PRACTICAL GUIDE
What AI Automation Costs: Build, Management and Usage
The total cost of an AI operation combines implementation, monthly management with the listed communication allowance, any overages and outside software. Compare the same scope and time period, including the effort your team still needs to provide.
Separate the build from ongoing responsibility
Implementation covers configuration, agreed connections, testing and handover. Management covers the scope of monitoring, maintenance, review and refinements that continues after launch.
Two agencies can list the same monthly fee while including very different responsibilities. Check workflow limits, support coverage, revision allowances and who handles the exceptions.
A worked example using AI Front Desk
MkOS AI Front Desk starts at $2,500 setup and $995 per month. Setup plus the first service month is $3,495; setup plus the first three service months is $5,485. Those totals include 2,000 AI voice minutes and 2,000 website chat conversations per billing month, and exclude overages, separately priced extras, outside subscriptions and taxes.
Monthly service begins at launch. The starting scope covers one location, phone and website chat, two standard integrations and two monthly refinement hours. This is an example based on our listed price, not a claim about the whole agency market.
Usage is a workload, not a universal percentage
Calls, messages and model requests have different cost drivers. Volume, duration, model choice, retries and the deployed architecture can change running costs. There is no fixed percentage of the agency fee that fits every implementation.
AI Front Desk includes 2,000 voice minutes and 2,000 website chat conversations per billing month. Additional voice is $0.20/minute and additional website chat is $0.10/conversation. For example, 3,000 of each costs $1,295 in monthly fees and overages. Usage alerts and an agreed overage spending cap keep costs visible. Workflow execution costs are separately scoped. Client software subscriptions and paid media are separate line items, not automatically part of model usage.
Compare benefit using the same boundaries
Compare expected benefit against build cost, management, usage and the human effort left in the process. A sales workflow should distinguish new revenue from the contribution remaining after the cost of delivering the sale.
For internal work, distinguish time freed, cash expense avoided and work completed more reliably. These are different benefits; they should not be added together as though they were independent savings.
Ask for a written scope
Before commissioning, confirm deliverables, integration access, test criteria, support coverage and the cost of expansions. A custom project also needs to distinguish pilot from production.
The pricing page and estimate builder show the current MkOS service fees. The assessment is a separate $3,500 engagement with no mandatory monthly retainer.