A digital employee is software set up to carry out an agreed set of business tasks. An AI-based digital employee can interpret requests and work across connected tools, while people control its access, rules and decisions that need judgment. It is not a human hire or a promise to automate an entire job.
You bought the software. You are still chasing missing attachments, checking which inquiries need a reply and rebuilding the Friday report. Those are the kinds of jobs a digital employee can help with. Not everything on your desk, but specific tasks you can hand over and check.
Clover Digital sells managed digital employees, so we have a stake in this category. This guide explains our service alongside the cases where a person or your existing software is the better choice.
Real workflow · Task examples · Clover pricing · Compare providers
Bring one recurring task to a 20-minute video call. We'll talk through the work, the tools you use and the decisions you want to keep. The aim is to see whether Clover fits, not to replace everything you already have.
Part-time: $500/monthFull-time: $2,500/month
Tasks, connections and included scope are agreed before you start.
Choose a time, then share a little about your business. Your request is reviewed before the call is confirmed by email.
See a real task and its result. An anonymized account of a running client workflow.
A client gave Clover a naming convention and a folder structure, then asked it to collect files from Outlook and put them in the right Dropbox folders. In an October 7, 2026 internal review, our team reported that the workflow was running and the client was beginning to add tasks.
That is a specific job with a checkable finish: the expected files, named according to the client's rules, in the agreed folders. Filing them does not establish that their contents are correct or authorize a payment.
See the task and reported result. The example is anonymized and based on our team's account, with recreated summaries. It is not an independently audited case study, and we do not have measured time savings or an error rate to report.
These examples show how you might divide the work. They are not customer results; the tools and permissions still need checking.
A website inquiry comes in with a business name and a rough description of the problem. The assistant prepares a reply and a short brief for your team: what the person wants, what is missing and what to ask on the call. If the booking is not confirmed, the reply says so.
Your team needs five documents before starting a job. The assistant checks the agreed folder or inbox, records what arrived and prepares a request for what is missing. A person decides whether an unclear or incomplete file is acceptable. Receiving a document is not the same as approving it.
The assistant gathers the approved inputs, prepares the same report each week and points out missing or conflicting information. The owner reviews it before it goes to a client. It should not fill a blank with a plausible number just to finish the report.
See more examples for service businesses and real estate teams.
We tested Clover's inbound assistant on September 16, 2026. A fictional equipment-rental business asked for help tracking returns and missing photos. The reply offered to discuss that work, but left damage decisions and charges with the business. In a second case, there was not enough business information to support a reply. That case went to team review instead of receiving a made-up confirmation.
This was test output, not a customer result. Nothing was sent and no call was booked. It demonstrates the recorded decisions and reply rendering with supplied inputs, not a working rental-system integration, live research or measured time savings. Read the actual reply excerpts and the test's limits.
Not necessarily. A chatbot is a way to have a conversation with software; some also take actions. A digital employee describes the work assigned to that software. Check what it can actually read, change and follow up on instead of deciding by the name or the presence of a chat box.
Providers use these names for overlapping products. An AI employee emphasizes AI-assisted work; digital worker can also include rule-based automation. IBM's overview of digital workers describes software that performs tasks or processes alongside people. The name does not tell you who maintains it or what it is allowed to do.
With a self-serve tool, someone on your team owns configuration and upkeep. With a managed service, the provider takes on agreed setup, monitoring and support. Our managed-versus-DIY comparison explains the responsibilities to put in writing.
A human virtual assistant is often a better fit for varied work, relationship-sensitive conversations and tasks that need frequent judgment. A digital employee is worth considering when the work repeats, the rules are clear and the necessary systems can be connected. A team can use both.
If your current CRM can already send the right reminder and someone maintains it, use that. There is no reason to buy another service for a task that is already handled. For a task-by-task comparison, see AI employee vs. virtual assistant.
Part-time Clover is $500/month; full-time Clover is $2,500/month. These are Clover's managed-service plans, not industry averages. We confirm the included tasks, supported tools, activity volume and oversight before work starts.
The plan names are not a promise of unlimited work or a fixed number of human working hours. Small custom builds that support the ongoing role are scoped and priced separately. Compare the complete cost: setup, any required software, ongoing support and the review time your team still needs. Our virtual employee cost guide includes worked cost examples and questions for comparing quotes.
Ask providers to quote the same piece of work. "Manage my admin" is too broad to compare. "Collect attachments from this inbox, follow these naming rules and file them here" gives each provider something to assess. Agree how you'll check the result before adding more work.
Ask for a total monthly price and a written list of exclusions. Find out who changes the workflow when your tools change, who notices a failure, and what happens to the work and connected access if you leave. A low software subscription and a managed service cover different responsibilities; compare the work your team still has to do.
A Clover is a managed teammate you text or email, with its own inbox and phone number. Our team handles setup, monitoring and improvement. Routine work follows an owner-approved policy; judgment calls pause for approval. Replies from an owner's inbox start as drafts unless selected categories have been approved for automatic sending.
Our usual fit is an owner-operated business with 2 to 20 people, sometimes up to about 50 when one person still carries the admin load. Setup generally takes about 7 to 10 days; the actual scope and connections need to be agreed first.
We do not take on regulated health or financial records, live phone answering as the main role, or end-to-end bookkeeping, payments or tax work. Relationship repair, negotiation and decisions outside the agreed rules stay with people.
Tell us what keeps landing back on your desk. We'll discuss the first task, what needs your approval and which plan might fit. Bring the names of your tools; no access credentials needed for the call.
Request a 20-minute callPart-time $500/month · Full-time $2,500/month. Scope agreed before work starts. Call confirmed by email after review.
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