Finding a qualified automation specialist is harder than most businesses expect. The talent pool is small, salaries are high, and the interview process takes months. Once you hire, you are also responsible for onboarding, managing, and retaining that person through a market where they have constant competing offers.
A senior automation engineer in Canada costs $90,000 to $130,000 per year in salary alone. Add benefits, equipment, and overhead and you are looking at $110,000 to $160,000 annually. And that assumes you hired the right person on the first try.
An agency brings a full team to your project from day one. You get a strategist, a developer, and someone who has already built what you need before. The ramp-up time is weeks, not months.
At Aiviq, we work with businesses on a project or retainer basis. You pay for outcomes, not headcount. If your needs change, we adapt. You are not locked into a salary or responsible for someone's livelihood.
For most businesses, the agency path delivers results in sixty days. The hiring path can take six months before the first automation is live.
Hiring: $110,000 to $160,000 per year. Three to six months to first output. One person's bandwidth. No institutional knowledge if they leave.
Agency: $3,000 to $12,000 per month depending on scope. Results in thirty to sixty days. A team of specialists. Documentation and handover built in.
For early-stage and growth-stage businesses, the agency almost always wins on both cost and speed. The hire makes sense when automation is a core part of your product, not your operations.
If you are evaluating your options, we offer a free consultation. We will give you an honest assessment of whether an agency or an in-house hire is the right move for your specific situation.
Book a free strategy call with our team. We will give you an honest assessment of where you are and a clear plan for what to do next.
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