The Agency AI Infrastructure Playbook

From 5 Hours to 15 Minutes: Client Reporting

What We Built

A system that pulls client data from all sources automatically, stores it in a unified database, analyzes week-over-week changes, and pre-writes personalized email reports. Your team reviews, edits if needed, and clicks send.

Time reduction: 4+ hours per client → 15 minutes of review

Technical Overview

Tools Used

The Approach

If you want to build something similar, here's the general approach:

1. Map your data sources. List every platform you currently pull reporting data from. For most SEO agencies: Google Analytics, Search Console, rank tracker, project management tool.
2. Create a unified client database. Each client gets a record. Each record stores their API connections and historical data.
3. Build the data pull workflow. A scheduled workflow runs weekly, connects to each data source via API, pulls relevant metrics, writes them to your database.
4. Create the AI analysis layer. Feed the pulled data into Claude with a prompt that compares this week to last week, identifies wins, flags concerns, and writes a summary.
5. Set up email drafts. Have the workflow create a Gmail draft - not send automatically. Keeps humans in the loop for review.
6. Add error handling. APIs fail. Accounts disconnect. Build in notifications when pulls fail so nothing slips through.

The first build takes 15-20 hours. After that, it runs on its own.

Real-World Impact

• • 50+ hours saved per month across a 20-client roster
• • Client retention increased by 3+ months average - consistent communication builds trust
• • CSMs handle 3x more clients without burning out on report writing

Zero-Touch Client Onboarding

What We Built

A system that triggers the moment a client signs. Folders auto-generate. Project boards populate with templated tasks. Intake forms send with follow-up sequences. Kickoff gets scheduled automatically.

Humans do the kickoff and strategy. Everything else runs without them.

Time reduction: 8-15 hours → under 1 hour of human touchpoints

Technical Overview

Tools Used

The Approach

1. Document your current onboarding steps. Write down every single thing that happens between "client signs" and "work begins." Most agencies discover 15-25 discrete steps.
2. Identify what requires human judgment. Usually it's the kickoff call, reviewing intake responses, and strategic planning. Everything else is procedural.
3. Create templates for the procedural work. Folder structures. Project board templates. Email sequences. These become the building blocks.
4. Build the trigger. When a deal moves to "Closed Won" in your CRM (or payment is received), the workflow fires.
5. Chain the automations. Each step triggers the next. Folder created → project board created → intake form sent → Slack channel created → team notified.
6. Add the human checkpoints. Intake form submitted → notify team to review. Kickoff scheduled → notify team to prepare.

Build time: 20-30 hours for the initial system. Saves 10+ hours per new client after that.

Real-World Impact

• • 10+ hours saved per new client onboarded
• • Time to first deliverable reduced from 5-7 days to 1-2 days
• • Zero steps forgotten - the system doesn't forget
• • Clients start receiving value faster - better first impression

30 Days of SEO Work - Delivered Day One

What We Built

A system that runs competitor analysis, keyword research, backlink prospecting, GBP post generation, and content briefs - automatically. Weeks of deliverables ready before the client's first check-in call.

Time reduction: 30-50 hours → delivered in minutes

Technical Overview

Tools Used

The Approach

1. Standardize your SEO deliverables. What do you deliver to every client in the first 30 days? Keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink list, GBP posts, content briefs - define the package.
2. Map the data inputs. What information do you need to generate each deliverable? Usually: client URL, target locations, primary keywords, competitor domains.
3. Connect to your SEO tools via API. Ahrefs and SEMrush both have APIs. Pull keyword data, backlink profiles, and competitor analysis programmatically.
4. Build the generation logic. Feed the pulled data into Claude with prompts designed to output each deliverable type. GBP posts, meta descriptions, content briefs - each gets a specific prompt.
5. Create output destinations. Deliverables go somewhere the client can access - Google Sheets, a client portal, or directly into your project management tool.

Build time: 40-60 hours for a comprehensive system. But once built, it runs for every client.

Real-World Impact

• • Clients see progress before their first check-in call
• • Capacity to onboard 2-3x more clients per month without adding headcount
• • Standardized deliverable quality - no more variance between team members
• • 20% increase in referrals from faster, more impressive starts

5 Minute SEO Websites

What We Built

A system that takes a client intake form, applies your existing templates, generates SEO-optimized content for every page, and provisions a fully-built WordPress site. Post-launch changes happen through a conversational AI agent - no backend access needed.

Time reduction: 40+ hours → under 5 minutes

Technical Overview

Tools Used

The Approach

1. Create your mega-template. Build one WordPress site with every page type you commonly use: homepage, about, contact, service pages, location pages. Use Elementor global widgets for elements that repeat.
2. Map your custom fields. Identify what changes per client: logo, colors, business name, service descriptions, location details. These become form fields.
3. Build the intake form. Collect everything needed to populate the template. Structure it so AI can parse the responses.
4. Connect content generation. Claude takes intake responses and generates page content following your templates and brand guidelines.
5. Automate the provisioning. Cloudways API clones your template site. WordPress REST API populates pages with generated content. DNS configuration completes the deployment.
6. Add the change agent. A Custom GPT connected to the WordPress API allows post-launch edits through conversation rather than backend access.

Build time: 60-80 hours for a production-ready system. Saves 35+ hours per site after that.

Real-World Impact

• • Sites delivered same-day instead of 4-6 weeks
• • $3,000+/month saved on fulfillment payroll
• • Zero change request bottlenecks - clients can request updates through AI agent
• • Capacity to onboard 6+ additional clients per month without hiring

Custom AI Infrastructure For Agencies

What We Build

Custom AI infrastructure designed around your existing tools and workflows. Not a new platform to learn - an automation layer that connects what you already use and eliminates the manual work between systems.

How It Works

Examples of Custom Builds

• • Proposal generator - intake form triggers AI-written proposal with your pricing, case studies, and terms auto-populated
• • Lead qualification system - new leads scored and routed based on criteria you define
• • Client communication hub - unified inbox pulling from email, Slack, and project management comments
• • Custom reporting formats - reports tailored to specific client requirements or niches
• • Internal knowledge base - AI-searchable archive of your SOPs, past projects, and documentation

The Approach (If You Want to Build Custom)

1. Document the workflow as it exists today. Every step. Every tool. Every handoff. Map it completely.
2. Identify the manual translation points. Where does a human copy data from one place to another? Where does someone make a decision that follows a consistent pattern?
3. Determine if APIs exist. Check if the tools involved have API access. Most modern SaaS tools do.
4. Scope the automation. Start with the highest-impact, most-repetitive bottleneck. Don't try to automate everything at once.
5. Build incrementally. Get one workflow running reliably before adding complexity.
6. Plan for maintenance. APIs change. Tools update. Build in monitoring so you know when something breaks.

Custom builds vary from 10 hours (simple integrations) to 100+ hours (complex multi-system workflows).

Real-World Impact

• • Varies by project - typically 10-30 hours/week recovered
• • Systems built on your existing stack - no new tools to learn
• • You own the infrastructure - it runs in your environment
• • Scales with your business - built to handle growth

What This Means At Scale

When these systems run together, the math changes.

Implementation Options

Two paths from here.

References & Resources