Transparent costs for digital employees
What does a digital employee cost?
A digital employee is introduced like a real role: first the work is clarified, then the role is set up and onboarded, and afterwards it needs reliable operation. The packages make those cost blocks visible: process knowledge, system access, approvals, testing, ongoing care and separate platform usage.
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The comparison is deliberately close to hiring a new colleague. People also need onboarding, access to tools, feedback, clear responsibilities and someone who keeps the working environment reliable. For a digital role, these costs appear as analysis, setup and operation packages instead of salary and internal onboarding time.
First step
Needs analysis and digital job profile
The analysis turns a business bottleneck into a clear job profile: tasks, boundaries, systems, feasibility and a realistic first implementation stage before a digital colleague is onboarded.
490 EUR one-time
Credited in full when a setup project is commissioned.
- Structured analysis package
- Current process review
- Suitable task identification
- Existing systems and data source check
- Human approvals and handover points
- Feasibility check
- Digital job profile
- Initial effort estimate
- Recommendation for launch stage and operating model
What the analysis clarifies before setup
Useful first role
Which recurring work should be handled first, where the role starts and where it deliberately stops.
Systems and knowledge
Which sources, tools and permissions are required, and what has to be prepared before implementation.
Human control
Which decisions stay with people, which steps need approval and how handovers are documented.
Realistic next step
Whether setup is sensible now, should start smaller or needs better data, rules or access first.
After the analysis you know
- which digital role should be introduced first
- which systems, documents and permissions are needed
- where human approvals and handovers are required
- which setup level and operating model are realistic
The analysis is not yet
- a binding implementation order
- access to your systems
- a promise that every process should be automated
One-time setup
Packaged setup for the first digital employee
Setup is the onboarding phase for the digital role. The final scope is defined after the needs analysis: from one clear channel or system to broader process integration with rules, examples and approvals.
Digital employee setup
from 2,900 EUR
For a clearly limited role with one entry channel or system and one approved knowledge or data source.
Typical examples
- Shared mailbox with company wiki
- Shop request with product data
- CRM reading context with prepared note
- Ticket intake with answer draft
- Form requests with document lookup
- Internal knowledge assistant for recurring questions
Included
- Digital job profile
- Role setup and onboarding
- One entry channel or system such as email, shop, CRM, ticket or form system
- One approved knowledge or data source
- Role and approval rules
- Test cases and acceptance
- Handover and technical documentation
- Production deployment
Important boundaryThis package is not a fully autonomous cross-system process employee.
Typical entry
Digital employee
5,900 to 9,900 EUR
The typical entry point for companies that want a digital employee integrated into existing workflows.
Typical examples
- Handle and follow up customer requests
- Qualify leads and document them in CRM
- Collect and prepare offer information
- Coordinate appointments
- Check documents and create cases
- Connect email, calendar, CRM and document storage
Included
- Detailed process and needs analysis
- Digital job profile
- Role design
- Installation and configuration
- Two to four integrations
- Company knowledge integration
- Role, permission and approval concept
- Defined escalation paths
- Traceability and basic monitoring
- Tests with real work situations
- Controlled pilot phase
- Team training
- Production launch
- Documentation
Digital process employee
from 14,900 EUR
For complex cross-system processes, custom software or several specialized digital roles.
Typical examples
- End-to-end incoming case handling
- ERP, CRM and database integration
- Multi-step approvals
- Structured document processing
- Several cooperating digital roles
- Custom user interfaces
- Business-critical workflows
- Complex monitoring and audit needs
Included
- Detailed process discovery
- Solution concept
- Custom implementation plan
- Several digital roles
- Custom interface development
- Complex system integrations
- Permission and security concept
- Separate test and launch environments
- Structured acceptance tests
- Monitoring, error logging and alerting
- Documentation
- Pilot and staged rollout
- Project management
Important boundaryLarger projects can be significantly above the entry price.
The concrete setup is calculated after the needs analysis. Existing systems, data quality, number of integrations and security requirements influence the effort.
Monthly operation
Operation packages for productive roles
A productive digital employee needs a managed operating model, monitoring, updates, cost control and clear responsibility. That is comparable to keeping a workplace, tools and handovers reliable; it remains necessary whether the environment is managed by CODIKI or operated in the customer's infrastructure.
Operation Basic
from 490 EUR/month
For simple, stable roles in a CODIKI-managed operating environment.
Included
- Operation of the agreed runtime environment
- Availability checks
- Basic monitoring
- Server, security and component updates
- Monthly review of notable technical errors
- Email support for operating incidents
- Monthly short report
- Review of agreed cost thresholds
Response timeResponse within two business days.
Typical entry
Operation Business
from 990 EUR/month
The usual operating package for productive digital employees.
Included
- Operation of the agreed runtime environment
- Ongoing operating review
- Monitoring, logs and technical error analysis
- Server, security and component updates
- Role, rule and knowledge maintenance within the agreed scope
- Monthly usage and quality reporting
- Usage and infrastructure cost review
- Defined contacts
- Prioritized support
- Quarterly operating review
Response timeResponse within one business day.
