Frequently asked questions

routinefrei is a Hamburg agency for AI automation in businesses: medical practices, law and tax firms, trades, hospitality, real estate and logistics. We build workflows that take routine off your hands: email triage, appointment and calendar organisation, document workflows and looking after your website. Instead of selling software, we set up workflows in the programs you already use, run them and stay available. Everything at fixed prices, listed on the pricing page. For an overview of all services, see Solutions.

No. Your software stays. You keep DATEV, beA, practice software, POS system, calendar and inbox; we connect them via interfaces and automate the steps in between: assigning incoming items, transferring data, triggering reminders. That lowers the barrier, because nobody has to learn a new system and no data migration is needed. Only when a tool is actually missing do we suggest one, and even then the workflows belong to you. Which systems are connected today and which we assess per project is listed under Integrations.

Email triage means your inbox is pre-sorted automatically. Every incoming email is assigned to a category, for example appointment, invoice, enquiry or complaint. Standard cases get a draft reply, and anything left unanswered lands on a follow-up list. You decide what goes out: drafts are never sent unchecked. The triage is part of the time management + email system package, which is included in the pilot automation for 990 €. For details, see Email automation and time management, and in the live demo you can try the triage right away.

No. You need neither an IT department nor prior knowledge. The customer workspace starts with Gmail and Google Calendar; other systems such as Microsoft 365, CRM or telephony are assessed and integrated only per project. We set everything up, your team is trained, and the agreed scope is documented in plain language. During operation we take care of maintenance and adjustments, and you simply keep working in your usual programs. What ongoing support costs is listed on the pricing page.

n8n is a workflow tool whose core is open source. It connects your existing programs via interfaces and runs workflows automatically: email received, data extracted, task created, reminder set. We use it for two reasons. First, it can be adapted flexibly to your business, without licence costs per seat. Second, it protects you from lock-in: the workflows belong to you, and you can export them and keep running them without us. Where we use n8n is shown under Solutions.

For context: according to published market overviews, small projects with a freelancer cost around 500 to 4,000 €, agency projects start at around 3,000 €, often without providers naming their prices. Ours are listed openly: start with the pilot automation for a 990 € fixed price, website from 290 €. We calculate the automation sprint after a short analysis, because scope and integrations vary widely. Monthly: website maintenance from 29 €, automation operations from 290 €, AI partner from 1,490 €. All prices net plus VAT. Before every project you receive a binding quote with a clear scope. All packages are on the pricing page, the market overview in the guide What AI automation costs (in German).

The pilot automation costs a 990 € fixed price and is usually live after 14 days. It includes one specific automation of your choice, for example enquiry triage or chasing missing receipts, and always the time management + email system package: the AI inbox triage (sorting, drafts, follow-up) and the appointment cockpit (calendar order, reminders, weekly plan). Setup, training and documentation are included as well. We list ongoing API costs as a separate item; nothing is hidden in the calculation. For details, see Email automation and time management and the pricing page.

Three support packages, all with published prices: website maintenance from 29 € per month with updates, backups and small changes. Automation operations from 290 € per month with workflow monitoring, ongoing adjustments and a fixed contact person. AI partner from 1,490 € per month with a 12-month term, for businesses that want to keep automating. For us, support means: we notice when something is stuck, often before you do, and the workflows grow with your business. All details are on the pricing page.

One-off projects are one-off, with no commitment. Ongoing operation, meaning website maintenance and automation operations, can be cancelled monthly. Only the AI partner has a 12-month term, because it is designed for continuous expansion. The freedom to leave matters to us: the core of our systems is open source, and the workflows belong to you. If you leave, you take them with you and keep running them yourself or with another provider, without vendor lock-in. The terms for each package are on the pricing page.

