We list the steps of the jobWhich step is done by hand, and which one can follow a rule?
Workflow automationThe steps you do by hand every day run in the background on their own.
A proposal is approved, the invoice is raised, the client gets an email and the record is updated, with nobody doing it by hand. Every workflow sits on one dashboard, so you see which one is running from the same screen. If a step fails, you hear about it.
The tools we use
- n8n
Make
Zapier
Airtable
Supabase
GitHub
Docker
How it works
First we work out how the job runs today,then we choose the tool.
We write down how many steps a job takes today and whose hands it passes through. The choice of tool is made from that table. Once the workflow is built, every run is followed on the dashboard.
The tool is chosen and the workflow builtHow long each step takes by hand and in the workflow sits side by side.
Workflows are followed from one dashboardWhen each workflow ran, and how often, shows on the same screen.
The parts of a workflow
The workflow takes on the repeated step,and asks you where approval is needed.
Every workflow is built from the same parts: the event that starts it, the steps, what happens on a failure and the approval point. Because the rule is written down, the result is the same whoever builds it.
A workflow starts with an event
A new record in the CRM, a WhatsApp message, an email in the inbox or a set time of day can start a workflow. Which event starts what is written down.
Every run is logged
When the workflow ran, with which record and with what result goes into the log. Every past run can be followed from the same place.
Failures do not stay quiet
A failed run is reported to its owner, its cause is written down and it is retried. If the retry fails too, the workflow stops and you hear about it.
Hard-to-reverse steps wait for approval
Steps such as a payment, a bulk send or deleting records get an approval point. The workflow stops there and waits for a person to approve.
Start with one workflow, then grow
The first set-up takes on the single workflow that costs the most time. Once it is measured and settled, the next one is added.
Every workflow shows on one dashboard
Each workflow we build appears on the same dashboard: how often it ran, how long it took and whether a failure is waiting. Other systems we build connect to the same dashboard too.
Monthly report
How much work your workflows didreaches you at the end of every month.
The report shows how often each workflow ran, the share of runs without error and any failures waiting. We decide together from this report which workflow to grow or change.
- Every workflow sits on one dashboard
- Every run is logged
- You hear about every failure
Frequently asked
Workflow automation Frequently asked questions
Any job done in the same order every time can be automated. Examples are raising the invoice once a proposal is approved, adding a new client to the CRM, sending the weekly report and filing a document in the right folder. A step that needs judgement stays in the workflow as an approval point.
It depends on the job. If data must stay on your own server, n8n; for a visual, mid-sized workflow, Make; for a simple link between common programs, Zapier. The reasoning is written into the discovery report.
A failed run is reported to its owner, its cause is written down and it is retried. If the retry fails too, the workflow stops and you hear about it; no workflow stops quietly.
n8n runs on your own server, so data does not leave. If Make or Zapier is chosen, which information goes to that service is written down at set-up; sensitive information never enters a cloud workflow.
Yes. The workflows sit in your account or on your server and are handed over with their documentation. When you want to take them over, we walk your team through them.
Steps such as payments, bulk sends and record deletion get an approval point. The workflow stops there and waits for a person; it does not go on without approval.
We start with the single workflow that takes the most time. A wide scope on day one delays the first workflow; the second is added once the first is measured and settled.
Discovery takes a week. In that week we list the steps, the exceptions and the programs to connect, and choose the tool with its reasoning. The first live workflow opens within 4-8 weeks, depending on the number of steps, the systems to connect and the approval points. The exact timeline for you is written in the discovery report.
Two things are measured during discovery: how long a step takes by hand and how often it repeats each week. Both are measured again once the workflow is running, next to the share of runs without error.
The tools we use
We do not pick the tool first,we pick it once we understand the work.
n8n runs on your own server and keeps data in. Make is quick to build for visual flows, and Zapier stands out for its number of ready connections. Why a tool was chosen is written in the discovery report.
n8n
Runs on your own server, so data does not leave. Chosen for workflows with many steps or sensitive information.
Make
Visual flows in the cloud; quick to build for mid-sized jobs with many steps.
