PROPOSAL · RL360-2026-001 · MAY 11, 2026

Customer Service & Operations Automation for Redline360.com

An AI-led, phased build to eliminate manual ticket filtering, automate vendor tracking, and unify Shopify + Zendesk operations — without scaling your headcount.

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$9,750
Total Project
85–92%
Savings vs Other Agencies
12 wks
Full Delivery
~2 mo
Payback Period
01 · Executive Summary

The 60-second version

Redline360 ships 300+ orders a day across 270 brands with a 5-person support team. Right now, one to three of those people spend the bulk of their day manually filtering tickets and copying tracking numbers from vendor emails into Shopify — work an automation should handle.

ScalePlus proposes a phased, AI-led build that replaces the manual filter layer with a unified system connecting Shopify, Zendesk, an AI chatbot, and a custom Python tracking app — orchestrated through a lightweight CRM hub that becomes your operations command center.

◆ The Pilot-First Promise

We don't ask you to commit blind. We start with a paid pilot (Phase 0) — a working tracking-automation Python app for your largest manual-tracking brand.

If the pilot doesn't perform as scoped, you owe nothing. No retainer, no commitment, no risk.

Only after Phase 0 is approved do we move into Phases 1–3.

The headline numbers

Item ScalePlus Other Agencies Your Savings
Phase 0 — Pilot (tracking app)$1,250$8,000 – $15,00084 – 92%
Phase 1 — AI Chatbot + Smart Routing$2,750$20,000 – $35,00086 – 92%
Phase 2 — Unified CRM Dashboard$3,750$25,000 – $50,00085 – 93%
Phase 3 — Shopify Tagging & Workflows$2,000$12,000 – $20,00083 – 90%
TOTAL PROJECT (Phase 0–3)$9,750$65,000 – $120,00085 – 92%
02 · Discovery Recap

What we heard on the call

Every cost, phase, and decision in this proposal traces back to something you said in our May 7 discovery call. If anything below is wrong, flag it before we move forward.

In your words

Lack of automation is really slowing us down and getting our ability to scale.— Matt, May 7
We have five people in support… one person is in charge of filtering and assigning tickets.— Matt, May 7
We obviously are budget conscious. We don't really know what to expect.— Matt, May 7
It would be great to lay out some pricing… see some phases and kind of go from there.— Matt, May 7

The vendor tracking problem

You called out one specific, high-volume pain point: one of your biggest brands is "behind in technology" and sends tracking using customer names instead of order numbers. Your support team manually opens each ticket, matches the customer in Shopify, and pastes the tracking number into the order. At 300+ orders a day, this is a meaningful share of one person's time.

This is the ideal pilot. It's a narrow, well-defined automation that proves the model before we expand.

03 · The Cost of Doing Nothing

Quantifying the manual filter

Before we talk about the cost of the build, here's what the current process is costing in raw labor. Numbers below assume offshore / VA support rates ($7–$10/hr) — the cost basis most e-commerce drop-shippers actually run on.

Monthly Labor (Conservative)
$616
1 person × 4 hrs/day × 22 days × $7/hr filtering tickets
Monthly Labor (Realistic)
$5,280
3 people × 8 hrs/day × 22 days × $10/hr at peak
Annual Burn (Realistic)
$63,360
Pure labor on a problem an automation should solve
⚠ The compounding cost

Manual labor scales linearly with order volume. Every 100 additional daily orders adds roughly one-third of an FTE in filtering load.

Automation scales logarithmically. Once the pipes are built, going from 300 to 600 orders/day costs near-zero in additional ops effort.

This is the real reason to do this now — not to reduce today's cost, but to break the link between growth and headcount.

04 · Architecture

The system, end to end

We're not bolting AI onto a broken inbox — we're rebuilding the routing layer so Shopify, Zendesk, and your AI tools all communicate through a single source of truth: a lightweight, custom CRM hub.

Layer 1 · Orders
Shopify
Order capture, inventory, fulfillment, brand-aware tagging.
+ Auto-tagging (Phase 3)
Layer 2 · Logic
Custom CRM Hub
The brain. Routing, tagging, dashboards, vendor scrapers, SLAs.
+ Python tracking app (Phase 0)
Layer 3 · Customer
Zendesk + AI
Ticket handling, AI chatbot for FAQs, agent reply UI.
+ Smart routing (Phase 1)

How it flows

1
A customer places an order on Shopify. Shopify auto-tags it by brand, part type, and regulatory profile.
2
A webhook fires to the CRM hub, which mirrors the order and starts watching for tracking.
3
Your vendor replies with tracking — either cleanly (auto-parsed) or messily (the customer-name brand). The Python tracking app handles the messy ones automatically.
4
Tracking flows back into Shopify, marks the order as fulfilled, and triggers the Shopify customer-update email.
5
If the customer asks a question, the AI chatbot handles the easy 60–70%. Complex tickets get auto-tagged and routed to the right agent in Zendesk.
6
Your team logs into the unified dashboard, not 3 browser tabs. Click-to-reply pipes back to Zendesk.
05 · Phased Implementation

Four phases. Your call on how far we go.

