google Ads
- Reply sentNext steps and a link to book a survey
- Assigned to SarahHer area and her calendar, task due today
- Budget over £15kFlagged to Sarah for a same-day call
An illustrative run for an example business.
What we automate in sales
- Enquiry captureEvery enquiry from every channel logged, acknowledged and assigned in seconds, including at 9pm on a Sunday.
- Quote assemblyQuotes built from your price list and margin rules, sent, then chased on the schedule you set.
- Follow-up sequencesEvery quote followed up automatically, stopping the moment someone replies.
- CRM hygieneStages updated, tasks created, and a nudge when a deal has sat still too long.
Before: Enquiries wait for someone to get to them, and the job goes to whoever replied first.
After: Every enquiry is answered and assigned in seconds, and the big ones get a call the same day.
Plugs into
- HubSpot
- Pipedrive
- Salesforce
- Outlook
- Xero
Run logTrade order by emailRan in 8 seconds
- Order email read24 lines from Kilnworth Heating, PO KH-2291
- Customer matchedAccount KIL001, trade price list B
- Stock reserved23 of 24 lines in stock
- Line 17 needs a decisionDiverter valve out of stock, passed to a person
- Order filedPicking list sent for the Wednesday van
An illustrative run for an example business.
What we automate in operations
- Order intakeOrders read from email, PDF or portal and created in your system. Nothing rekeyed by hand.
- Scheduling and dispatchJobs booked, engineers notified, customers confirmed and reminded, without a phone call.
- Supplier chasingConfirmations chased on a schedule, with a warning before a late delivery becomes a late job.
- Document generationDelivery notes, certificates and handover packs produced from your data.
Before: Every order is rekeyed by hand, around forty minutes a time.
After: Orders are in the system in seconds, and a person only sees the line that needs a decision.
Plugs into
- Sage
- SharePoint
- Google Sheets
- Outlook
- ClickUp
- WooCommerce
Run logSupplier invoice approvalRan in 5 seconds
- Invoice receivedFenwick Supplies, £4,212.60, by email
- Matched to the orderPO 7731, goods received on Friday
- Figures checkedLines, VAT and total all agree
- Posted to accountsCoded to materials, due 30 November
- Over your £2,500 limitSent to the finance director to approve
An illustrative run for an example business.
What we automate in finance
- Supplier invoicesRead, matched to the order, checked and posted, with only the exceptions held for approval.
- Credit controlOverdue invoices chased on a set schedule, escalating politely, skipping anyone in dispute.
- ReconciliationPayments matched and mismatches flagged, so month end stops being a scramble.
- Management reportingEvery source pulled into one pack on the first of the month, without anyone building it.
Before: Invoices are keyed in by hand, chased round the office for approval and paid late.
After: Invoices are matched, checked and posted in seconds, and only the big ones wait for a yes.
Plugs into
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- Stripe
- GoCardless
- Power BI
Run logBooking request on WhatsAppRan in 6 seconds
- Message receivedBoiler service, any day next week
- Slot offeredTuesday 10:00, nearest engineer
- Booked and confirmedCalendar, job sheet and confirmation sent
- Reminder scheduledMonday 09:00, with a one-tap rebook link
- Asked about a discountPassed to the office with the full chat
An illustrative run for an example business.
What we automate in customer service
- Ticket routingEverything sorted by type and urgency and routed to the right person with the history attached.
- Instant acknowledgementsEvery message answered with what happens next and when.
- Booking and remindersConfirmations, reminders and rebooking handled automatically, cutting no-shows.
- Aftercare and reviewsFollow-ups after the job, and review requests when people are happiest.
Before: Your team spends the day on the same six messages, and no-shows waste good slots.
After: Customers are booked and reminded in minutes, and the tricky questions reach a person.
Plugs into
- Outlook
- Google Calendar
- HubSpot
- WordPress
- Teams
Run logNew lead from a campaignRan in 3 seconds
- Lead capturedDownloaded the pricing guide from a Meta ad
- Added to the CRM and email listTagged by campaign and interest
- Welcome emails startedFive emails over two weeks
- Lead scoredViewed pricing twice, score 72
- Worth a callPassed to sales with the full history
An illustrative run for an example business.
What we automate in marketing
- Campaign schedulingEmails, posts and campaigns built once and released on the schedule you set.
