Business process automation
Business process automation for the work your team still does by hand
Business process automation is software doing the repetitive steps between your systems so your team does not have to. I find the work people repeat every day, like typing the same job into two places, sending the same follow-up emails, or building a contract by hand, and I build the system that does it for them. Most first builds take two to six weeks at a price fixed before anything starts, and you own the code when it ships.
- Most first builds
- 2 to 6 weeks
- Pricing
- Fixed scope, approved before work starts
- You own
- The code, the accounts, the docs
- Who builds it
- Matthew Ryan, first call to handoff
What gets automated
The same handful of jobs show up in almost every business. Here is what each one looks like once it runs on its own, and the build it came from.
Data entry between systems
A job booked in the CRM updates the books without anyone retyping it. At WNY Moving, SmartMoving syncs into the back office over webhooks and the API, so the books are always current.
Customer communication
Emails timed to each stage of the work, written once and sent by the system. WNY Moving customers get pre-move prep, a day-of confirmation, and a post-move follow-up with no staff involved.
Contracts and signatures
DocuSign templates that fill themselves in, route to the right signers, and trigger data entry into other systems once signed. At Nuvei this took commercial real estate partner onboarding from months to three days.
Invoicing and payments
The invoice goes out as soon as the job is logged and signed. At 4.0 Storage, staff log a job once, the customer signs on the spot, and the invoice is generated and emailed automatically.
Payouts and calculations
Math that would otherwise live in a spreadsheet runs on its own. Every Skyway Vending partner payout is calculated from the revenue-share rate set at onboarding.
Outreach and follow-up
Prospecting and referral sequences that keep running in the background. WNY Moving's realtor pipeline finds new listings, skips contacts it already knows, and sends a personal intro sequence on its own.
How I decide what is worth automating
Not everything should be automated. I sit with the people doing the work and write down what actually happens, step by step, including the workarounds nobody mentions on the first call.
The best candidates happen often, follow the same rules every time, and move data from one system to another. Work that needs a judgment call every time usually stays with a person. You get a list of both, and I will tell you when something is honestly not worth building.
What you get at handoff
The code, in a repository you own. The accounts, in your name. Written documentation covering how it works, what it touches, and what to do when something looks wrong. Nothing runs on a login only I have.
When this is the right call, and when it is not
A good fit if
- Your team types the same data into more than one system.
- Someone spends hours a week on follow-ups, invoices, or reports that follow the same steps every time.
- Your CRM or platform has an API, and the work around it is still manual.
- A slip in the manual process costs real money, like a missed invoice or a wrong payout.
Probably not a fit if
- A one-time cleanup. A job you do once does not need software.
- A simple handoff between two apps that Zapier already handles well.
- A process that changes every week. Automate it once it settles.
Zapier or a custom build?
Zapier is a common first stop, and for simple jobs it is the right one. Here is where each one fits.
| Compared on | Zapier | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Simple handoffs between a few apps | Multi-step processes with real business rules |
| How it is priced | A monthly plan sized by tasks. The free plan includes 100 tasks a month, and paid plans scale with volume. | A fixed build price you approve up front. Hosting and any service fees bill to your own accounts, and a flat monthly retainer is optional. |
| Business logic | Filters, paths, formatters, and short code steps | Any rule you can describe, in a codebase you own |
| When volume grows | More tasks means a bigger plan | Hosting grows with use, but there is no per-task fee |
| Who owns it | It lives inside your Zapier account | Your code, your accounts, your documentation |
The straight answer
If the job is a few simple handoffs, use Zapier. It is cheaper and faster. A custom build earns its cost when the process has real rules, touches several systems, runs at volume, or breaks often enough that someone has to babysit it.
Zapier pricing checked on zapier.com/pricing, September 29, 2026.
Builds that shipped
What was there before, what got built, and what changed.
WNY Moving
Moving and storage
Full back-end automation and operations infrastructure for a moving company that was running its books in Excel.
Nuvei
Payments
Embedded inside Nuvei before it went private, going team to team to map and automate manual operational processes.
4.0 Storage
Student storage
Took a student storage business that ran on spreadsheets and rebuilt its operations as a self-running system.
Skyway Vending
Vending
Founded and operate a nightlife vending company across Buffalo and Hamburg, and built the entire operations platform from scratch.
How a build actually goes.
The same five steps on every engagement, so you always know what happens next and what it costs before it happens.
- I
Discovery call
Thirty minutes on how the business actually runs. What the team touches by hand, what breaks, and what nobody has time to fix. No slides and no pitch deck.
- II
Process mapping
I sit with the people doing the work and write down what actually happens, step by step. The real bottleneck is usually somewhere nobody flagged on the call.
- III
Proposal with hours
A fixed scope. Every piece listed with the hours it takes and what it costs. You approve the number before anything gets built.
- IV
Build with approval gates
Work ships in pieces and you sign off on each one. No multi-month black box, and no finding out at the end that it solves the wrong problem.
- V
Handoff
You get the code, the accounts, and written documentation covering how it works, what it touches, and what to do when something looks wrong. It runs without me.
- Optional
Then, if you want it, a retainer
Most clients keep me on a flat monthly retainer after handoff for monitoring, fixes, and small changes. It is optional, and everything is built so you are not stranded if you skip it.
Questions about business process automation
What does business process automation cost?
There is no flat rate, because it depends on how many systems are involved and how many steps the process has. After the discovery call and process mapping you get a fixed-scope proposal listing every piece, the hours behind it, and the cost, and you approve the number before anything is built. Hosting and any service fees run on your own accounts. To size the problem first, the manual work calculator shows what the current process costs you each year.
Which systems can you connect?
Most systems that have an API or webhooks, and most CRMs, accounting tools, payment platforms, e-signature tools, and email providers do. I have built on SmartMoving, Chariot Move, DocuSign, and payment platforms for ACH and card setup. If a system has no API, we go through the options on the first call.
How long does it take?
Most first builds land between two and six weeks from the discovery call, depending on how many systems have to talk to each other. You see working pieces at every approval gate along the way, so you are never waiting months to find out whether it does what you wanted.
What if it breaks after you leave?
You own the code, the accounts, and the documentation from day one. Nothing runs on a login only I have, and nothing is hosted somewhere you cannot reach. Every build ships with a written handoff covering how it works, what it touches, and what to do when something looks wrong. Most clients also keep me on a monthly retainer, which means a break is my problem to fix, not a scramble for your team.
Do you work with our existing IT vendor?
Yes, and it usually makes the build go faster. Your IT vendor owns the network, the devices, and the accounts. I own the automation and the data layer sitting on top of them. I get on a call with them at the start, we agree in writing on access and boundaries, and they stay in the loop on anything that touches their systems.