Automation Build & Integration
Automation builds that connect the systems you run
Orders, stock, prices, customers and invoices move between your systems on their own, entered once and checked as they go. Fixed scope and fixed price agreed before anything starts, and the code is yours at the end.
From €790. Thirty days of fixes after go-live are included, and every build is handed over with its code and its documentation.
| # | Step | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Order received from the shop | 0.4s | Done |
| 2 | Customer matched in the ERP | 0.6s | Done |
| 3 | Same order seen twice | 0.1s | Blocked |
| 4 | Order posted to the ERP | 1.1s | Done |
| 5 | Marketplace order, VAT number missing | 0.3s | Held |
What it is
What does an automation build include?
An automation build takes one job that people do by hand and hands it to software: the data moves between your e-shop, your ERP, the marketplaces, the courier, your spreadsheets and your invoicing, with the checks that keep it honest.
The scope is written down before the work starts, so the price does not move while it is built. The automation runs in your own accounts and on your own hosting, the code and the documentation are handed over at the end, and for thirty days after go-live anything that does not work as agreed is fixed at no charge.
This is the one-off build. If you want the whole process rethought first, that is business process automation. If you are not sure yet which step is worth automating, the process audit measures that and ranks it, from €190.
It is worth building if
- orders are retyped from the shop into the ERP, or from a marketplace into both
- stock and prices drift apart between the shop, the ERP and the channels you sell on
- invoices are issued by hand from data that already exists somewhere else
- someone builds the same report in a spreadsheet every morning
- a ready-made connector covers most of your case and stops exactly where your business is different
Not sure how much time the job really takes? The process audit puts hours and euros on it first.
What you get
What comes with every build
The same six things, whichever tier you pick. They are the difference between an automation that runs for years and one that quietly stops in the summer.
Scope in writing
What moves, in which direction, how often, and which system decides each field. Agreed and priced before any code is written.
The build itself
Each record is sent once and only once, with the mapping between your SKUs, customers and tax rules set up so both systems recognise the same thing.
Error handling
A failed step is retried, anything that cannot pass is held in a queue instead of vanishing, and someone gets an email while it still matters.
A test run before go-live
The build runs on a copy of your site with real data first, so the first live order is not the first test.
Handover pack
The code, a short document explaining how it works and how to change it, and every key and account in your own name.
Thirty days of fixes
For a month after go-live, anything that does not do what the scope says is corrected at no charge.
The cheapest build is the one you do not need
Ready-made connectors exist for most Greek ERPs, and for a plain shop with plain products one of them is often enough. If that is your case, the call will say so and point you at it, even though it means no build. Paying for custom work that a licence would have covered is the most common waste in this corner of the market.
See where a connector stopsConnector or build
Ready-made connector or custom build: which one do you need?
A connector is a product with a licence. A build is written for your case. The useful question is not which is better, it is where your business stops matching what the product assumes.
| Question | Ready-made connector | FDesign build |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A setup fee, then a licence or subscription for as long as you use it | A fixed price once, with no licence attached to the automation |
| What it covers | Products, stock, prices, orders and customers, the way the product designed them | The fields and rules your business actually runs on, including the ones nobody else has |
| When your case is different | Custom work is quoted on top, or the answer is that it cannot be done | The difference is the starting point of the scope |
| Marketplaces, couriers and invoicing | Usually separate modules, each with its own fee | Part of the same scope if you need them, priced once |
| When something fails | A support ticket, and a wait that depends on the queue | Thirty days of fixes included, then by the hour or on a monthly plan |
| What you own | A right to use the product while you pay for it | The code, the documentation and the accounts it runs in |
Both can be true at once: a connector for the plain part, a build for the piece it does not reach. That answer costs nothing to get, and the free 20-minute call is enough to settle it.
What goes wrong
What usually breaks in an integration, and what stops it
These four account for most of the support calls in this field, and each one is a decision taken during the build rather than a problem discovered later. Builds run for shops and offices in Greece, in Cyprus and anywhere else, since the work and the handover are remote.
Orders posted twice, or not at all ORDERS
A retry, a refresh or a marketplace sending the same order again is the usual cause of a double entry, and a timeout is the usual cause of a missing one. Each order carries its own key, so a repeat is recognised and blocked, and anything that did not arrive is picked up on the next run instead of being lost.
Failures nobody notices ALERTS
The worst case is not an error, it is silence: a password expires, an endpoint changes, and the data stops moving while everyone assumes it still works. Failures are retried, then held in a queue, and an email goes out the same day with what is waiting and why.
Stock and prices that drift apart STOCK
Selling something that ran out yesterday costs a cancellation and, on a marketplace, a penalty. One system is named as the source of truth for each field, the rest follow it, and the interval is set to match how fast your stock really moves.
Totals, VAT and the invoice route MYDATA
Order totals are checked against what the ERP recorded, so discounts, shipping and VAT cannot quietly disagree. For Greek businesses the invoice also has to reach a certified provider or the free AADE applications. That route has been compulsory for the largest businesses since 2 March 2026 and applies to every other business from 2 November 2026. Once the transition period ends on 31 January 2027, it is the only way to issue a B2B invoice.
