When Make fits
- One process has several branches, loops or lookups.
- Your team likes to see the whole flow on one canvas.
- You need custom API calls next to the ready-made app modules.
Helpdesk automation
Make automation for helpdesks and support teams
Smart Instinct is a helpdesk implementation and AI agent setup agency. We build Make scenarios that link your help desk to the rest of your tools. You keep your own Make account. We plan each scenario, build it, add error handling and write it down for your team.
One scenario can branch, loop and pass a ticket through several apps. We audit for $750 and build at $3,750, $10,500 or $17,500, fixed before we start.
Scope
What we build in Make
Make suits support work with more than one path: a ticket that needs a lookup, a decision and a write back to two systems. The canvas shows every branch, which helps until nobody remembers why a branch exists. We build it so the next person can read it.
- Scenarios that start from your help desk, for example Make's Zendesk modules Watch Tickets in a View, Create a Ticket and Update a Ticket.
- Routers with filters, so one scenario sends refunds, bugs and sales questions down different routes, with a fallback route for anything that matches none.
- Webhooks for instant starts, so a scenario runs as soon as your help desk or form sends the request.
- Data stores for small lookups that several scenarios share, such as a list of VIP accounts.
- Error handlers on every step that can fail, and incomplete executions switched on so failed runs can be retried.
- Make AI Agents inside a scenario where a judgment step helps, on paid plans, with a person still owning refunds and promises.
How it works
How Make work runs, and what it costs to run
Make bills in credits. Each action a scenario performs uses credits, and most actions use one. A scenario that fires on every ticket update and then touches four apps uses credits on each of those steps, every time. The Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month; paid plans are listed on Make's pricing page.
So we filter early, before the steps that cost credits, and we model the monthly volume with you before you pick a plan. Your Make plan is billed by Make. Our price covers our build only.
When Zapier fits
- Your automations are mostly simple, one path from trigger to action.
- Your team already runs Zapier and knows it well.
- You want a Zapier Solution Partner. See our Zapier work.
Fit
Who should hire us for Make work, and who should not
Best for
- Your support process crosses three or more tools and someone moves the data by hand.
- You run Make already and the scenarios grew faster than the documentation.
- You want failed runs caught and retried, not found by a customer.
- You want a fixed price and a documented handoff.
- Someone internal will own the scenarios afterward.
Not a fit if
- Your help desk already has a native integration that does the job. We will say so and not build it.
- You need a Make partner for licensing or plan pricing. We do not hold a Make partner title.
- You need agent staffing or BPO.
- Your budget is under $750, which is the audit floor.
Moving help desks at the same time? See helpdesk migrations, or let the $750 audit map what to automate first.
Book a free 15-minute callWhat our work costs
Make automation pricing
The same numbers as every other page on this site. Pricing does not vary by platform. These are our fees, separate from your Make plan, which you pay Make for directly. The Fix List Audit is $750, one help desk plus your phone or AI stack, 5 business days, paid upfront.
Essential
$3,750
- Up to 33 hours
- 2 to 4 weeks
One help desk, up to two brands, and your key tools connected, no migration.
Professional
$10,500
- Up to 90 hours
- 3 to 5 weeks
One help desk plus one connected phone, CRM or AI platform, up to two brands, routing for every channel, your tool stack connected, and custom dashboards.
Premium
$17,500
- Up to 150 hours
- 4 to 6 weeks
One help desk plus one connected platform and up to four brands. A connected platform is a phone, CRM or AI product added to your help desk.
Retainers are $1,000, $2,400 or $4,600 a month. Migrations start at $3,500, fixed before we start. Enterprise starts at $25,000, fixed before we start. Each tier is a fixed price for the scope limits listed. Essential, Professional and Premium include up to 33, 90 and 150 hours, good for 90 days from kickoff, and nothing past that is billed without your OK. Your key tools connected, within your included hours. Past a limit: $3,000 per brand, $4,500 per platform. Historical migration is never part of a build tier. It starts at $3,500, fixed before we start. See all pricing.
FAQ
Make questions we get on the call
Do we need a Make account first?
Yes. You hold the Make account and pay Make for your plan. We build and document the scenarios inside it, so nothing is locked to us when the work ends.
Are you a Make partner?
No. We hold no Make partner title. This is delivery work for teams that run their own Make account, at the same fixed prices as every other platform we build on.
How does Make bill for a scenario?
In credits. Each action a scenario performs uses credits, and most actions use one. The Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month. Check Make's pricing page for current plans and rates, because that is the number your bill follows.
What happens when a scenario fails?
That depends on how it was built. Make offers error handlers such as Retry, Resume, Commit and Rollback, and a setting that stores incomplete executions so a failed run can be retried. That setting is off by default, so we turn it on and choose a handler for each step that can fail.
Can a scenario start the moment a ticket arrives?
Yes, with a webhook. Make webhooks usually act as instant triggers, and each webhook has its own queue, so a burst of tickets waits its turn instead of being lost.
Should we use Make or Zapier?
Either can be right. We build on both and will tell you on the call which fits your team and your helpdesk. If you already run one of them well, the answer is often to stay.
Book
Book a free 15-minute call
No charge. Bring the scenario nobody can explain. We will tell you what it costs to fix it, or that it is not worth fixing yet.
- Bring the problem: a queue, a report, an employee request flow or an AI transcript.
- We tell you which package fits and the fixed price, or that you do not need us.
- The invite has the video link. That is the whole process.
Rather write or call? email@smartinstinct.com
+1 (800) 969-4803
Led by founder Jay Biros, 16 years in helpdesk and contact center implementation.
Free 15-minute call
Times show in your own time zone on the booking page. Pick one, add your name and email, and the invite arrives with the video link.
Book a free 15-minute call