Each phase delivers standalone value. If Phase 0 doesn't earn its keep, we stop. You're never locked into the full $9,750 — you decide phase-by-phase whether the previous one paid for itself.

PHASE 0 The Test Bite — Vendor Tracking Automation $1,250 +
⏱ Duration: 7–10 business days 💸 Risk: Pay only on approval 🚀 Outcome: 1 manual job, eliminated

What we build

A custom Python app that monitors your Zendesk inbox for vendor tracking emails from the "behind-in-tech" brand. It parses customer name + tracking number, matches the customer to a Shopify order, updates tracking in Shopify, marks the ticket resolved, and logs the action to a dashboard.

Why this first

It's the highest-pain, narrowest-scope problem you described. We can prove the whole approach in 7–10 days and prove that ScalePlus delivers. It also stands alone — even if you stop here, you've replaced one person's most painful daily task.

Deliverables & guarantees

  • Python app, deployment, monitoring dashboard, source code repository
  • 95%+ of tracking emails from the target brand auto-processed, with audit log
  • You pay nothing until the pilot is delivered and meets success criteria
  • ~$50/mo in hosting/infrastructure (passed through at cost)
PHASE 1 Zendesk AI Chatbot + Smart Ticket Routing $2,750 +
⏱ Duration: 3 weeks 🤖 Tech: AI/LLM + rules engine 📈 Goal: 60%+ ticket deflection

What we build

(1) An AI chatbot trained on Redline360's FAQ content, shipping policies, brand-specific return rules, and order status data. (2) A smart ticket-routing layer that classifies every incoming ticket as customer support, order update, vendor confirmation, tracking, PO, or back-order — and auto-tags + routes accordingly.

Why this matters

This is what reclaims your 5-person team's time. The chatbot handles the easy 60–70%; the routing layer means humans only see what humans need to see. Vendor noise stops drowning out customer voices.

Deliverables

  • Chatbot (web embed + Zendesk macro), routing rules engine, tag taxonomy
  • 60-day post-launch tuning included
  • ≥95% routing accuracy on tracking/PO/vendor categories
  • Training data review session with your team, escalation paths for sensitive issues
  • Multi-language ready (English first, expandable)
PHASE 2 Unified Operations Dashboard (CRM Hub) $3,750 +
⏱ Duration: 4 weeks 🖥 Stack: React + Python + Postgres 📉 Goal: 25% lower handle time

What we build

A custom internal dashboard that pulls Shopify order data and Zendesk ticket state into a single, filterable view per customer. Click-to-reply triggers a Zendesk message; status updates flow back automatically. Per-team-member views so each role sees only what's theirs.

Why this matters

Right now your team toggles between Shopify, Zendesk, vendor inboxes, and tracking sites. The dashboard collapses all of that into one screen. It's also where all future automations live — the long-term platform for everything you'll build next quarter, next year.

Deliverables

  • Web-based dashboard (hosted), role-based views, integrations
  • Audit log, search/filter, click-to-reply pipeline
  • Industry-standard stack — easy to hire for if you ever take it in-house
  • $30–$80/mo in hosting (passed through at cost)
PHASE 3 Shopify Tagging & Vendor-Specific Workflows $2,000 +
⏱ Duration: 2 weeks 🏷 Scope: 270 brands, codified rules ⚖ Goal: Zero emissions-violation orders

What we build

Automated Shopify tagging by brand, part type, vendor SLA tier, and emissions-regulated status. Brand-specific workflows kick in based on those tags — e.g., a 48-hour SLA warning if a brand-X order hasn't been confirmed by the vendor, or auto-quarantine of emissions-restricted parts that can't ship to certain states.

Why this matters

You said it on the call: Shopify Flow has limits because some brands can't be auto-processed. This phase respects those limits and codifies the rules so they're enforced programmatically, not dependent on a person remembering which brand has which constraint.

