Frequently asked questions

The initial consultation lasts 30 minutes. The subsequent assessment of the current situation and the implementation plan will depend on the scope of the project and will be assessed during the initial consultation.

Yes, it can be subsidised through INQA coaching (up to 80 per cent) or the BAFA consultancy grant — depending on your business’s circumstances.

No. The implementation plan is yours. You decide whether to implement it and, if so, with whom.

Either on site in Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, or remotely, as required.

No, automation links your existing programmes.

Your team will be notified automatically, rather than only realising the error later.

Yes, workflows can be viewed and can be customised or extended.

Yes, usually via the same programmes as the AI consultation — we’ll look into that during the initial consultation.

Whether for teams with no prior knowledge or for those already using basic AI tools — the content is tailored to their level of expertise.

This depends on the topic and the number of participants and will be determined during the needs assessment.

Either on site in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or remotely, as required.

You may be eligible for INQA coaching — we’ll assess this during the initial consultation.

With twelve consulting days at the maximum rate of €1,200 net, the fee amounts to €14,400. Of this, 80% is subsidized (€11,520), leaving your own contribution at €2,880. With fewer days, this decreases accordingly; with eight days, for example, to about €1,920.

SMEs with fewer than 250 employees and annual revenue of no more than €50 million, established on the market for at least two years, with at least one full-time position subject to social security contributions and based in Germany. Freelancers and non-profit organizations are also eligible to apply. Anyone who has already participated is excluded.

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus). The grant covers 80% of the eligible fee; the company bears 20%.

Yes. The funding follows the reimbursement principle: you first pay for the coaching in full and receive the grant reimbursed after the coaching has been completed and the documents have been reviewed.

A consultant authorized for the INQA-Coaching program. Only authorized coaches may conduct subsidized coaching; authorization is granted by the program's central coordinating body.

About the INQA coaches map on inqa.de. The INQA advisory center issues you the coaching voucher, but may not recommend any specific coach – you make the selection yourself.

Personnel policy and work-organizational changes associated with digital transformation in the company – for example the introduction of AI, new processes, collaboration, or securing skilled workers. The advisory center records the need for action in the coaching voucher.

According to the guideline, coaching vouchers will be issued from 12 June 2026 to 30 June 2028; the coaching must be completed by 31 December 2028.

It involves several steps – initial consultation at the INQA advisory center, coaching voucher, coaching, billing. The advisory center supports you with all administrative steps, while we as coaches support you with everything related to the coaching itself.

Yes, INQA-Coaching is a nationwide program with a uniform funding rate of 80% everywhere. We are based in Schwerin; we support companies throughout Germany, on site or partly digitally.

According to the guideline of 12 June 2026 (BAnz AT 22.06.2026 B2), which is valid until 31/12/2029, coaching vouchers will be issued until 30 June 2028. Each coaching session must be completed within seven months after the voucher is issued and no later than 31 December 2028.

A BAFA consulting service is business consulting whose fee is subsidized by the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA). The requirements are a consultant registered with BAFA, an individual consultation of no more than five days, and a written consulting report.

In the new federal states as well as in the Lüneburg and Trier regions, 80% of the consulting costs; in the old federal states as well as in Berlin and the Leipzig region, 50%. The location of the advised business establishment is decisive.

Consulting costs of up to €3,500 net are eligible for funding. This results in a maximum grant of €2,800 (80%) or €1,750 (50%) per consultation. Over the term, up to five consultations are possible, with a maximum of two per year.

The current guideline applies to applications submitted by 31 December 2026. The consulting itself may still take place after that; the proof of use is due no later than six months after the information letter. A successor program has not yet been announced (as of September 2026).

Yes — and in fact, it must be: the applicant is always the company receiving the consulting. The application is submitted online via the BAFA application platform to a lead office. The consultant may support this process, but does not submit the application in their own name.

Excluded are, among others, consulting firms, tax advisors, lawyers and auditors, companies in insolvency, non-profit organizations, associations and foundations, as well as companies with public-sector participation or participation by religious communities. Businesses above the SME threshold (250 employees, €50 million in revenue) are also not eligible to apply.

No. The consultation may only begin after receipt of the information letter from the central office. Signing the consulting agreement already counts as the start.