Operation Professional
from 1,990 EUR/month
For business-critical roles, several integrations or higher operating responsibility.
Included
- Operation of the agreed runtime environment
- Advanced monitoring and alerting
- Regular quality checks
- Review of escalations and edge cases
- Maintenance of several roles and integrations within the agreed scope
- Detailed reporting
- Cost and performance optimization
- Regular operating reviews
- Prioritized troubleshooting
- Monthly optimization call
- Assessment of new use cases
Response timeResponse within four business hours during agreed service hours.
Example calculations
Three realistic entry scenarios
Info mailbox assistant
One-time- Needs analysis: 490 EUR
- Mailbox assistant setup: 2,900 EUR
- Needs analysis credit: -490 EUR
- One-time total: 2,900 EUR
Monthly- Operation Basic: 490 EUR
- Own LLM/API usage: individual
- Provider billing usually runs directly through the customer's selected platform
Shared info@ or support mailboxSorts requests and filters obvious spamUses an approved wiki or knowledge basePrepares answer drafts for support requestsAnswers only clearly defined standard cases after approval
Digital office assistance
One-time- Needs analysis: 490 EUR
- Setup and onboarding: 5,900 EUR
- Needs analysis credit: -490 EUR
- One-time total: 5,900 EUR
Monthly- Operation Business: 990 EUR
- Own LLM/API usage: individual
- Provider billing usually runs directly through the customer's selected platform
Mailbox or form intakeDocument storage or wikiCalendar or internal handover routeRecurring office and service requestsClearly defined approvalsDrafts, summaries and handovers before autonomous execution
Sales assistance with CRM
One-time- Needs analysis: 490 EUR
- Setup, CRM integration and pilot: 8,900 EUR
- Needs analysis credit: -490 EUR
- One-time total: 8,900 EUR
Monthly- Operation Business: 990 EUR
- Own LLM/API/license costs: individual
- CRM, shop or communication platform billing remains with the customer if desired
Email, shop or CRM request intakeCRM reading context and structured updatesLead qualification across multiple criteriaResponse and offer preparationFollow-up and appointment preparationHuman approval before binding communication or commercial decisions
Non-binding example calculation. Actual effort and consumption are defined in the job profile and offer.
External costs
Third-party usage costs stay separate
Some roles use external services for communication, document processing, search, LLM access, CRM, shop systems or paid connectors. CODIKI separates these costs from setup and operation and explains the expected cost drivers before implementation starts.
Clear cost driversSeparate usage costsCustomer-visible billingCustomer-chosen providersAgreed budgets and thresholdsTransparent operating model
LLM, API and license costs are individual and usage-dependent. Customers can choose which provider and billing model they want; in many cases billing runs directly through the customer's platform account. ChatGPT Plus does not automatically replace business or API usage.
Typical usage
Realistic monthly external usage ranges
Light usage
approx. 10-50 EUR/month
Company knowledge questions, summaries, a few email drafts and simple classifications.
Normal business usage
approx. 50-250 EUR/month
Regular email handling, CRM support, document analysis and several hundred to a few thousand cases.
Intensive or complex usage
approx. 250-1,000 EUR+ / month
Long documents, high case volume, search, voice, telephony and more demanding review steps.
Cost discipline
The setup is matched to the actual work
Not every task needs the most expensive setup. Simple classification, extraction and standard responses can be handled cost-efficiently, while demanding communication or specialist work receives more review and stronger tooling where it is professionally necessary.
Setup by taskMonthly budgetsWarning thresholdsApproval for unusually high usageRegular cost reviewAvoiding unnecessary processingEfficient document handlingOptimization of recurring tasks
Operating model
Operation is more than server location
CODIKI-managed environment
For many projects, CODIKI provides and operates the required runtime environment. The operating package covers monitoring, backups, updates, cost control and technical responsibility for the agreed setup.
Customer infrastructure
If required, the employee can run in a customer-controlled environment when access, security and maintenance responsibilities are clear. This does not automatically reduce the operating package, because monitoring, updates, coordination and responsibility still remain.
External platform subscriptions
External platforms, telephony, automation tools, LLM providers, CRM or shop systems can have their own license, API or usage costs and are usually billed directly to the customer.
Pricing FAQ
Common pricing questions
The most important pricing questions are summarized here; detailed scope is clarified in the first assessment.
Open pricing FAQ
Next step
Request the needs analysis via the contact form
For price and scope questions, CODIKI uses the central contact form. The reason for inquiry is preselected when you follow this link.
What makes the estimate useful
A rough description is enough. The estimate becomes more reliable when the first role, current workplace and expected volume are visible.
- Which recurring task should be handled first
- Which systems or data sources are involved
- Which decisions require human approval
- How often the task occurs or how much time it takes
Request needs analysis
Prices are shown before tax; additional tax may apply depending on your country.
