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Dan Beeston, Founder of UpScale Automation

AI and business process automation for UK SMEs Do you want to automate your business?

Build with the team transforming SMEs around the country.

I'm ready to automate OpenAI Select Partner
Iona Beeston, Founder of UpScale Automation

Trusted by growing businesses

Paperwork running through an automated machine while two people talk

The UpScale offer

We do everything it takes to make automation return real value.

We build bespoke automation that takes routine work off your team's hands. And we bring everything around it: the mapping, the fixes, the testing, the training and ongoing support.

What you get

The core

Bespoke Automation

Built around the systems you already use, taking routine work off your team's hands, with people kept in the loop where judgement matters.

  • Typically built within 60 days of sign-off
  • Tested against measures we agree
  • You pay for the build when it passes

Process Mapping

We work on-site with your team, mapping how the work runs in your business: every handover, every exception, the knowledge in people's heads, to guarantee seamless build quality.

How it works
Paid, and credited to your build

Bi-Annual and Annual reviews

We review the value and the process with you, and always look for the next opportunity, so as technology develops, your company is never left behind.

Everything else is included, at no extra charge

  1. Process Redesign

    We review & consult on any broken steps first, including the ones automation can't touch. You never automate a bad process.

    Typically £1,500–£5,000 Included

  2. Opportunity Identification

    We will tell you every automation worth building, ranked by what it's worth to the business, whether or not you choose to proceed with us. If nothing is worth building, we say so.

    Typically £3,500–£12,000 Included

  3. Training and Help desk

    We train your team on the new processes, and produce short videos, guides, and an AI help desk to keep answering questions about your automation.

    Typically £4,500–£12,000 Included

  4. Human Support

    A human response within 72 hours of raising a ticket, excluding weekends and bank holidays. (Shorter time-frames available on request)

    Typically £900–£1,300 a month Included

  5. Value Visibility

    Continued assessment on what each automation returns, measured on real use, to ensure your money with us is well spent.

    Typically £8,000–£18,000 Included

Bought separately from UK consultancies, typically

£17,500–£47,000 plus £10,800–£15,600 a year

With UpScale: included, at no extra charge

After the mapping, you pay for your build and its monthly maintenance. Nothing on this list is charged on top.

Typical prices are estimates from published UK consultancy day rates and price lists, October 2026, excluding VAT.

How long it takes

  1. Week 1

    On site with your team, mapping the work.

  2. Week 4

    Your map, the fixes and your ranked opportunities.

  3. Week 12

    The automations you choose, built.

  4. Week 13

    Tested against the measures we agreed.

  5. Live

    Supported, measured and reviewed.

Free training

Guides and checklists to help you get AI working in your business.

It's free

AI Implementation Checklist

The checklist we use before we automate anything. Work through it with your team and you'll know where AI will pay, where it won't, and what to fix first.

  • Pick the right process to start with
  • Check your data and systems are ready
  • Keep people in control of the decisions that matter
  • Measure the value, not the clicks
Get the checklist
It's free

Process Mapping Guide

How we map a process in our mapping week, written so your team can do it themselves. Map one process end to end, see where the time and money go, and know what to fix before you automate anything.

  • Map how the work really runs, not how it should
  • Find the handovers, delays and rework that cost the most
  • Capture the knowledge that's only in people's heads
  • Decide what to fix, what to automate and what to leave
Read the guide

FAQs

What does UpScale actually do?

We build bespoke automation that takes routine work off your team's hands. First we map how the work really runs and fix what's broken. Then we build the automations worth having, test them with you, train your team and support them once they're live.

How does it work?

Two steps. First, a paid process map: a week with your team, then within a month your map, the fixes and your ranked automation opportunities. Second, if you want it, the build: one or more automations you choose, built within 60 days and tested for five days before go-live.

Do we have to buy an automation after the map?

No. The map, the fixes and the ranked opportunities are yours to keep. If nothing is worth automating, we'll tell you.

What happens to the mapping fee if we go ahead?

It comes off your build in full. The credit applies to build fees. Monthly maintenance is priced separately and shown on your quote.

When do we pay for the build?

When it passes the tests we agreed and you sign it off. There's no upfront build payment. Maintenance starts on the day it goes live.

What is the 5:1 ROI guarantee?

Every £1 you pay us should come back as at least £5 in measured value. We measure it from go-live against the baseline we agree before the build. If the value is less than five times what you've paid, we bring your fees down to a fifth of that value and refund the difference. The full terms are in your agreement.

How much of my team's time will it take?

Less than you'd think. We start with one team or process, read your existing documents first, and talk to the people who represent each role rather than everyone.

What if something breaks?

Raise a ticket and a person will respond within 72 hours, excluding weekends and bank holidays, with an assessment and next steps. Faults in what we built are fixed as part of maintenance.

Will this replace our staff?

That isn't the aim. The aim is to take routine work off people's hands so the team you have can handle more. What you do with the time is your call.

Why not hire someone, or use an off-the-shelf tool?

A hire means recruiting, onboarding and managing a role, and the knowledge leaves when they do. Off-the-shelf tools fit their template, not your process. We build to your workflow, document it and support it.

How many clients do you take on?

Four new clients a month, so we can map in person. Book by the 20th to start the following month.

About the founders

Dan and Iona Beeston founded UpScale Automation to give growing businesses the kind of automation big companies build for themselves.

Dan is a management consultant (Assoc ChMC) who spent three years designing operational and workflow frameworks in financial services and field operations, and has been building AI workflows since 2023. Dan maps the work and leads every build.

Iona is a commercial solicitor who spent three years acting for SMEs in commercial disputes, seeing where operations break and why the same problems come back.

No account managers and no hand-off to a junior. The people on your call are the people in the room.

More about us
Dan and Iona Beeston, founders of UpScale Automation
Dan Beeston CEO, Management Consultant Assoc ChMC Iona Beeston CCO, Commercial Solicitor