Source AADE: Mandatory electronic invoicing.
What it costs to run
What does an automation cost after it is built?
The build is one number. Keeping it running is a few small ones, paid by you, to the companies that provide them. They belong in the decision, so they are listed in the offer before you agree to anything.
- The build. Paid once. Half when the scope is signed, half when it goes live.
- An automation platform, only if the job needs one. Simple work runs inside your site or on a small server. Where a platform is the sensible tool, the subscription is yours, in your account, and you can switch it off.
- Somewhere to run. Many builds live inside the hosting you already pay for. A separate service is cheap, and it is named in the offer.
- Invoicing, if the automation issues documents. The certified provider is chosen on your invoice volume, and the fee is theirs, not mine.
- Changes later. After the thirty days, changes are either by the hour or on a monthly plan, and most builds need a few hours a year at most.
- Build, once
- from €790
- Automation platform, if needed
- €0 to €30 a month
- Server, if it runs outside your site
- about €6 a month
- E-invoicing provider, if invoices are issued
- from about €10 a month
- Fixes in the first month
- included
- Typical running cost
- under €50 a month
Figures for a small single workflow, as a guide. The offer for your build names each line with the real numbers, and every subscription is bought in your own name so nothing depends on me staying in the picture.
How it works
How a build runs, from first call to handover
Free call
20 minutes on what moves by hand today and which systems are involved. You leave knowing whether a connector, a build or nothing at all is the right answer.
Book the callFixed offer
The scope in writing: what moves, in which direction, how often, what happens when something fails, the price and the delivery date. Nothing starts before you accept it.
Built on a copy
The work happens against a copy of your site and a test account of the other system, with your own data, so live orders are never the experiment.
Go-live together
It is switched on while you watch, with the first runs checked one by one. The first days are monitored closely, because that is when the odd cases appear.
Handover
Code, documentation and accounts in your name, a walk-through for whoever will watch it, and thirty days of fixes at no charge.
A build that has been running every day for years
Shop and marketplace orders reaching a SoftOne ERP without anyone retyping them, for a Greek health and supplement business. It is the same shape of job most shops ask for, so it is the honest reference for what a build does and what it protects against.
What it does
- Sends each order to the ERP within about 30 seconds of the customer paying
- Carries marketplace orders with their own numbering and their own customer rules
- Keeps the attribution data attached to the order, so the source of the sale survives the trip
- Handles customer requests to see or delete their data on both sides
What it prevents
- The same order entered twice when a payment page is refreshed or a channel resends it
- Totals in the ERP that do not match what the customer actually paid
- Hours lost every week to copying orders between two screens
- Orders discovered days later, after the customer has already called
Where the line is
A build is bought once and then it is yours. Watching it, updating it when a system around it changes, and fixing it when something outside breaks are a separate decision, taken after the thirty days: by the hour, or on a monthly plan. Both are quoted plainly, and neither is required for the build to keep working.
Pricing
How much does an automation build cost?
Three tiers by how much has to move and how awkward the systems are. The price is fixed in the offer, half is paid when the scope is signed and half when it goes live.
Automation Build
One-off implementation
Single workflow
One job, one direction, two systems.
From €790
- One flow, such as orders to the ERP or a daily export
- Field mapping, duplicate protection and retries
- Failure email and a queue for anything held
- Tested on a copy, then switched on with you
- Code, documentation and accounts handed over
- Usually live in 2 to 4 weeks
Multi-step workflow
Several systems, both directions, real rules.
From €1,590
- Everything in the single workflow tier
- Two-way movement, with a named source of truth per field
- Marketplace, courier or e-invoicing legs included in the scope
- Stock and price rules set to how fast your stock moves
- Reconciliation of totals and VAT between the systems
- Live from 4 weeks, with the date fixed in the offer
AI-enhanced or legacy build
Messy input, or a system with no proper API.
From €2,400
- Everything in the multi-step tier
- An AI step where the input is unstructured, such as supplier invoices or email
- A person checks what the AI produced before it reaches your books
- Older systems reached through files, screens or a database instead of an API
- Running costs of any AI step priced before the build starts
- Timeline fixed in the offer, once the systems have been checked
Every tier includes thirty days of fixes after go-live. Watching and maintaining the build afterwards is managed automation, from €290 a month, and it is optional. Not sure which flow to build first? The process audit ranks them, from €190, and the fee comes off the build.
All prices excl. VAT (24%).
Written, tested and handed over by one engineer
Dorothy Fiedor
Founder of FDesign, Senior WordPress and WooCommerce Engineer
Dorothy Fiedor is a senior WordPress and WooCommerce engineer in Athens and the founder of FDesign. She designs, builds and runs production stores end to end, from the UX and the custom plugins to WooCommerce HPOS migrations, ERP and marketplace integrations, and the managed hosting behind them, including PHP-FPM worker tuning and MariaDB upgrades. Since 2020 she has also been the in-house WordPress engineer for a multi-brand supplement e-commerce group.
