Engagement
Automation Suite Retainer
One working automation is a tactic. A suite of them is a system.
Overview
What is the Automation Suite Retainer?
A monthly retainer relationship for clients who already have at least one working automation and want it to keep getting better. Every month we add a new automation, maintain the ones you already run, and stay on call for the requests that come up in between.
Instead of hiring us for a project, stopping, and hiring us again when the next idea lands, you get a standing partner who knows your stack and keeps the whole suite moving forward.
The why
The problem it solves
You built one automation, it worked, you loved it — and then you ran out of time and expertise to build the next one. The backlog of good ideas just sits there.
Automations break quietly. An API changes, a format shifts, and nothing throws an alarm — you find out when something important silently stops working.
Improvement opportunities pile up faster than anyone can act on them. The system that saved you hours last quarter could save more this quarter, if someone owned it.
Process
How the retainer works
- 1
Monthly review call
A focused 60 minutes to look at what is working, what changed in your business, and what is worth building next. You keep the backlog; we help you prioritize it.
- 2
Build the month’s automation
We pull the highest-impact item off your backlog and ship it — one new, working automation every month, scoped to land inside the month.
- 3
Maintenance pass
We check every automation already in place, catch the silent breakages before they cost you, and tune what can run better as your data and tools evolve.
- 4
Ad-hoc requests
A dedicated Slack channel for the small stuff between calls — questions, tweaks, and "can it also do this?" — with priority response inside 24 hours.
Why a retainer
Why retainers beat one-off projects
Predictable improvement
A steady cadence of new automations instead of stop-and-start projects with a kickoff tax every time.
Accumulated context
We already know your stack, your team, and your priorities — so each build starts from understanding, not a discovery call.
Lower cost per automation
Shared context and no repeated ramp-up mean each automation costs less over time than a one-off project would.
Issues caught early
The maintenance pass surfaces breakages and drift that a one-off project would never have looked back to find.
Deliverables
What's included
- Monthly 60-minute review call
- One new automation built per month, from your backlog
- Ongoing maintenance of all existing automations
- A dedicated Slack channel for ad-hoc requests
- Priority response within 24 hours
- A quarterly review of your whole stack
Fit
Best for
Clients who already have at least one working automation and want momentum instead of one-offs. It pays for itself fastest at businesses doing $1M–$50M in revenue, where automation directly moves margin or capacity.
Engagement
How we price this
$500–$1,500 per month, depending on the complexity and number of automations we are maintaining. The more your suite grows, the more there is to keep running — so pricing tracks the work, not a headcount.
Month-to-month with no annual commitment required. If you would rather lock in a year, it is available at a discount — but the default is simple: keep it while it earns its keep.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
- How does the monthly automation get chosen?
- You maintain a backlog of automations you want; we help you prioritize it on the monthly call. We weigh impact, effort, and what is changing in your business, then agree on the one we build that month. You always have the final say on what gets built.
- What happens if we don’t use a month?
- The retainer covers a new build plus ongoing maintenance every month, so a quiet month still includes the maintenance pass that keeps everything running. Builds do not roll over indefinitely, but if you want to bank a larger build across two months, we are happy to plan it that way.
- What counts as "maintenance" versus "new work"?
- Maintenance is keeping what exists healthy — fixing breakages, adapting to API and format changes, and tuning performance. New work is a net-new automation or a significant new capability on an existing one. The monthly build is new work; everything that keeps the suite alive is maintenance, and it is always included.
- Can the scope grow over time?
- Yes. As your suite of automations grows, some clients move to a higher tier for more builds per month or faster turnaround. We size the retainer to the number and complexity of automations we are maintaining, and revisit it as that changes.
- Do we have to commit for a year?
- No. The retainer is month-to-month — cancel whenever it stops earning its keep. If you would rather lock in a year, we offer a discount for the commitment, but it is never required.
- What if we only have one automation so far?
- That is exactly the right time to start. One automation is a tactic; the retainer is how it becomes a system. If you do not have a working automation yet, we will usually build the first one as a focused project first, then move into the retainer.
Keep exploring
Related services
Turn one automation into a system
Tell us what you've already automated and what's on your wishlist — we'll map a retainer that keeps it growing and keeps it running.
Start a retainer