Automation audit
Example: a six-person home services company
Based on a 30-minute call with the owner and office manager.
1. Where the hours go today
The repeating work we heard about on the call, with a rough weekly time for each.
| Task | Done by | Hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| Replying to website and phone enquiriesOffice manager | Office manager | 6 |
| Booking jobs and sending remindersOffice manager | Office manager | 4 |
| Typing job details into the accounting toolBookkeeper | Bookkeeper | 3 |
| Chasing unpaid invoicesOwner | Owner | 2 |
| Asking customers for reviewsNobody, it gets skipped | Nobody, it gets skipped | 0 |
| Total | 15 |
2. What we would automate
In the order we would build them, starting with the one that saves the most.
01Instant reply and booking link for new enquiries
saves about 5 h a week
Form and missed-call enquiries get a reply within a minute with a booking link. Anything unusual goes to the office manager.
Connects: Website form, phone system, calendar
02Job details copied into accounting automatically
saves about 3 h a week
When a job is marked done, the invoice is drafted in the accounting tool. The bookkeeper approves it before it is sent.
Connects: Job sheet, accounting tool
03Invoice reminders and review requests
saves about 2 h a week
Polite reminders at 7 and 14 days overdue, and a review request two days after a paid job.
Connects: Accounting tool, email, SMS
3. What we would leave alone
Not everything is worth automating. We say so here, so you do not pay for work that will not pay back.
- Quoting large jobs. Each quote depends on a site visit and judgement. Automating it would save little and risk wrong prices.
- Payroll. Runs once a month and already takes under an hour. Not worth the build cost.
4. Price and payback
Hours saved
10 h
a week, out of 15
Worth
$250
a week, at $25 an hour
Fixed price
$199
a month, all three live in two months
The report also lists the running costs of any tools involved, taken from each vendor's current price list, so the payback figure includes them.
5. Next steps
- 1. You read the report. No obligation, and it is yours to keep either way.
- 2. If you want to go ahead, we agree the scope and price in writing before any work starts.
- 3. We build the first automation in your accounts, test it with your team, and switch it on.