Often yes, but not always. For context: tax advisors, for example, spend one to two hours a day on client emails, which adds up to several working weeks of routine per year. That is exactly where the pilot automation for 990 € comes in. It is also true, though, that if you only need one small thing, such as a simple appointment reminder, a single tool without an agency is sometimes enough. We tell you plainly which option pays off when. In a free initial consultation we will also tell you if a project does not pay off for you yet.

We build every automation so that it can be operated in compliance with data protection law: data flows are documented before going live, data minimisation applies, and where necessary a data processing agreement is part of it. We deliberately make no blanket compliance promises, because it always depends on the specific use. The EU AI Act also plays a role: since 2 February 2025, providers and deployers have had to take measures to promote AI literacy (Art. 4); certain transparency obligations have applied since 2 August 2026 (Art. 50). Our labelling and documentation packages support you with implementation; the specific legal assessment remains project-specific.

If we process personal data on your behalf, you receive a suitable data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR before going live, including technical and organisational measures and a list of subprocessors. Whether a DPA is required is assessed on the basis of the specific data flow, not across the board. The templates are ready and are adapted for each project; this is part of our onboarding and costs nothing extra. For law and tax firms, professional secrecy also applies; more on that in the question on Section 203 StGB below.

We define this for each project and document it before going live: hosting, model region, subprocessors and data flows are fixed in writing before real data flows. For particularly sensitive data we assess European or locally operated models. Only the systems and people needed for the agreed workflow have access. We do not sell data on and do not use it to train third-party models. Access is documented, and you can view the records at any time.

Yes, under clear conditions. Health data is specially protected (Art. 9 GDPR), so for practices the rule is: a data processing agreement before the start, data minimisation, documented data flows and, depending on the use, a data protection impact assessment. For sensitive steps we assess European or locally operated models so that patient data does not leave the agreed framework. Much can also be built so that the AI works entirely without patient data, for example when pre-sorting enquiries. This is covered in detail in the guide AI in medical practices and GDPR (in German), the matching workflows under AI automation for medical practices.

More than many think, but with one special point: according to the FAQ of the German Federal Chamber of Tax Advisors (as of 01/2026), a DPA alone is not enough to satisfy Section 203 StGB; a confidentiality declaration from the service provider is also required. Both are part of our onboarding for law and tax firms. Well suited to automation are workflows that touch client matters not at all or only in structured form: assigning incoming mail, recording deadlines, requesting missing receipts, managing follow-ups. What we build for law and tax firms is described under AI automation for law and tax firms, the worked example in the guide Email triage for tax firms (in German).

A data protection impact assessment (DPIA) under Art. 35 GDPR is required when processing is likely to result in a high risk to the people concerned, typically with extensive processing of health data or systematic evaluation of individuals. A simple inbox pre-sort without sensitive data does not usually trigger a DPIA, but an AI analysis of patient records may well do so. In the initial consultation we tell you plainly where your project stands, provide the technical documentation as a basis and, in borderline cases, recommend consulting your data protection officer.

Simple: you write to us via the contact form or by email, and on business days we reply within 24 hours. In the conversation we look at your workflows together: where time is lost, what is annoying every day, what should go first. Afterwards you get a binding fixed-price quote with a clear scope, without slide decks or subscription pressure. If we think automation does not pay off for you yet, we tell you that too. The conversation is free and without obligation, and you don't need to prepare anything.

The pilot automation is usually live after 14 days, from order confirmation to running operation. An automation sprint takes two to six weeks, depending on scope. With a website takeover, the pace depends mainly on the previous hosting provider; we start the technical audit as soon as we have access. In all cases we work in short, visible steps: you see first results early in your inbox and calendar instead of one big handover at the end.

Yes. We connect to your existing systems instead of replacing them, so there is no cut-over date when everything suddenly changes. New workflows first run alongside in draft mode: the AI sorts and suggests, your team keeps working as usual and checks the results. Only when everything works reliably do we switch them on together with you, step by step. Appointments, phone and day-to-day business carry on normally the whole time; no system goes down and no data is migrated.

