AI & automations
Automations that give your team its evenings back
Small, reliable automations for the jobs your team repeats every day: follow-ups, WhatsApp replies, invoices and reports.
Quick answer
Business automation means letting software do the repetitive steps people do by hand: copying leads from one app to another, sending reminders, creating invoices, updating sheets. For a small team the best automations are small: one job, done reliably, every time. The Tech Thingy builds them around how your team already works, from Thane for businesses across India.
Question
What is business automation?
It is software doing the routine steps of your work without someone clicking through them. A lead fills a form, it appears in your CRM, the right salesperson gets a WhatsApp, and a follow-up is scheduled. Nobody copied anything.
Question
What are five examples of automation in a small business?
1. New enquiries from your website, Instagram and Meta ads landing in one list automatically. 2. A WhatsApp reply within a minute of an enquiry, even at night. 3. Payment reminders sent before and after an invoice is due. 4. A daily sales or stock report in your inbox at 9 am. 5. Orders from marketplaces updating one stock sheet. Our blog on automations every small team should have running goes deeper.
Question
Can WhatsApp Business send automated messages?
Yes. The free WhatsApp Business app can send a greeting message, an away message and quick replies. For anything more (replies based on what the customer asked, reminders, order updates, connecting to your CRM) you need the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) through a provider, which charges per message for some message types.
Not sure which way to go?
Tell us what you are building and we will tell you honestly what we would do. 15 minutes, no deck.
Question
Is automation possible without AI?
Yes, and most useful automations do not need AI at all. "When this happens, do that" rules handle the bulk of small-business work. AI helps where a step needs judgement, like reading an email and deciding which team it belongs to. See agentic AI for business.
Proof
Work behind the words.
Retail Operations & Fresh Produce
Retrocart & Trybix
The full operations platform for 56 fresh-produce markets in Bengaluru, then productised for other retailers.
Real Estate & Construction
JVM Spaces
Unit allocation, payment schedules, generated letters and a customer portal for a residential developer.
Marketplace Intelligence & E-Commerce
The Good Growth Company
A SaaS platform unifying Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, Blinkit, Zepto and Ajio, with crawl engines and bulk campaign automation.
Questions people ask us
Straight answers
How can I automate my business?
Write down the tasks your team repeats every day, pick the one that wastes the most time or causes the most mistakes, and automate only that first. Add the next one when the first runs without anyone checking it.
Which automation software is best for small business?
Tools like Zapier, Make and the automation built into your CRM cover most needs. A custom automation makes sense when the tools cannot reach your systems or the monthly costs add up.
How do I set up WhatsApp Business auto reply?
In the WhatsApp Business app, go to Business tools, then Away message or Greeting message, write the message and choose when it is sent. For replies that depend on what the customer asked, you need the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Is WhatsApp Business automation free?
The greeting, away and quick-reply features in the app are free. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, replies inside a customer service window are free, while marketing, utility (outside the window) and authentication templates are charged per message by Meta, plus your provider's fee.
What is the 24 hour rule on WhatsApp?
When a customer messages your business, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Inside it you can reply freely. After it closes, you can only send pre-approved template messages.
Is WhatsApp automation legal?
Yes, through official tools: the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business Platform. Unofficial bulk-sending tools break WhatsApp's terms and can get your number banned.
Can I create my own WhatsApp bot?
Yes, through the WhatsApp Business Platform and a provider, or with a developer. Keep it simple: answer the five questions customers ask most and hand over to a person for the rest.
How do I send 500 messages at once on WhatsApp?
Use the WhatsApp Business Platform with an approved template and customers who opted in to hear from you. The broadcast feature in the app also works for contacts who have saved your number.
Can ChatGPT automate tasks?
It can help with tasks inside a conversation and, connected through tools, can run some steps. Reliable business automations still run on automation software that is tested and monitored.
Still have a question? Ask us on a 15-minute call.
Keep reading
Where to go next.
Agentic AI for business
AI that takes steps to finish a task, not just answer.
ReadCustom software
When off-the-shelf automation cannot reach your systems.
ReadTRET, our real estate CRM
Automation built into a product we run ourselves.
ReadAutomations every team should run
The starting set, explained in plain language.
ReadStart a conversation
Tell us the job your team repeats most.
We will tell you honestly whether it is worth automating, and what the smallest reliable version looks like. 15 minutes, no deck.