Deliverables

  • Tag taxonomy + auto-tagging logic, per-brand workflow rules
  • SLA monitoring, vendor performance dashboard
  • $0 ongoing cost (runs inside Shopify Flow + Phase 2 CRM hub)
PHASE 4+ Optional · Advanced AI & Growth Automations À la carte +

Once the foundation is in place, the marginal cost of new automations drops dramatically. Likely candidates:

  • Multilingual AI chatbot (Spanish first, given US market)
  • SMS / voice channel chatbot for delivery-status questions
  • Predictive vendor SLA alerts — flag risky orders before customers complain
  • Loyalty / rewards integration (see scaleplusrewards.com)
  • Vendor portal for direct order submission
06 · Investment & ROI

What this costs — and what you save

ScalePlus is intentionally positioned at the lowest competitive end of the qualified market — senior-led work without the agency overhead. Below is the price, the comparison, and an interactive ROI tool.

Monthly retainer (optional, post-launch)

Month-to-month after a 90-day stabilization period. You can also self-host with zero ongoing retainer — the code is yours.

Care
$650 /mo
Other agencies: $5K–$7K
  • Hosting, monitoring, uptime SLA
  • Bug fixes
  • Monthly tuning
  • Monthly health report
Growth
$1,000 /mo
Other agencies: $7K–$9K
  • Everything in Care
  • + 10 hrs/mo enhancements
  • + Quarterly roadmap review
  • Priority response
Scale
$1,750 /mo
Other agencies: $9K–$12K
  • Everything in Growth
  • + 25 hrs/mo
  • + Dedicated PM
  • + New-phase scoping
◆ Positioning, plainly

Our hourly equivalent rate works out to ~$32–$48/hr. Most AI automation agencies average $150–$300/hr (per 2026 industry benchmarks).

We are not the cheapest race-to-the-bottom shop, and we are not the most expensive specialist firm ($250–$450/hr). We are the price point where you get senior-led work without paying for a downtown office.

Interactive ROI snapshot

Slide to estimate how many FTE-equivalent hours per day your team currently burns on manual filtering and tracking work.

Light: 1 person × 4 hrs Currently: 3 person × 8 hrs/day Heavy: 3 person × 8 hrs
Annual labor saved
$63,360
Payback period
1.8 months
3-year net
$172,530

3-yr net = annual savings × 3 − build cost ($9,750) − Care retainer for year 1 ($7,800)

07 · Why ScalePlus

Live work you can verify

Founder-led AI systems studio. Ian leads strategy, scoping, project management, and delivery oversight personally. Manila-based delivery team. Here's where you can see our fingerprints.

Our Platform
scaleplus.io →
Our flagship — the operations platform we built for ourselves, now used by clients. AI automation playbooks, custom dashboards, workflow engines.
Ian's role: Founder
Custom Software
scaleplusrewards.com →
A custom rewards SaaS we built end-to-end — auth, payments, loyalty mechanics, admin dashboards. Same stack class we'll use for your CRM hub.
Ian's role: Founder & architect
Active Client
AvaniaClinical.com →
Avania is a global clinical research organization in pharma. We run their sales and marketing lead automations — outreach, qualification, pipeline ops.
Ian's role: Automation lead
Embedded Role
BotBuilders.com →
Ian serves as Head of Customer Support at BotBuilders, where he runs customer-service chatbot deployments at scale. Directly relevant for your Phase 1.
Ian's role: Head of Customer Support

Your team on this engagement

Engagement Lead · Project Manager · Delivery Oversight
Ian James
Founder of ScalePlus and Head of Customer Support at BotBuilders. Ian fills three roles on this engagement: strategy lead (scoping, architecture, executive comms), project manager (day-to-day delivery, sprint planning, status reporting), and delivery overseer (code review, quality gates). You work with the founder, not a layered account team.
Reporting cadence: Weekly Friday status update, weekly 30-min sync, real-time Slack/Teams channel.
Build Team
2–4 engineers
Senior Python, Node, React engineers. AI/LLM specialist for Phase 1. All in-house Manila-based — no subcontracting.
Hours: Overlap with US business hours
QA & Documentation
Embedded
Every phase ships with documentation, runbooks, and a video walkthrough so your team can run the system without us.
Output: Owned by Redline360, perpetually
08 · Risk Mitigation

How we de-risk this for you

You said it on the call: "we're kind of new to this, we don't really know what to expect, we're budget conscious." The structure below is designed around that reality.

RISK 01

Pilot-first, refund-backed Phase 0

You don't pay for Phase 0 until it's delivered and meets the success criteria documented in the SOW. If it falls short, you owe nothing.

RISK 02

Phase-by-phase commitment

Each phase is its own SOW. You can stop after any phase without penalty. You're never locked into the full $9,750 on day one.