Her background is in design. She trained in graphic design in Athens and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, produced multilingual publications for EU institutions, and moved to the web in 2015, building WordPress sites, hand-coded HTML email for major brands such as Papastratos and BMW, and Magento front ends for car parts retailers, while growing FDesign alongside. That route from design into engineering is why her work covers the interface, the code and the infrastructure as one job.
BA in Graphic Design, Technological Educational Institute of Athens. Polish native speaker, fluent in Greek and English.
"Excellent team, with the know-how to meet demanding clients' needs. Great support too!"
"Fast, effective cooperation at a reasonable cost."
"Professionalism that isn't a given in this industry. Thank you."
FAQ
Questions about automation builds and integrations
What is an automation build and integration?
It is a fixed-scope project that takes one job people do by hand and gives it to software, then wires it into the systems around it: the e-shop, the ERP, the marketplaces, the courier, spreadsheets and invoicing. The result runs on its own, checks itself as it goes, and is handed over with its code and documentation.
How much does it cost to connect an e-shop with an ERP?
A single flow in one direction starts at €790. A two-way connection with marketplace, courier or invoicing legs starts at €1,590, and a build involving an AI step or a system with no proper API starts at €2,400. All prices exclude VAT, and the figure in your offer is fixed before the work starts.
How long does a build take?
Usually 2 to 4 weeks for a single workflow, and from 4 weeks for a multi-step one, counted from the day the scope is accepted and the access to the systems is in place. A build with an AI step or a system without an API gets a date in the offer rather than an estimate over the phone.
Do I own the code?
Yes. The code, the documentation and every account it uses are yours, and they are handed over at the end of the project. Any developer can pick the work up from there, which is the point of writing it down.
Where does the automation run?
In your own environment: inside the hosting your site already uses, or on a small server and the platform subscriptions that you own. Nothing depends on my infrastructure, and if you stop working with me, everything keeps running.
What happens if it breaks after go-live?
For thirty days after go-live, anything that does not behave the way the scope describes is fixed at no charge. After that, changes and fixes are either by the hour or on a monthly plan that watches the automation for you. Neither is required, because the build and its documentation are yours.
Is a ready-made connector cheaper than a build?
Often yes, when your case matches what the product assumes: plain products, one shop, one direction. It costs a setup fee and then a licence for as long as you use it. A build costs more once and nothing after that, and it covers the parts a product cannot reach, such as your own pricing rules, marketplace legs or an invoice route. If a connector fits your case, the call will tell you so.
Are there running costs besides the build?
Sometimes a few small ones, always in your name: an automation platform if the job needs one, a small server if it does not run inside your site, and an e-invoicing provider if the automation issues documents. Together they usually stay under €50 a month for a single workflow, and each line is named with real figures in the offer.
Can you send invoices from WooCommerce to an e-invoicing provider?
Usually yes. Invoice data that already exists in the shop or the ERP is sent to a certified provider or to the free AADE applications, in the format they expect, with the failures visible instead of silent. The route has to be declared, and an ERP on its own does not count as one. Your accountant confirms the tax side.
Will the automation create duplicate orders or lose one?
Each record carries its own key, so the same order arriving twice is recognised and blocked rather than entered again. A step that fails is retried, and anything that still cannot pass is held in a queue with an email, so a missing order is visible the same day instead of a week later.
How is this different from Business Process Automation?
An automation build starts from a job you have already identified and delivers it. Business process automation starts earlier, with the whole process mapped and redesigned before anything is built, and it usually ends with several automations and a plan for the rest. The build is the right size when you already know what should be connected.
What if my ERP or supplier system has no API?
There is almost always another way in: a file drop, a database view, a scheduled export, or software that operates the screens the way a person would. Those builds sit in the custom tier because they need more testing and more care when the other side changes.
What do you need from me?
Access to a copy of the site and a test account of the other system, a person who knows how the job is done today, and a few real examples of it, such as three orders that behaved differently. Most builds need two or three hours of your team's time in total.
What happens to my customers' data?
It moves between your own systems and nowhere else. Nothing is copied to a service of mine, the keys stay in your accounts, and requests from customers to see or delete their data are part of the scope when the build touches personal data.
Do you work with businesses outside Greece?
Yes. Builds run remotely, in Greek or English, for businesses in Greece, Cyprus and any other country, with the handover and the documentation done the same way. Businesses elsewhere in the EU with a VAT number are invoiced under the reverse charge, so no Greek VAT is added.
Tell me what is being retyped, and get a fixed price
Describe the job in a few lines and name the systems involved. You get back either a fixed offer, or a straight answer that a product already does it and a build would be a waste.
It helps to say which systems are involved, how many orders or documents a day go through the job, and what happens today when something goes wrong.
Fixed price agreed before the work starts. Thirty days of fixes after go-live. The code is yours.