- Lead routing and scoringLeads scored on behaviour and routed to the right person when they are worth a call.
- List and audience syncingYour CRM, email platform and ad audiences kept in step without exporting a CSV.
- Marketing reportingEvery channel pulled into one honest picture, refreshed automatically.
Before: Leads sit in a spreadsheet, and the follow-up depends on who remembers.
After: Every lead is followed up on time, and sales only calls the ones worth calling.
Plugs into
- GA4
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads
- Klaviyo
- WordPress
- HubSpot
Run logNew starter addedRan in 5 seconds
- Start date setJamie, warehouse team, Monday 4th
- Accounts requestedEmail, rota app and payroll
- Kit orderedHi-vis, boots and a locker
- Induction bookedDay one with the shift lead
- Contract not signed yetReminder sent, HR copied in
An illustrative run for an example business.
What we automate in admin and people
- Application handlingApplications acknowledged, sorted and logged the moment they arrive.
- Interview schedulingSlots offered, interviews booked and reminders sent without a chain of emails.
- Onboarding checklistsAccounts, kit, paperwork and induction triggered from a start date.
- Renewal monitoringCertificates, insurance and training watched, with renewals chased before they lapse.
Before: Onboarding lives in someone’s head, and new starters arrive to no login.
After: Everything triggers from the start date, with a flag when something stalls.
Plugs into
- Outlook
- SharePoint
- Google Workspace
- ClickUp
- Teams
- BreatheHR
First things first
Some jobs need an automation. Some need an agent.
We build both, and the honest answer is that it depends on the job. Automation is cheaper, faster and more predictable, so wherever it will do the work properly, that is what we use.
Fixed path, every time
An automation
Runs the exact steps you decided, in the same order, every time. Nothing to think about, so nothing to get wrong. Cheap to run, quick to build and it never has an off day.
Good forMoving data between systems, sending the same messages, creating records, chasing on a schedule, producing the same report every month.
This is what most businesses need first.
Works out the path
An AI agent
Reads a situation, decides what is needed and uses your data to finish the job. Slower to build and more to run, but it copes with the exceptions an automation cannot.
Good forReading messy emails, building quotes, judging what an enquiry is really asking for, anything where the right answer changes case by case.
More on our AI agents page.
Usually both
In practice
Most of what we build is a mix. An automation catches the job and does the certain parts, an agent handles the bit that needs judgement, and a person approves anything that matters.
For exampleAn automation files the order and updates stock. An agent handles the one line that does not match. You approve the substitution.
We work out the split during the blueprint.
We will always recommend the cheapest thing that does the job properly.
Your automations run inside the software
you already use
No new platform and nothing ripped out. If it has an API, we can usually connect it.
HubSpotXeroShopifySalesforceWooCommerceOutlookClickUpSagePipedriveWordPressStripeTeamsZohoQuickBooksAirtableWhatsAppLookerGA4HubSpotXeroShopifySalesforceWooCommerceOutlookClickUpSagePipedriveWordPressStripeTeamsZohoQuickBooksAirtableWhatsAppLookerGA4
CRM & salesHubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, HighLevel, Monday
Accounts & financeXero, QuickBooks, Sage, Stripe, GoCardless
Web & ecommerceWordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Webflow, Magento
Email, chat & calendarsOutlook, Google Workspace, Slack, Teams, WhatsApp
Files, data & projectsSharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox, Notion, Airtable, ClickUp
ReportingGA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Looker, Power BI
We build with n8n, Make, Zapier and direct integrations, choosing per job rather than tying you to one vendor. If a system has an API, we can usually connect it.
How we work
From first conversation to work running itself
No six-month discovery phase and no strategy deck that sits in a drawer. Every stage ends with something you can hold, and your first automation is running inside month one.
1
The blueprint
Trade order entryStart here
Supplier invoicesNext
Enquiry routingPhase 2
Monthly reportLater
Two to three days of senior time inside your business. We sit with the people doing the work, record their screens, and map how a job really travels from enquiry to cash.
A process map of how the business actually runs, not how the handbook says it does
An opportunity register, every one scored on return against effort
A solution architecture and a phased, costed roadmap
Yours to keep whatever you decide next. £995 £495, credited if you go ahead with an AI project or monthly plan
Within a fortnight
2
Your first automation goes live
- Order email read, 24 lines
- Prices checked, stock reserved
- Line 17 passed to a person
- Order filed, invoice drafted
We do not build for six months and hope. We take the single best opportunity from the blueprint and put it into production, in your systems, on your data, with the rules agreed with you.
