Why Nobody Talks About Pricing (And Why We Will)
If you've spent any time researching AI automation for your business, you've probably hit the same wall: nobody talks about price. Every agency says "Contact us for a custom quote." We think Mexican business owners deserve better. You want to know if something is in your budget before spending 45 minutes on a call. That's not unreasonable. That's smart business.
Here's Hey Next's take: full transparency. Real numbers. Real ranges.
What Determines the Cost
Four factors move the price:
- Complexity. A single bot that reads emails is different from a multi-agent pipeline that processes invoices, validates against SAT records, and routes exceptions.
- Integrations. Off-the-shelf tools (Google, WhatsApp) vs custom systems with no public API.
- Data volume and quality. Clean structured data = faster build. PDFs and messy spreadsheets = more work.
- Ongoing maintenance vs one-time build. Some automations run forever. Others need monitoring and updates.
Tier 1 — Starter: Single Automation
$500–$1,500 USD (~$10,000–$30,000 MXN)
What you get:
- One focused automation targeting a single repetitive task
- 1–2 integrations (Gmail + Sheets, or WhatsApp + spreadsheet)
- Basic error handling and notifications
- Documentation for your team
- 2–3 weeks to deliver
- 30 days post-launch support
Example: An accounting firm automates client document requests. Every Monday, the system checks which clients haven't submitted CFDI files, sends personalized WhatsApp reminders, logs status. Manual: 3 hrs/week. After: 10 minutes. Cost: $900 USD (~$18,000 MXN).
Tier 2 — Growth: 3–5 Automations + Maintenance
$2,500–$5,000 USD (~$50,000–$100,000 MXN)
What you get:
- Full process audit to identify highest-ROI automations
- 3–5 connected automations as a system
- Integrations with up to 5 platforms
- Agent logic — decision trees, conditional routing, fallback handling
- Staff training session
- 4–8 weeks to deliver
- 90-day maintenance with monthly check-ins
Example: A construction supply company automates quote-to-invoice. WhatsApp requests routed to product specialist, draft quote generated, approved → CFDI created and sent. Four processes, one system. $3,800 USD (~$76,000 MXN). Saves ~25 hrs/week across 3 staff.
Tier 3 — Custom / Enterprise: Full Pipeline
$8,000–$15,000+ USD
What you get:
- 2-week deep discovery phase before code
- Multi-agent architecture with coordinating agents
- Custom integrations (SAT, IMSS, internal ERP)
- High-volume processing (thousands of documents)
- Dedicated project manager, weekly updates
- Full documentation and training
- 8–12 weeks to deliver
- Ongoing retainer available
ROI Math: Does This Pay Off?
Suppose a team member spends 10 hours/week on manual work. At $150/hour, that's $6,000/month in labor cost.
- A Starter automation at $1,200 USD pays for itself in under 1 week.
- A Growth package at $4,000 USD pays back in under 1 month.
In our CFDI audit case study, the automated process replaced 80+ hours of manual work. Build cost recovered before going live.
The Free Stuff (Honest Assessment)
Not every automation needs an agency. In our post on 5 tasks to automate today, we cover tools like Make, Zapier, and n8n for simple trigger-based automations. If your case is simple, you might not need us.
Where agencies add value: complexity, judgment, and speed. When you need agents that think, not just react.
Red Flags When Hiring an AI Agency
- No timeline commitment. If they can't give a delivery date, they're guessing.
- No deliverables list. "We'll automate your processes" is not a scope.
- Overpromising. 100% accuracy guarantee on unstructured data? Walk away.
- No post-launch plan. Automations break when APIs change.
- Vague pricing until the last minute.
Now You Know. Let's Talk Specifics.
You came with a real question. You got a real answer. Hey Next builds AI automation for Mexican businesses. We're based in Puebla. We give you timelines, deliverables, and prices before you commit.
If the numbers feel right, let's have that conversation.
Not ready yet? Start with what an AI agent actually is.