RISK 03

Code ownership & escrow

All source code is yours, licensed perpetually. Git repository you own from day one. Source code escrow available on request.

RISK 04

Month-to-month retainer

After 90-day stabilization, retainer is month-to-month with 30 days' notice. You can also choose to self-host with zero ongoing retainer.

RISK 05

NDA before sensitive data

We sign your standard NDA before any onboarding session. No production data or vendor agreements touched until paperwork is in place.

RISK 06

Documented everything

Every automation comes with one-pager + technical README + runbook + video walkthrough. Hand the system to any competent dev — it runs.

RISK 07

Pause clause

Any phase can be paused mid-build at no penalty (you pay for work delivered to that point). Useful if priorities shift.

RISK 08

90-day warranty

Delivered code is warranted free of defects for 90 days post-launch. Bug fixes during this period are free.

09 · Timeline

From signature to launch

Assuming Phase 0 SOW is signed by mid-May 2026, here's the realistic delivery calendar. Dates are working days; the Manila team and the US team overlap by design.

WeekCalendarPhaseMilestone
0May 12–16KickoffSigned SOW, access provisioned, kickoff call, Phase 0 build starts.
1–2May 17–30Phase 0 — PilotVendor-tracking app delivered, demoed, signed off. First invoice ($1,250) on approval.
3–5May 31 – Jun 20Phase 1 — AI LayerChatbot live, routing & tagging active in Zendesk, 30-day deflection benchmark begins.
6–9Jun 21 – Jul 18Phase 2 — DashboardUnified CRM hub launched, role-based views configured, team training delivered.
10–11Jul 19 – Aug 1Phase 3 — WorkflowsShopify tagging live, brand-specific workflows configured, SLA monitoring enabled.
12Aug 2–8HandoverDocumentation handover, retainer begins (or self-host transition completes).
13–24Aug – OctStabilization90-day post-launch period — all bug fixes & tuning included free with any retainer tier.
10 · Terms

Commercial terms

Tap any row to expand. Anything you want changed before signing? Note it on the signature form below — we'll redline before SOW.

Payment schedule

▾
  • Phase 0: $1,250, billed only on delivery & approval. Net 14.
  • Phase 1 ($2,750): 50% on kickoff, 50% on delivery. Net 14.
  • Phase 2 ($3,750): 40% on kickoff, 30% at midpoint demo, 30% on delivery. Net 14.
  • Phase 3 ($2,000): 50% on kickoff, 50% on delivery. Net 14.
  • Monthly retainer: billed in advance on the 1st of each month.

What's included in fixed fees

▾
  • All discovery, design, build, testing, deployment, and documentation for the phase
  • Up to 2 rounds of revisions per phase against the agreed scope
  • Post-launch bug fixes for 90 days at no charge
  • Training for up to 5 of your team members (recorded for future hires)

What's not included

▾
  • Third-party software subscriptions (Zendesk, Shopify, AI API costs — passed through at cost)
  • Hosting costs (~$50–$150/mo combined — passed through at cost)
  • Scope additions beyond the agreed phase — go through a written change-order process
  • Automation for vendors with hard regulatory restrictions where automation is technically infeasible

Intellectual property

▾

All custom code, configurations, dashboards, and documentation produced specifically for Redline360 are assigned to Redline360 upon final payment of the relevant phase. We retain rights to general-purpose libraries and frameworks we've built previously and to anonymized learnings — but nothing identifying or specific to your operation.

Warranty & termination

▾

Delivered code is warranted free from defects for 90 days post-launch. Bug fixes during this period are free. Either party may terminate any unstarted phase with 7 days' written notice. Phases in progress complete to the next milestone, payment is prorated, deliverables to date are handed over.

Confidentiality

▾

ScalePlus will sign your standard NDA before any kickoff. We will treat customer data, vendor pricing, and internal processes as confidential indefinitely, including after engagement end.

11 · Acceptance

Sign to start Phase 0

Signing below authorizes this proposal as the master agreement and signals you want to proceed to Phase 0. We'll send the short SOW for countersignature within 24 hours. You owe nothing until Phase 0 is delivered and approved.

Your details

Pre-filled from our discovery call — edit anything that's off.

× Sign here — mouse, trackpad, or finger
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Signed. We're on it.

Your acceptance has been recorded and Ian will reach out within 24 business hours with the Phase 0 SOW. A confirmation copy has been logged in the ScalePlus CRM.

Reference: RL360-2026-001
Signed at: —
Signed by: —
Contact ID: —
✕

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