What an AI automation agency actually does
An AI automation agency takes repetitive work in your business, such as replying to leads, entering invoices, building reports or sending reminders, and hands it to AI agents and automated workflows. A good one designs around your existing tools (WhatsApp, Tally, Zoho, Google Sheets, your CRM), keeps a person in the loop for decisions that matter, and stays to maintain and improve what it built.
| Type of firm | What they mainly do | Choose them when |
|---|---|---|
| AI automation agency | Builds and runs agents and workflows on your tools | You want work removed from your team, fast |
| AI development company | Builds custom AI software and products | You need a bespoke system or product |
| AI consulting firm | Strategy, audits, roadmaps and policy | You need to decide where AI pays off first |
| Digital marketing agency | Runs campaigns, ads and content | You need media buying and creative, not automation |
Many firms, Silvane included, combine the first three: consulting to choose the right problem, development to build it and an ongoing service to run it.
What to automate first
The best first projects are high-volume, rule-based and easy to measure. Typical winners for Indian SMEs:
- Replying to and following up WhatsApp and website leads.
- Daily MIS and dashboards that someone builds by hand every morning.
- Reading invoices and bills into Tally or Zoho Books.
- Payment reminders with a UPI link that stop once paid.
- Appointment reminders and confirmations by WhatsApp or AI call.
- Attendance, incentive and payout reports.
Avoid starting with a project that needs perfect accuracy on day one, has no clear owner, or depends on data you do not collect yet.
10 questions to ask before you sign
- What will you automate first, and how many hours or rupees will it save each month?
- Is the price fixed? What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
- Whose accounts will it run in? (The answer should be yours.)
- What happens when the AI is unsure or wrong? Who reviews it?
- Can you show something similar you have built, and who can I speak to about it?
- Which AI models and tools will you use, and why those?
- How is our data protected? Will you sign an NDA, and do the AI plans train on our data?
- How will our team be trained to use and own this?
- What does monthly support cover, and can we cancel it and keep everything?
- How will we measure success after 30 and 90 days?
Red flags
- Guaranteed results, such as a promised number of leads or a fixed reduction in staff.
- A tool-first pitch ("we do chatbots") before understanding your process.
- Automations built in the agency's accounts, so you lose everything if you leave.
- No mention of data safety, consent or the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
- No hand-over documentation, or a single person who understands the system.
- Case studies with no names, no specifics and no one you can call.
How pricing usually works in India
Pricing varies widely across the market, so compare structure rather than a single number. Most agencies use some mix of a paid audit or discovery phase, a one-time build price, a monthly fee to run and improve, and pass-through costs for software and AI usage. As a reference point, Silvane charges ₹199 for the discovery call and AI audit for founding members while seats last (normally ₹15,000), builds from ₹50,000 as a fixed quote, managed AI teams from ₹40,000 a month and AI training at ₹25,000 a day. GST is extra.
| Phase | What you should get |
|---|---|
| Discovery and audit | A process map, the tasks worth automating, hours saved and a fixed price |
| Build | Working automations in your accounts, tested with your team, plus documentation |
| Run | Monitoring, fixes, monthly improvements and a results review |
| Training | Your people able to use, check and adjust what was built |
Data safety basics
Insist on an NDA, on automations built inside your own accounts and on business AI plans that do not train on your data. Ask where personal data is processed and stored, and make sure customer consent is collected where needed. For sensitive data, prefer self-hosted tools or private deployment options.
About Silvane
Silvane is an AI automation agency for Indian SMEs, based in Gurugram. It was founded by Harsh Mehndiratta, who led the AI program across 60+ centres at Vetic and ran automated ads for 50+ restaurant partners at Zomato. We are new and are taking on a small group of founding members. Start with the AI consulting and strategy audit, see all services or check pricing.