When Your Automation Tool Suddenly Disappears

You may not know Relay, the AI workflow automation startup mentioned in the source article. That is perfectly normal. But if you run a Malaysian SME, you probably know the problem Relay was trying to solve: too much repetitive work spread across email, spreadsheets, messaging apps, documents, accounting systems and customer records.

Perhaps your team copies enquiry details from WhatsApp into a spreadsheet. Perhaps someone prepares the same quotation, approval request or delivery update several times a week. Automation can make these tasks easier, but the closure of a software provider is a useful reminder: an automation system is also a business dependency.

Relay announced that free customers would lose access on 15 August 2026 and paying customers on 14 September 2026, according to TechCrunch. Its founder and some employees were joining Google’s Chrome team, where the founder said he would work on AI experiences and developer relations, as reported by TechCrunch.

TL;DR

AI automation can reduce repetitive work, but your business should never depend on one small vendor without an exit plan. Start with simple, documented workflows, keep your data portable and make sure a person can take over when the tool fails.

The safest approach for an SME is not “automate everything”. It is to automate selected, repeatable tasks while keeping ownership of your customer data, processes and decisions.

What This Means

Relay was positioned as an AI-powered workflow automation tool, with a goal similar to established automation platforms. It helped users connect tasks such as document drafting, copyediting and project management, according to TechCrunch.

In plain language, workflow automation means setting up a sequence of actions. For example, when a customer submits an enquiry, the system can record the details, alert a salesperson, prepare a draft reply and create a follow-up task. AI may add the ability to classify messages, summarise information or draft text.

The important distinction is between assistance and business control. An AI tool can help prepare a response, but you should still control your customer records, approval rules, access permissions and final decisions. If the provider closes, changes its product or removes a feature, your business should be able to continue operating.

Relay’s closure does not mean automation is unsuitable for SMEs. It shows why you should evaluate automation providers as carefully as you evaluate any important business service. A useful tool must fit your daily processes, protect your information and provide a practical way to export or recreate your workflows.

The best automation is not the one that performs the most tasks. It is the one your team can understand, supervise and replace when necessary.

How This Applies to Malaysian SMEs

1. Customer enquiries across WhatsApp, Facebook and web forms. Many Malaysian businesses receive enquiries through several channels. A property agency may receive viewing requests through WhatsApp, while a renovation company may receive photos and measurements through social media. An automation system can collect these enquiries into one queue, identify the type of request and remind your team to respond. However, you should keep the original message, customer contact details and status in a system you control. Do not allow important customer history to exist only inside an experimental AI platform.

2. Quotations, purchase requests and approvals. A wholesaler, contractor or service company may prepare similar quotations every day. AI can draft a quotation from a structured form, but product names, tax treatment, delivery terms and approval limits still need clear rules. You can automate the first draft and notification while requiring a staff member to check the final document. Store the approved quotation in your main business record, not just in the automation tool. This makes it easier to continue if the workflow platform becomes unavailable.

3. Accounting and operations handovers. A café supplier, workshop or online retailer may use automation to pass order information from sales to fulfilment and then to bookkeeping. This can reduce missed handovers, especially when a small team handles several roles. But the workflow should include a visible exception list: incomplete address, unusual quantity, missing payment confirmation or a customer requesting a change. In Malaysia, businesses may also need to consider personal data handling under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. Your team should know what information is collected, where it is stored and who can access it.

4. Bahasa Malaysia and multilingual communication. AI may help draft replies in English, Bahasa Malaysia or Chinese, depending on your customers. That is useful for reducing drafting time, but language accuracy and tone matter. A customer complaint, payment reminder or employment-related message should not be sent automatically without review. Build workflows that label AI-generated drafts clearly and route sensitive messages to a person. Automation should support your staff’s judgement rather than hide it.

5. Staff changes and business continuity. In a small company, one person often becomes the “owner” of every spreadsheet, password and automation. That creates operational risk. If that staff member resigns, goes on leave or forgets how a workflow works, the process can stop. Every important automation should have a named backup, a short written explanation and a manual alternative. A new staff member should be able to understand the process without contacting the original builder.

A Simple Risk Check Before You Automate

Area	Question to ask	Practical safeguard
Data	Can you export customer and transaction records?	Test an export and store a readable copy.
Process	Can a staff member perform the task manually?	Write a short fallback procedure.
Access	Who can view or change the workflow?	Use individual accounts and review access regularly.
Continuity	What happens if the service is unavailable?	Prepare a temporary spreadsheet or inbox process.
Quality	Which actions require human approval?	Set review points for sensitive or customer-facing output.

The table is a practical starting point, not a guarantee. You should adapt the checks to the type of information and operational risk in your company. A workflow that sends an internal reminder is different from one that updates a customer record or issues a formal document.

Practical Takeaways for Your Business

• Start with one repetitive workflow. Choose a task with clear inputs and outputs, such as lead follow-up, appointment reminders or internal approvals.
• Document the current process first. Write down who does what, which information is needed and what can go wrong.
• Keep a human approval step. Require review before sending complaints responses, formal quotations, sensitive notices or important customer updates.
• Ask about portability. Check whether you can export records, workflow settings and contact information in a usable format.
• Separate AI drafts from final records. Mark generated content and save the approved version in your main system.
• Assign an owner and backup owner. Do not let one employee become the only person who understands an essential workflow.
• Test the fallback process. Temporarily run the manual procedure so you know whether it works before an emergency occurs.
• Review vendor announcements. A product may change direction, merge with another service or stop supporting a feature your team depends on.

The Bigger Picture

The Relay story also points to a wider change in how software may be used. Its founder described Chrome as a place to collaborate with agents, while Google has continued adding Gemini features to its products, according to TechCrunch. TechCrunch also reported that Google said Gemini had reached more than one billion users; that figure should be understood as a company-reported milestone and is linked to the same source article.

For SME owners, this suggests that automation may increasingly appear inside tools you already use, including browsers, office applications and communication systems. That could make adoption simpler because your staff will not always need a separate platform. It may also create new questions about permissions, data sharing and which actions an AI assistant is allowed to take.

Your long-term advantage will not come from using the most fashionable tool. It will come from having clear processes, clean records and staff who know where human judgement is required. When a provider changes direction, you can then replace one component without rebuilding your entire operation.

Before adopting any AI automation, ask yourself three questions: What problem are we solving? What information does the tool need? How will we continue if the tool disappears tomorrow? If you can answer all three, you are building a useful business system rather than simply adding another app.

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