One live automation doing a real job somebody does by hand today
Built inside the software you already run
The rules and exceptions agreed with you before it touches anything
Documentation and a training session so your team can use it
Inside month one
3
Roll it out further
Trade ordersLive
Supplier invoicesLive
Credit controlLive
Enquiries and quotesBuilding
New startersNext
With one automation proving itself, we work down the roadmap. More processes, deeper integrations, dashboards so you can see what is running, and AI added only where a fixed path will not do.
A whole department automated rather than a single task
Integrations into your CRM, accounts, website and comms
Dashboards showing what ran, what it saved and what needed a human
A full audit trail of everything that ran and when
Typically 60 to 90 days
4
Run, improve and hand over
- 412 runs, 9 handed to a person
- Supplier changed their invoice layout. Fixed by 11:00
- New rule added: orders over £5k to Gary
- Monthly report: what ran and what it saved
Automations break quietly. An API changes, a form field moves, a supplier alters their template, and your business does not stand still either. We monitor, fix and extend them, train your team, and document everything.
Monitoring and alerting the moment something stops running
A monthly impact report in plain English
One team training session every month
Full ownership of everything built, with no lock-in
Ongoing, and cancellable
94%
less time on the jobs below
Across the six processes in the simulator above, the average is a 94% cut in hands-on time. A person still handles the exceptions.
Writing a proposal
7 hours→31 min
You read it, change a line, send it
Processing an order
40 min→6 min
You approve the one line that needs a decision
Chasing overdue invoices
3 hours→12 min
You make the two calls that need a voice
Onboarding a customer
2 hours→15 min
You set the credit limit and say hello
Screening 47 applications
4 hours→20 min
You interview the four on the shortlist
Building the monthly report
2 days→20 min
You read two pages and change what you disagree with
Estimates for typical processes, not results from a specific client. What matters is not the exact number, it is that the person who used to spend their week on this now spends it on work that needs a person.
Limited offer · AI assessment and strategy
Your AI strategy, half priceStart with an AI strategy
Find out exactly where AI will pay off in your business, before you spend a penny building it.
Offer ends in
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At half price
Only 5 places left
Not sure yet? Talk it through with us first, free and with no obligation.
What you get
- Kick-off callGoals and priorities agreed in 45 minutes
- Time with your teamTwo to three days of senior time inside the business
- Every opportunity scoredWhat each one returns against what it costs
- A phased roadmapCosts, savings and the quick wins first
- A full walkthrough60 minutes with you and your team
- Yours to keepUse it with us, someone else, or on your own
- £495 credited backIn full, if we do any of the work within 90 days
After the strategy
From £1,000a month for ongoing support
From £2,500for one-off builds
Fixed priceagreed before anything starts
Why us
Why designbox
Plenty of people are selling AI who have never run a business. We have, from Essex, for over a decade.
0+
years running the agency
0%
of clients stay year on year
0
five-star Google reviews
You get people, not a portal
One account manager who knows your business and who you can actually ring. You never explain yourself twice.
We build the systems this runs inside
Websites, stores, CRMs and reporting are our day job. Most automation firms can only work on top of whatever you already have.
Ten years of being accountable
A decade of building and running business-critical systems, ICO registered and cyber insured, and clients we started with years ago. AI is new. Answering for the outcome is not.
We will tell you when it is no
Some processes should not be automated and some businesses are not ready. The blueprint exists so we can say so early.
The bit everyone worries about
Your data, your rules, your systems
Two questions come up in every single conversation: what happens to our data, and what happens if we leave. Here are both answers up front.
You own everything we build
The automations, the workflows and the software are yours, not licensed back to you
The rules, the logic and the documentation come with them
Everything runs on your accounts, so your data stays in your systems
If you leave, you keep the lot and we hand it over properly, documented
No lock-in and no hostage-taking. If we are worth keeping, it will be because the work is good.
Security and control
ICO registered, cyber insured, and a decade of handling client systems
Every automation runs only the rules you agreed, and stops at anything outside them
A full audit trail of everything that ran, when, and what it touched
Access is scoped, so an automation only ever touches what its job needs
Where AI is involved, the model and processing arrangements are covered in writing before anything touches live data, and we go through them in the blueprint.
