A 9-person services firm got 16 hours a week back from four AI workflows
1 · What happened
Admin time fell from 21 to 5 hours a week over a 4-week before/after; email triage alone went from 10 to 2 hours. First invoice reminder now goes out after 2 days instead of 11. No one was laid off (builder's own figures).
These numbers come from the builder and haven't been checked independently.
Unnamed 9-person B2B services firm (US Midwest) · Oct 2026 · Source: shuvogt.com ↗
2 · How it works, in plain words
A builder automated email triage, quote drafting, meeting follow-ups and invoice chasing for a US Midwest services firm, and published before-and-after hours, including what didn't work.
3 · Setup steps
How to do it yourself
Our suggested steps. The company didn't publish theirs.
- 1
Track one normal week: how many hours go to email, quotes, meeting notes and invoice chasing?
- 2
Start with the biggest one (for most firms, email triage).
- 3
Connect your inbox to an automation tool and add an AI step with the prompt below.
- 4
Have a person approve every drafted reply for the first weeks.
- 5
Measure the same hours again after four weeks.
4 · The prompt
The instructions to give the AI
Paste this into n8n (the free plan is enough to try it), swap the [brackets] for your details, and test it on a few real examples.
This is one part of the setup. It won't connect to your phone, inbox or other apps on its own; the steps above cover that.
Agent instructions (prompt)
Read this incoming email for [business]. Label it: client request, new lead, invoice/payment, or other. Draft a short reply only for client requests and leads, using [our services and hours]. Never promise dates or prices. Flag anything urgent or unhappy for [owner].
[Highlighted] = replace with your own details before you run it.
What you should get back: Inbox sorted into 4 labels each morning, with drafted replies waiting for approval.
Written by Quickly and Good, inspired by this case.
More detail: tools, prices and what you'll need
The company used: AI email triage + workflow automation
You could use: Email + AI model + automation tool (e.g. n8n or Zapier) + accounting software
- n8n
Workflow automation that connects apps and adds AI steps; can be self-hosted.
Free to self-host (Community Edition); cloud: see pricing · Official site ↗
- Zapier
No-code automation between 9,000+ apps, with AI steps.
Free plan; Professional from $19.99/mo · Official site ↗
Prices from each tool's own pricing page, checked Oct 2026.
What you'll need
- ☐Your email inbox
- ☐An automation tool (n8n, Zapier or Make)
- ☐An AI model step
- ☐Your accounting software for invoice reminders
- ☐A person approving replies at first
Can I do this myself?
Possible if you are comfortable wiring tools together and testing for a week or two. If not, hire a builder: most owners do.
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