# Outsourcing workflow automation — 7 criteria for choosing a vendor

> Seven practical criteria for choosing a workflow automation vendor: published prices, demo first, operations included, data ownership, per-seat pricing and more — compiled by a company that publishes its prices.

- Published: 2026-08-22 · Category: Workflow automation
- Canonical (HTML): https://maeum.io/en/blog/work-automation-outsourcing/ · Korean original: https://maeum.io/blog/work-automation-outsourcing/
- Author: MAEUM — an AI engineering company that publishes its prices · https://maeum.io

Automation projects fail not on technology but on **contract structure**. Before choosing, check seven things: ① Do they publish prices? ② Do they show a working demo before the contract? ③ Do they take responsibility for operations after the build? ④ Does the customer own the data? ⑤ Is there per-seat pricing? ⑥ How are new features billed? ⑦ Are the cancellation terms clean? MAEUM publishes all of this in prices and documents — **the demo is free, SaaS builds from ₩700K + ₩490K/mo.**

## The typical path to a failed automation project

The common failure goes like this: the quote is "we'll advise after a consultation" → you see the screens for the first time after signing → it's not what you imagined → every change costs extra → after delivery, the maintenance vendor disappears → a system nobody uses.
It isn't a technology problem. It's a structure where **you sign before seeing anything and the product is abandoned after it's built**. So the selection criteria should be about contract structure, not portfolios.

## Seven criteria — what to ask before signing

- **① Published prices** — is there a list price on the website? "Whatever we say" pricing means the side with less leverage loses.
- **② Demo first** — do they show a real, working screen before the contract?
- **③ Operations responsibility** — does the contract say who handles servers, errors and improvements after delivery?
- **④ Data ownership** — is data export guaranteed if you cancel?
- **⑤ Per-seat pricing** — does the fee rise as staff or customers grow?
- **⑥ New feature cost** — a new quote for every feature, or included in the monthly fee?
- **⑦ Cancellation terms** — long-term lock-in, or free to leave?
If a vendor's answers to these seven are vague, it's safer to pass.

## MAEUM's answers — all in writing

To the same questions, MAEUM answers: ① every price published (scoping ₩250K, SaaS build from ₩700K + ₩490K / ₩990K / ₩1.49M/mo, SI from ₩2.5M) ② **free demo** — sign only if you like it ③ on SaaS (managed), we take responsibility for servers, errors and improvements every month and **prove it with a monthly report** ④ data is yours, export supported ⑤ no per-seat pricing ⑥ **feature consultation and building included in the monthly fee** — no separate development invoices ⑦ no long-term lock-in, cancel freely. SEO and AI-search visibility work is included in every build at no charge.

## MAEUM list prices (VAT excluded · starting prices · final price confirmed after scoping)

- Scoping pass (5 sessions): ₩250K (up to 90 min each, working demo included)
- SaaS · managed (recommended): build from ₩700K + ₩490K / ₩990K / ₩1.49M/mo — servers, AI, improvements, new features and a monthly report included; no per-seat pricing
- SI · ownership: build from ₩2.5M (full build from ₩7M+) — no monthly fee afterwards; care passes when needed
- KRW is authoritative (USD ≈ at ~₩1,400/$). SEO and AI-search visibility work included free. The demo is free.
- Machine-readable prices: https://maeum.io/facts.json · Rate card: https://maeum.io/rates.json

## Frequently asked questions

**Q. Which workflow should we automate first?**
A. Start with "things people repeat every week that need almost no judgment": sending notifications, collecting documents, tracking unpaid fees, confirming bookings. During scoping we prioritize by impact.

**Q. How is this different from doing it ourselves with no-code tools?**
A. One or two automations you can do yourself. But once several workflows intertwine and data accumulates, someone has to keep owning operations, security and integrations. Taking over that operations work entirely is what SaaS (managed) is.

**Q. Our company is too unusual — will it even work?**
A. That's the reason for a custom build. Check screens built for your situation with a free demo first. If it doesn't fit, don't sign.

**Q. What if AI costs run high?**
A. Baseline AI running costs within your plan are included in the monthly fee. For unusually high usage, you can connect your own AI key (BYOK) and control costs directly.

**Q. How do we get a quote?**
A. Build a list-price estimate instantly with the calculator on the pricing page, or start with a conversation quote or a free demo.

## Related guides

- [Own It (SI) or Have It Run for You (SaaS)? — A Decision Guide for Business Owners](https://maeum.io/en/blog/si-vs-saas-choice/)
- [AI Customer Service Chatbot Cost — Trained on Your Company's Own Data](https://maeum.io/en/blog/customer-chatbot-cost/)
- [Web App Development Cost 2026 — From a Company That Publishes Its Prices](https://maeum.io/en/blog/webapp-development-cost/)

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MAEUM · Free demo: https://maeum.io/en/start/ · Pricing: https://maeum.io/en/price/ · Contact: support@maeum.io