Should you hire more admin staff, or automate the work first?

If your team is drowning in repetitive tasks, hiring is a reasonable instinct, and sometimes it's the right call. Before you add headcount, though, it's worth separating the work that needs a person from the work that just needs to get done. Much of what fills an admin role is routine: data entry, sorting email, sending reminders and updating records. An AI agent can take on that routine layer, so a new hire, or your current team, can spend their time on the work that actually needs a human.

How do you know if you're hiring to cover manual work?

• The job description is mostly copying, sorting, scheduling and reminding
• Your team says they'd have time for clients "if it weren't for the admin"
• You've hired for this before, and the backlog came back as you grew
• Much of each week goes to work that follows the same steps every time
• Knowledge of how things get done lives with one or two people

What does an admin hire actually cost?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $47,540 for secretaries and administrative assistants (excluding legal, medical and executive roles) as of May 2025. Wages are only part of the cost. In private industry, benefits made up 30.0% of employers' total compensation costs in June 2026, according to the BLS.

Putting those two figures together gives a rough estimate of about $68,000 a year for a median-paid admin role, before recruiting, training and management time. Your local costs may be higher or lower.

That isn't a reason not to hire. Good people are worth it. It's a reason to make sure a new hire is spending their time on work only a person can do.

When is hiring still the right answer?

• The work needs relationships, judgment or a license
• Clients expect to talk to a person, and that's part of your value
• The workload is varied and doesn't follow repeatable steps
• You need someone to own and improve a process, not just run it

Many teams do both: automate the routine work first, then hire for the role that's left, which is usually a better, more interesting job.

How does an AI agent take on the routine work?

1. We map the role together and list the tasks that fill a typical week.
2. We sort the tasks into those that need a person and those that follow repeatable steps.
3. We automate one workflow first, usually the most time-consuming one, and test it on real examples with your team.
4. Your team keeps control, approving important steps and handling anything unusual.
5. We train your people to run and adjust the system, so you own it.

What does this look like in insurance and real estate?