Zapier
A wide list of ready connections; chosen for simple flows between common programs.
Our own code
Where no tool is enough, written on your own infrastructure to fit your work.
Airtable
A light data layer for small tables and approval lists; your team edits it directly.
Scheduled jobs
Overnight batches and reports; large data is processed on your own server.
Related products
Where this is used
- Clinic automation: WhatsApp replies, reminders and one patient recordClinic automation is a set of rule-based workflows that run a clinic's repeated back-office work. It covers reply drafts for WhatsApp questions, appointment reminders, cancelled slots returning to the diary, post-visit messages and one patient record. ALTAI Digital builds these flows on the clinic's own rules. Drafts come from sources the clinic provides, and a person decides what is sent. The system takes no part in diagnosis or treatment. Health data is handled under GDPR Article 9. The first live flow opens within four to eight weeks.
- AI automation agency Netherlands: assistants and flows you can auditALTAI Digital is an AI automation agency serving small and mid-sized businesses in the Netherlands from Rotterdam and Istanbul. We build chat and voice AI assistants that answer only from your own sources, workflows documented with their triggers and error behaviour, and CRM setups that keep enquiries in one record. Where personal data is processed is written down at setup, in line with GDPR, and flows are handed over in your own accounts.
- AI automation agency Rotterdam: build it here, measure it hereALTAI Digital is an AI automation agency working from Rotterdam and Istanbul. One of our co-founders works from Rotterdam, so a discovery meeting can be held in person rather than only on a call. We build chat and voice AI assistants that answer from your own sources, documented workflows, and CRM setups that keep every enquiry in one record. Flows are handed over in your own accounts, with their documentation.
- AI automation agency UK: one working flow beats five demosALTAI Digital is an AI automation agency working with small and mid-sized businesses in the United Kingdom, from Rotterdam and Istanbul. We build chat and voice AI assistants that answer only from your own sources, workflows documented with their triggers and error behaviour, and CRM setups that keep enquiries in one record. Flows are handed over in your own accounts, and processing locations are written down under UK GDPR.
- AI automation agency: we hand over a working flow, not a demoAn AI automation agency builds, runs and measures the repetitive work inside a business with AI and automation. ALTAI Digital works in four areas: chat and voice AI assistants, workflow automation, CRM and enquiry handling, and websites with advertising. Assistants speak only from the business's own sources, workflows are documented, and everything is handed over in your own accounts. The first live flow opens in four to eight weeks.
- Digital transformation: we find what holds your business back and build the digital fixDigital transformation means moving the work a business runs by hand, on paper or across scattered apps into connected digital systems. It starts with diagnosis, not software: where enquiries get lost, which tasks are done twice and where customers look for you. ALTAI Digital runs a discovery of about a week, then prepares a demo. Once you approve, we build the parts you need, such as the website, ads, CRM, workflow automation and search visibility. Everything joins one panel, and your team makes the decisions.
Terms explained
- AI agentAI agents take a goal, break it into steps and carry those steps out with tools. An agent does more than write text. It runs a search, reads a record, fills in a form or writes into another system. After each step it weighs the result and decides what comes next. Its permissions and its stopping rules are set during the build.
- AEOAEO stands for answer engine optimisation. It covers the work of writing a page so that answer boxes and AI assistants use it as a source. The method is to answer the question in the opening lines, write section headings as questions, and keep every claim checkable. Google states that this is not a separate discipline, and that the same SEO applies.
- CRMCRM is software that keeps customer and enquiry records in one place and ties every contact to the same record. It splits the sales process into stages. The letters stand for customer relationship management. A CRM resembles a spreadsheet, but the difference is the rules. Which fields are required, which stage a record sits in and who owns it are written into the system.
Next step
We write the proposal after we have found the problem together
In a thirty-minute call we listen to how you work and talk through where time and customers are slipping away. If you do not need a digital fix, we will tell you that too.
30 minutes · no preparation needed
Discovery call
Root causefound together
Optionstalked through
Demoafter discovery
Next stepin writing
