When we started working with a 20-person services business in Manchester, their operations manager was spending two full days a month just compiling reports. Their sales team was logging the same client information in three different places. And nobody could answer a simple question like “how many active projects do we have right now” without checking multiple systems.
Three weeks later, they were getting five days a month back. Here’s what we actually did.
Week 1: The audit
We started by mapping everything. Every tool they were paying for, how each team used it (or didn’t), where data lived, and where time was being lost. The picture was typical for a business that’s grown quickly: tools adopted piecemeal, no overall plan, and a lot of manual work filling the gaps between systems.
Key findings: they were paying for 8 software subscriptions (only 5 were needed), their CRM had a 40% duplicate rate, and reporting required manual exports from 4 different systems.
Week 2: The fix
We consolidated their tools down to five, with clear ownership for each. Cleaned and deduplicated the CRM (removing over 3,000 duplicate records). Built automated data flows between the CRM, project management tool, and accounting software. Created a live dashboard that replaced the manual monthly reporting process entirely.
Week 3: Training and handover
We ran practical, role-specific training sessions. Not “here’s how the software works” generic walkthroughs, but “here’s how you, as a sales manager, use this system on a Monday morning.” We documented the key processes and created quick-reference guides for common tasks.
The results
Five days of team time recovered per month. Most of that came from eliminating duplicate data entry, automating the reporting process, and reducing the time spent searching for information across multiple systems. Tool costs dropped by about 35% through consolidation. And the leadership team now had real-time visibility into business performance instead of waiting for a monthly spreadsheet.
The best part? None of this required new technology. It was all about using the tools they already had more effectively, connecting them properly, and getting the team aligned on how to use them.
Could your business be in a similar position?
Most growing businesses have more digital waste and inefficiency than they realise. Start by understanding where you stand with our free Digital Maturity Audit. It takes under five minutes and gives you a personalised picture of what to fix first.