Setup always includes training your team in plain language, plus documentation of the agreed scope that stand-ins can also work with. After that, it is your choice: with automation operations from 290 € per month we monitor the workflows, adjust them and remain your fixed contact. Without a support package the workflows still belong to you; you run them yourself and bring us in when needed. The support packages are on the pricing page, and questions are also answered by the AI assistant on the home page.

Two levels. First, the AI: it never decides sensitive matters on its own. Draft replies never go out unchecked, and complaints and legal topics are automatically escalated to a person. Second, the technology: if a workflow fails, nothing is lost. Your emails stay in your inbox as usual, the calendar stays your calendar, and for a while there is just manual work again. With automation operations we monitor the workflows continuously and often fix problems before you notice them. What support covers exactly is on the pricing page.

Practices receive 150 to 300 calls a week, and over 60 percent of them are routine: appointments, prescriptions, opening hours. This routine can be shifted: a structured request form plus AI inbox triage pre-sorts appointment and prescription requests automatically, creates draft replies and keeps follow-up lists. According to industry analyses, automatic appointment reminders typically reduce no-shows by 20 to 40 percent. The team spends less time on the phone, and the line is free for the calls that need a person. The workflows are described under AI automation for medical practices, and why we start with email AI instead of phone AI is explained in the guide Taking pressure off the practice phone (in German).

Verifiable figures from the market: tax advisors spend one to two hours a day on client emails, and structured email automation reduces this effort by 40 to 60 percent. Automated receipt processing saves 40 to 80 hours per month, depending on the size of the firm. Important for a fair calculation: the savings do not appear on the first day but after a learning phase in which your team checks and corrects categories and drafts. The detailed worked example is in the guide Email triage for tax firms (in German), the workflows under AI automation for law and tax firms.

Wherever the same steps come up every day. Taking and confirming enquiries: 40 to 60 percent of calls to trades businesses go unanswered, and an automatic reply channel catches them. Add preparing quotes, confirming appointments and sending reminders, and the invoicing routine, where 25 to 30 minutes per invoice are common. In total, this can save 5 to 15 hours of office time per week. We deliberately draw one line: the AI prepares quotes but never sends them unchecked. More under AI automation for trades businesses and in the guide Writing quotes faster in the trades (in German).

Automation does not replace your employees; it gives them time back. What gets automated is the routine: sorting, typing up, reminding, following up. Decisions, advice and the craft itself stay with your people. A look at law and tax firms shows how great the pressure is: around 65 percent report an acute skills shortage, and over 10,000 positions are unfilled. If you cannot fill open positions, you can free the hours you have from routine. Especially then, this is often the difference between “we can manage” and “we can't”. What this means for each industry is shown under Solutions.

Website takeover means we take complete care of your existing website: domain management, hosting, updates, backups and content maintenance. Your domain remains your property; we only manage it for you. At the start we carry out a technical audit and a basic optimisation covering load time, SEO basics and your Google Business Profile, from 290 € one-off. After that, website maintenance from 29 € per month takes over ongoing operation, including a monthly report. For all details, see Website takeover & visibility.

Businesses whose website exists but that nobody looks after any more: restaurants, practices and local businesses where the former web designer can no longer be reached, updates pile up or Google listings go out of date. We have built and maintained this kind of setup, for example, for the restaurant Levant Hamburg with website, reservations and cookie-free analytics, and for AlsterSURFER in Hamburg with a redesign that kept the booking flow. Both cases are listed under References. If you maintain your website yourself and are happy with it, you don't need us for this, and we will tell you so.

It stays. We take over the existing website with all its content, texts and images and change nothing without agreement. At the start, the technical audit documents the current state: what works well, what slows it down, what is missing. Then we optimise carefully, for example load time, SEO basics and the entries in your Google Business Profile. Larger rebuilds or a redesign are a separate decision that you commission explicitly, never a silent side effect. In the monthly report you see what has changed. How the takeover works is described under Website takeover & visibility.