Up to five consultations during the term of the guideline, but no more than two per year. The date of application is decisive.

Yes. You first pay the invoice in full by bank transfer and provide proof of payment with the bank statement. The grant is paid out to your company after the proof of use has been reviewed.

Consulting on where and how AI can be used sensibly in the company is a matter of corporate management and is therefore eligible for funding. Software, licenses and technical implementation are not subsidized.

A management consultant registered with BAFA for the “Funding for Management Consulting for SMEs” program. Only consulting services provided by registered consultants are subsidized. bettersorted is registered with BAFA, with a focus on digitalization and AI.

Individual consulting on economic, financial, personnel and organizational management issues – such as digitalization, the use of AI, securing skilled workers, or succession. Workshops, seminars and implementation itself are excluded. By contrast, longer-term, guided coaching supports INQA-Coaching.

The programme has been extended several times in the past and has been suspended at times. Please check the current status directly with TBI Technologie-Beratungs-Institut GmbH before submitting a project outline — we are here to help.

SMEs in the manufacturing, skilled trades or tourism sectors with fewer than 100 employees and a place of business in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Two-stage process: first, a project outline for preliminary assessment, followed by the formal funding application via the TBI.

Up to 50 per cent of eligible costs as a non-repayable grant — the exact amount depends on the current call for applications.

Yes. Many modules, such as the telephone assistant, can be booked individually and are well worth it even for small teams without a permanent administrative assistant.

No, the automation integrates with your existing programmes.

Via call forwarding to your existing number, without the need for new hardware.

Depending on their size, craft businesses can make use of INQA coaching, BAFA consultancy grants and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern digitalisation grant — we’ll look into this during the initial consultation.

Yes, the data is processed on servers in Germany under a data processing agreement (DPA) in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR.

No, he takes calls and passes them on — urgent or sensitive matters are still forwarded to your team.

Yes, the modules can be booked individually and used to suit the size of the support structure.

An initial project with a social services organisation to automate telephone services is currently underway — we will publish detailed key figures as soon as they are available.

Yes, the requirement is that data is processed on servers in Germany in accordance with the AVV under Article 28 of the GDPR — this applies to all bettersorted modules.

Yes, automaisa Hub allows you to manage multiple modules and access points centrally.

With a free AI consultation, during which we’ll review your processes and explore suitable funding options.

No, the data is processed exclusively on servers in Germany and is not passed on for advertising purposes.

With an AI chatbot on the website and an AI phone assistant that answer recurring questions from verified administrative content and pass everything else on in a structured way to the responsible office.

No. The AI answers questions and prepares processes. Decisions and discretionary rulings remain with the caseworkers.

Yes. Under the EU AI Act, people must be able to recognize that they are interacting with an AI system. Clear labeling in the chat window and an announcement on the phone satisfy this requirement.

Data processing takes place exclusively on servers in Germany under a data processing agreement (DPA) in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR; no data is passed on to third parties.

During the initial consultation, we will assess whether integration with standard law firm software is possible, depending on the available interfaces.

This depends on the volume of calls and will be assessed during the initial consultation based on your law firm.

Yes, through INQA coaching or the BAFA consultancy grant, depending on your practice’s circumstances.

The telephone assistant answers calls even outside of office hours, rather than letting them go to voicemail — we’ll discuss the impact this will have on your business during our initial consultation.

Yes, the languages are configured as required.

No, the automation integrates with your existing programmes.

The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Digitalisation Support Scheme is aimed, amongst other things, at businesses in the tourism sector — we will check current availability with you.

Yes, the modules can be booked individually – for example, just the telephone assistant for booking appointments.

No, the automation integrates with your existing programmes.

Via call forwarding to your existing number, without the need for new hardware.

Depending on the size and location of your business, you may be eligible for INQA coaching, BAFA consultancy grants or the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern digitalisation grant.

Yes. The modules can be introduced individually — one use case at a time, with others following the same pattern, regardless of the size of the company.

Data processing takes place on servers in Germany. A data processing agreement (DPA) is concluded with each customer in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR.

No. automaisa Hub complements existing systems and connects them, rather than replacing them.

Following a free initial consultation, we work together to identify the first specific use case — usually the task that takes up the most time in day-to-day operations.