Good questions
AI automation,
answered honestly
Can’t see yours? Ask us anything on a quick call, no obligation.
What is AI automation?
AI automation is software that does a job for you from start to finish, using fixed rules for the predictable steps and AI for the parts that need reading or judgement. An order arrives by email, AI reads the PDF, your rules check prices and stock, the order is filed and the invoice drafted, and anything unusual goes to a person. You get the result, not more admin.
What is workflow automation, and what can it automate?
Workflow automation connects the steps of a job across your systems, so they happen without anyone copying and pasting. Common examples are order entry, enquiry handling, quote follow-ups, supplier invoice approval, credit control, booking reminders, onboarding and monthly reporting. If a job runs the same way most of the time, it is usually a good candidate.
What counts as an automation?
Any job in your business that runs the same way every time. Something happens, a set of steps follows, and the result is predictable. Moving an order from an email into your system, chasing an overdue invoice, sending the same onboarding pack to every new customer, producing the same report every month. If a person could write the steps down, we can usually automate them.
How is this different from Zapier, Make or n8n?
Those are tools, and good ones. We use them, along with n8n and direct integrations, depending on the job. What you are buying is not the tool, it is somebody working out what should be automated, building it properly against your real data, testing the edge cases, and keeping it running when a supplier changes their invoice template. Most businesses that try this alone end up with three half-finished Zaps nobody trusts.
Where does the AI part come in?
Only where a fixed set of rules will not do the job. Reading a messy PDF, working out what an email is actually asking for, writing something in your tone. Plenty of what we build has no AI in it at all, and we will tell you when that is the case rather than charging you for cleverness you do not need.
Do we need to change our software?
No. We work with the main CRMs, accounts packages, ecommerce platforms, inboxes and reporting tools, and if a system has an API we can usually connect to it. The whole point is making what you already run work harder, not adding another platform to learn.
What happens when something breaks?
Automations break quietly, which is the real risk. An API changes, a form field moves, a supplier alters their template. Every automation we build is monitored, so we know it has stopped before you do, and fixing it is part of the ongoing work rather than a separate invoice.
Are we replacing people with this?
Not in our experience. What gets replaced is the copying, pasting, rekeying and chasing, which is usually the part of the job people like least. The businesses we do this for tend to grow without hiring for admin, and put the people they have onto work that needs a human.
How quickly will something be running?
Your first automation is live inside month one, doing a real job somebody does by hand today. The blueprint comes back within a fortnight of starting, and a whole department usually takes 60 to 90 days.
Do we need technical people on our side?
No. You need the people who know how the work actually gets done, which is who we sit with during the blueprint. We handle the building, connecting, testing and training, and everything is documented so your team can use it without understanding how it was made.
What does it cost?
It depends on what you need, so we price the work after the strategy rather than before. As a guide, ongoing support starts from £1,000 a month and one-off builds from £2,500, excluding VAT, and you get a fixed price before anything starts. The AI assessment and strategy is £995 £495 plus VAT and is credited back in full if you ask us to deliver any of the work within 90 days. Where AI is involved, model and token costs sit on your own account and are quoted up front.
Can you automate supplier invoices and accounts payable?
Yes, and it is one of the quickest wins. Supplier invoices are read from email, matched to the purchase order and the delivery, checked line by line and posted to Xero, QuickBooks or Sage. Anything over your limit or out of line goes to a person to approve, so your team stops keying invoices and only looks at the ones that need a decision.
Do we own what you build?
Yes, entirely. The automations, the workflows, the rules and the documentation are yours. If you stop working with us you keep all of it and we hand it over properly rather than switching it off.
What if a process changes?
Businesses change constantly, which is exactly why this is ongoing rather than a one-off build. Changing the rules, adding a step or handling a new supplier is normal work inside your plan, not a new project.
Should we be doing automation or AI agents?
Usually both, in that order. Automation handles everything predictable, quickly and cheaply. An AI agent handles the parts that need judgement, like reading a messy enquiry or building a quote. Most of what we build is a mix, and working out the split is one of the things the blueprint is for.
Next step
Let’s find the work your business should stop doing by hand
Thirty minutes, no hard sell, and an honest answer either way.
