Hire extra staff or automate your work?
The honest cost-benefit analysis for Belgian SMEs. When is hiring an extra pair of hands the right choice, and when are you paying year after year for work that software can do better?
In Belgium, a full-time employee can easily cost between 45,000 and 60,000 euros in employer costs per year – year in, year out. If the work is predictable and repetitive (quotes, invoices, orders, data entry between systems), bespoke automation can do the same work flawlessly and 24/7, for a one-off fixed price. You hire people for customer service and expertise; software is for the tedious tasks in between.
Labour costs versus one-off automation
| Additional staff member | Bespoke automation | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 45,000 to 60,000 euros a year, every year | A one-off, fixed price paid in advance following a free initial consultation |
| Availability | 38 hours per week, leave, sickness, notice of termination | 24/7, including at weekends and during holidays |
| Errors | Human error: typing mistakes, forgotten emails | The same rules, executed perfectly every time |
| Start-up | Recruitment, induction, training: months | The first automation system is often up and running within a few weeks |
| Scalability | More work = recruiting again | Processes 10 or 1,000 tasks at no extra cost |
| Ownership | - | The software and source code become your property once payment has been made |
| Best effort | Customers, craftsmanship, sales, growth | Data entry, follow-up, invoicing, reporting |
The payback period, in black and white
A typical example: automating the quotation, order and invoicing process for an SME.
Every situation is different: that’s why we always start with a free initial consultation and task analysis, after which you’ll receive a detailed plan with a fixed price quoted in advance. Work out the cost yourself using your own hours on our business automation page.
Why SMEs entrust this to us
Everything on paper
Signed a collaboration agreement covering scope, a fixed price, a GDPR clause, transfer of ownership and 30 days’ free aftercare.
Your data remains yours
Custom software runs locally on your premises. No compulsory cloud, no subscription, and no data leaves your business.
Real-time monitoring
A dedicated customer portal featuring project status updates, digital approvals with supporting PDFs, documents and support tickets.
Designed to suit the way you work
We provide personalised training for every customer, using plain language. The buttons work just as you’d expect; technical knowledge or age doesn’t matter.
Tried and tested in our own business
Our own workshop runs entirely on in-house automation: online shop, scheduling, invoicing and follow-up.
Quick results
One full-stack developer, no layers of management: you’ll often start to see the first time savings within a matter of weeks.
Wondering what aspects of your business could be automated?
Tell us during a free initial consultation what tasks come up every week. You’ll receive a detailed plan with a fixed price, with no obligations.