Three systems, and none of them talk to each other.
Data gets moved by hand. Every transfer is a chance to get it wrong.
AI automation for mid-sized companies
If it repeats, we automate it.
We analyse how your business actually works, build the automation that fits — and keep running it for you. From the first conversation to a system in daily use.
- GDPR-compliant
- Hosted in Germany
- Fixed price, not hourly
Email arrives
AI reads & classifies
CRM is updated
Quote is generated
Reply goes out
In short
Du First is an AI automation agency based in Düsseldorf, Germany. We automate repetitive business processes for mid-sized companies with 10 to 200 employees — across sales, administration, finance and customer service. We do not deliver a concept paper; we deliver a system that runs: analysis within one week, a first working system in four to eight weeks, then ongoing operation. Everything is built GDPR-compliant and hosted in Germany, and billed at a fixed price rather than by the hour.
01The problem
Sound familiar?
Writing the quote takes longer than negotiating it.
The real work is gathering the information — not making the decision.
Enquiries sit untouched because nobody has time.
Whoever answers first wins the job. Usually that is not the best supplier, just the fastest.
The same spreadsheet, every Monday, for four years.
Nobody has ever questioned it. It still costs hours every single week.
These are not staffing problems. They are process problems.
And process problems can be solved — without asking anyone to work faster.
02Services
What we automate
Six areas where automation pays off immediately in a mid-sized company. What you actually need is decided by the analysis — not by our product catalogue.
AI agents & assistants
They answer enquiries, qualify leads and work directly inside your systems — around the clock, in your tone of voice, by your rules.
- Understand, categorise and answer email and chat enquiries automatically
- Qualify leads and hand them to the right person with a priority
- Escalate to a human the moment something is unclear or sensitive
- Every action logged and auditable
Documents & invoices
Invoices, quotes, contracts: read, checked and filed — without anyone typing.
- Document capture including line items, amounts and tax rates
- Validation against purchase orders and master data
- Handover to DATEV, Lexoffice or your ERP
Calls & appointments
AI picks up, qualifies the request and books the appointment straight into the calendar.
- Call handling outside business hours
- Booking with real availability checks
- Call notes written to the CRM automatically
CRM & ERP integration
Data flows instead of being copied. One version of the truth, everywhere.
- Two-way sync instead of isolated islands
- Duplicate detection and data quality rules
- Full history preserved
Workflows & interfaces
n8n, Make, custom APIs — whatever you need, not whatever we happen to sell.
- Existing systems get connected, not replaced
- Error handling, retry logic and alerting when something breaks
- You keep access to everything we build
Reporting
Numbers arrive on their own — instead of being assembled by hand at month end.
- Metrics from several sources in one dashboard
- Reports sent automatically to the right people
- Anomalies trigger an alert
Websites & web systems
When the system needs a front end: portals, calculators and websites — built by us, measurably fast.
- Customer portals and internal tools
- Websites built for load time, visibility and enquiries
- Wired directly into your automation
03Process
Three steps to a system that runs
No months-long discovery phase. After the first week you know whether automation pays off for you — with actual numbers.
-
01
Analysis 1 week
We look at how you work today and calculate what automation would genuinely save. You get an assessment with numbers, effort and a sequence — including the cases where we conclude a process is not worth automating.
Deliverable: potential analysis with numbers and a roadmap
-
02
Build 4–8 weeks
We build and test. You see it working early, not at the very end. After handover we stay close for 30 days so the system actually lands in day-to-day work.
Deliverable: a running system including handover and documentation
-
03
Operation ongoing
We monitor, improve and extend. You do not need a team for it. When something starts to drift, we notice before you do.
Deliverable: monitoring, maintenance and new processes without a new project
04Our own systems
What we run ourselves
We do not publish a number we cannot back up. What follows is technology we run in our own operation.
In daily operation
We do not deploy anything we do not run ourselves. These systems are in daily use at Du First:
Automated image and content generation
An AI-driven system produces imagery and copy blocks directly inside our own platform — including review and storage.