Yes. Even a single digitised application process or an automated data export can significantly reduce the administrative burden — regardless of the size of the organisation.

The processes are designed with data protection and compliance in mind, including seamless interfaces with existing management systems.

No. As a rule, the existing software is integrated via an interface – for example, through automated data export – rather than being replaced.

The first step is a business process analysis of the existing workflows; building on this, the process design, interfaces and data protection requirements are developed jointly.

Yes. In smaller teams in particular, an AI telephone assistant makes a real difference in reducing the workload on staff, as recurring enquiries no longer need to be dealt with manually, whilst ensuring that someone is always available.

Following a brief needs analysis, bettersorted designs the chatbot to handle the business’s typical customer enquiries and sets it up technically — usually straightforwardly and without a long lead time.

That depends on the specific requirements. bettersorted works with the management team to assess which tools for content creation or process automation actually offer added value, rather than recommending one-size-fits-all solutions.

These include a centralised, sales-optimised website, a social media strategy tailored to specific target groups, and a plan for the targeted use of AI in day-to-day business operations.

automaisa Hub is the platform on which bettersorted’s automations run for customers and are centrally monitored.

No. You can book individual modules and add more later without having to switch platforms.

On servers in Germany, in accordance with the AVV pursuant to Article 28 of the GDPR.

Yes. Rather than making a guess, he will hand the conversation over to your team if there is no suitable answer in the approved content.

No, it is integrated via a script snippet into the existing website.

This can be added as an additional workflow, but it is not a standard feature.

They are processed on servers in Germany and are not passed on to third parties for advertising purposes.

No, this is set up via call forwarding to your existing business number.

The call will be put through to your team in accordance with the rules you have set.

Transcripts are created for record-keeping purposes and deleted after specified periods.

Yes, the forwarding rules will be agreed with you.

Software that answers calls in natural language, understands the request and records it in a structured way, answers standard questions and forwards the call to the responsible person – around the clock and via your existing phone number.

Yes, if processing, retention periods, and contracts are in order. Our phone assistant processes data on servers in Germany, with a data processing agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR and deletion of transcripts after defined retention periods. Callers are informed that they are speaking with an AI.

Consulting and guided implementation, yes: nationwide via INQA-Coaching with 80% or via BAFA consulting funding (applications until 31.12.2026). The software itself is not subsidized.

Generally speaking, any system with an open interface (API) or email connection — this will be checked during the initial consultation.

The affected workflow will terminate in a controlled manner and your team will be notified.

No, automation links your existing programmes.

That depends on the number of systems connected and will be assessed during the initial consultation.

Setting up recurring processes so they run without manual intermediate steps — usually by connecting existing programs through workflows and allowing data to flow automatically from one system to the next.

Processes that occur frequently, follow clear rules, take up a lot of time, and work with digital data – for example inquiries, incoming invoices, quotations, or data transfer between programs.

The preliminary consulting and guided implementation are eligible for funding: through BAFA consulting grants (applications until 31.12.2026) or nationwide at 80% through INQA-Coaching. The technical implementation itself is not subsidized.

Common file formats such as PDF and Word; others will be assessed during the initial consultation.

No, only answers from documents for which you already have access rights are displayed.

A process in which the language model first searches for relevant passages in your documents and bases its response solely on these, rather than responding freely.

New or amended documents are automatically re-imported, ensuring that the search results reflect the latest status.

A search that understands questions in natural language and compiles the answer directly from your own documents – with a reference to the source location, instead of just providing a list of files.

Classic search finds exact words in file names and texts. AI document search understands the meaning of a question, also finds relevant passages that use different terms, and formulates an answer with source references.

The risk is low because the language model responds only on the basis of the text passages it finds and names the source. If nothing suitable is found, the system says so. The source reference allows verification at any time.

Simple automation follows fixed if-then rules. An AI agent plans the necessary steps itself and adapts as the situation changes.

Within clearly defined limits, yes. In cases of uncertainty or where the implications are significant, the agent escalates the matter to the team rather than making a decision themselves.

Following a free initial consultation, a specific use case is defined and the agent is tailored to it — the effort involved depends on the complexity of the task.

No. The agent takes on recurring, clearly defined tasks, thereby freeing up time for tasks that require genuine judgement.