In short
Microtech Büro+ ERP connects to almost any AI tool through its GraphQL API. That has made the choice bigger, not smaller.
Workist is built for the sales back office, processes data in the EU and is the only tool here that also takes phone calls.
Zapier and n8n suit individual, clearly defined processes, but they need your own IT and usually send their AI steps to the US.
Claude and ChatGPT are strong for analysis and weak as a process, because access, prompts and checks stay with you.
ELO is an archive with AI features for documents and does not replace automation in sales.
Since Microtech Büro+ ERP gained a GraphQL API, almost any AI tool can talk to your ERP. We compared the five tools that come up most often in our conversations with users. Three questions drive the comparison: what does the tool cost over time, which tasks can it take on, and how much IT knowledge do you need? A fourth one decides the data protection question: where is your data processed?
The five tools at a glance
| Tool | Cost | Use cases | IT expertise | Data processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Workist | higher at first, then very efficient | email, document capture, unstructured processes in sales and purchasing, AI phone assistant | low | in the EU, no transfer to the US |
| 2. Zapier | medium, licence plus token costs | anything text-based, no phone | medium to high | in the US |
| 3. n8n | medium, licence plus token costs | anything text-based, no phone | high | self-hosting possible, AI steps mostly in the US |
| 4. Claude / ChatGPT | low at first, then rising fast | anything text-based, no phone | very high | in the US by default |
| 5. ELO | high, especially the rollout | document workflows with basic AI features | medium | depends on deployment |
As of September 2026. Plans and data processing arrangements change, so check the current position with each vendor.
1. Workist
Workist is a dedicated solution for the sales back office and the only tool in this comparison that also takes orders over the phone.
What it does: The Order Agent creates orders and quotes from emails and PDFs, the Inbox Agent answers customer enquiries, the Voice Agent takes orders over the phone. For anything that does not fit a standard case, there is Worki, the assistant in chat.
Connection: Over the GraphQL API, reading and writing. Workist is an official Microtech partner, the connection is standard and needs no middleware.
Cost: Setup costs more at the start than a chat subscription. In return, every further document pays off, because you pay for neither developers nor prompt maintenance.
IT effort: Low. Workist is a SaaS product and you set up an API access.
Data processing: In the EU. There is no transfer to the US.
Limit: Workist automates sales and purchasing. It does not replace an audit-proof document archive.
2. Zapier
Zapier connects tools through ready-made building blocks and suits individual, clearly defined processes without programming.
What it does: An email comes in, a model summarises it, a record is created. Anything text-based can be covered.
Connection: Over the GraphQL API. It works without programming, but not without understanding data fields and interfaces.
Cost: You pay the Zapier licence plus the AI provider's tokens.
IT effort: Medium to high. Someone has to build and maintain the Zaps.
Data processing: Zapier is a US company and processes your data in the US. Every order and every customer address that runs through a Zap leaves the EU.
Limit: No phone assistant, and no checking logic for documents beyond what you build yourself.
3. n8n
n8n is the tool for teams that want more control than Zapier gives them and are willing to spend their own development time on it.
What it does: Workflows can be built freely, with custom logic, branching and code steps. Anything text-based is possible.
Connection: Over the GraphQL API, optionally from an n8n instance on your own server.
Cost: Licence plus tokens. The real effort is your IT team's time.
IT effort: High. Anyone who wants to map an order process with it builds document capture, master data matching and error handling themselves.
Data processing: The workflows can run on your premises, but the AI steps usually go to OpenAI or Anthropic, which puts the content back in the US.
Limit: No phone assistant, and the ten percent of edge cases remain your project.
4. Claude / ChatGPT
An assistant connected straight to the ERP is strong for analysis and only becomes a process once someone looks after it permanently.
What it does: Answers questions about your own data, and surprisingly well. For analysis and ad-hoc research it is the fastest route.
Connection: Over the Model Context Protocol to the GraphQL API. Microtech has published open skills for it on GitHub.
Cost: Low to start with a subscription, then rising quickly once the token limit is reached and usage is billed.
IT effort: Very high. MCP servers, access, prompts and checks all have to be set up and maintained.
Data processing: In the US by default. EU data residency is only available on selected enterprise plans.
Limit: The assistant sees everything the linked user sees, and nobody checks what it writes. There is no phone assistant.
5. ELO
ELO is a document management system with AI features and the right choice when what you mainly need is an audit-proof archive.
What it does: Archives documents in an audit-proof way, controls approvals such as for incoming invoices, reads and classifies documents.
Connection: Can be connected to Microtech Büro+ ERP through partner solutions.
Cost: High, especially the rollout.
IT effort: Medium to run, high to roll out.
Data processing: Depends on the deployment, either in your own data centre or with the partner.
Limit: Answering emails, creating orders from free text or taking calls are not part of it. If you want to take load off your sales team, you need something else.
Which tool fits you?
If you have your own IT and want to connect individual, clearly defined processes, Zapier or n8n will do.
If you mainly need analysis and you are a small team, plug in Claude or ChatGPT.
If you need an audit-proof archive, ELO is the right choice.
If your back office handles orders, enquiries and calls every day and you want to automate that without a development project, a dedicated solution like Workist is the way to go. Why that is also the easier route on data protection is explained in our comparison of the three options for automating processes in Microtech Büro+ ERP with AI.
Frequently asked questions about AI tools for Microtech Büro+ ERP
Can Zapier and n8n be connected to Microtech Büro+ ERP?
Yes, over the GraphQL API. Microtech itself names both as examples of no-code automation.
Is ChatGPT or Claude on the ERP GDPR compliant?
Only with effort. By default the data is processed in the US. You need a data processing agreement, a legal basis for the transfer to a third country, and an access that releases only what the purpose requires.
Which of the five tools processes data only in the EU?
Workist. With Zapier the data sits in the US, and the same goes for Claude, ChatGPT and the AI steps in n8n unless you have a dedicated EU plan.
Which tool can take phone calls?
In this comparison, only Workist. The Voice Agent takes orders over the phone and creates them directly in Microtech Büro+ ERP.
Does Workist replace a DMS like ELO?
No. Workist automates the work in sales, ELO archives documents. Both can run side by side.
Do I need my own IT capacity to connect AI to my ERP?
It depends on the tool. With Workist you set up an API access and the vendor does the rest. With Zapier, n8n and a directly connected assistant, you build and maintain the logic yourself.
Read on: The AI platform for sales teams working with Microtech Büro+.