Enquiry and mail pipeline
Incoming enquiries are captured, acknowledged, routed and logged without anyone copying an address by hand.
Content and publishing pipeline
Articles are created in a structured way, prepared technically for search engines and published automatically.
05Calculator
What is this process costing you right now?
Set the sliders to a process you already have in mind. The maths is deliberately conservative.
Formula: people × hours × 4.33 weeks × hourly cost. We assume 72 % time saved — not 100 %, because review and exceptions stay with people. Indicative only, not a quote.
Current cost
–
After automation
–
You save
–
– per year
Want this calculated for your actual process?
We will send you an assessment with real numbers — free, and without a meeting first.
Request assessment06Integrations
We work with what you already have
Your systems stay. We connect them instead of replacing them.
Microsoft 365
DATEV
HubSpot
Salesforce
n8n
Make
Slack
Notion
Google Workspace
Lexoffice
Shopify
Zoom
Teams
Outlook
Pipedrive
WordPress
Zapier
Airtable
07Working together
How we work with you
Three clear steps — from the first conversation to a system running inside your business. No months-long discovery phase, no surprises.
01
Analysis
We get to know the process, identify where automation pays off and define a clear project scope.
02
Implementation
We build the automation and integrate it into your existing workflows and systems.
03
Operation & growth
If you want, we take over operation, monitoring and continuous development from there.
Discuss your project
Every project is scoped and priced individually. After a short initial conversation you receive a clear assessment of scope, timeline and investment.
Our services are for companies, teams and organisations — not for private consumers.
08Why us
Why Du First
We build it, we run it.
No concept paper, no slide deck. A system that runs — and that we stay responsible for afterwards.
GDPR by design.
Hosted in Germany, data processing agreement in place, no data leaving the EU without your explicit approval.
Fixed price.
You know the cost before we start. If we misjudge the effort, that is our risk, not yours.
Leave whenever you want.
You get access to everything we build for you. No lock-in, no closed systems.
09FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up in nearly every first conversation — answered directly.
What does AI automation cost?
It depends on the scope: how complex the process is, how many systems need to be connected, how much volume runs through it, and whether we operate the system afterwards. That is why every project is priced individually. After a short initial conversation you receive a clear assessment of scope, timeline and investment — as a fixed price, not an open-ended timesheet. You sign nothing before you know the numbers.
How long until something is live?
Four to eight weeks from project start to the first running system, with a one-week analysis before that. You see working intermediate results during the build, not only at the end. A second process is considerably faster because the integrations already exist.
Is this GDPR-compliant?
Yes. We host in Germany, sign a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR, and transfer no personal data outside the EU without your explicit approval. Where AI models are involved, we choose providers with EU processing or run models ourselves. You receive a written overview of which data goes where.
We are only 15 people — is it even worth it?
Especially then. In a small team a manual process costs proportionally more, because the same person wears several hats. A process involving three people at six hours a week already ties up roughly €3,200 a month. The analysis tells you whether it pays off — and if it does not, we say so.
What happens to our existing systems?
They stay. We integrate rather than replace. Your CRM, your ERP and your accounting keep running exactly as before — they simply start exchanging data instead of someone re-typing it. We only recommend replacing a system when integrating it would cost more than switching.
What if the automation makes a mistake?
Every workflow has defined error handling and a threshold at which a human takes over. Uncertain cases are escalated, never guessed. All actions are logged and auditable, and during operation we actively monitor the systems — usually we see a fault before it becomes visible to you.
Do we need our own IT team?
No. We handle build and operation completely. You need one person internally who knows the process from the business side — normally that is whoever runs it today. No technical background is required, and we are happy to involve your existing IT provider.
What happens if we end the collaboration?
You keep everything. Access, source code, workflows and documentation belong to you and are handed over. Operation is cancellable monthly, there is no minimum term and no technical lock. We deliberately build so that another provider could take over.
10Contact
Show us one process. We will tell you what it should cost.
Three short questions. Then you get an assessment — not a brochure.
Thank you — we have it.
We will come back to you within 24 hours. With a concrete assessment, not a catalogue.