AI Automation for SMEs: Where to Start and What It Really Delivers
By Marina Nerandzic
January 15, 2025
AI automation is no longer hype – it's reality for Swiss SMEs. Companies investing now are securing a measurable competitive advantage. But the crucial question remains: Where exactly to start?
Which Processes Are Suitable for AI Automation?
Not every process is equally suited for AI automation. The best candidates meet three criteria:
- High volume: The process runs daily or weekly
- Rule-based: Clear if-then logic
- Measurable impact: The improvement has concrete business value in CHF
Typical examples: Invoice processing, document classification, data extraction from forms, email triage, and compliance checks.
The Typical ROI: What Can You Expect?
From our experience with over 150 projects, we can say: The typical ROI of AI automation is 300-500% within the first 12 months. The payback period is 3-6 months.
A concrete example: A company with 2,000 incoming invoices per month saves approximately CHF 150,000 per year through AI-powered processing – with an implementation time of 6 weeks.
4 Steps to AI Automation
- Process Analysis: Identify 3-5 processes with the highest automation potential.
- Pilot Project: Start with one process and measure the results.
- Scaling: Roll out the solution to additional processes.
- Continuous Optimization: AI solutions improve over time – leverage this advantage.
Our tip: Use our free ROI calculator to determine the savings potential for your specific processes.