A fixed scope review of where your business actually spends its time. You get a ranked list of the tasks worth automating, with an estimate of the hours you could recover each week and what it would take to get them.
The problem it solves
Most owners know the business loses time somewhere. Fewer can say where, or which job to fix first. So either nothing changes, or money goes on tidying up a task that was never the real problem.
An audit replaces the guesswork with a list you can act on, in whatever order suits you.
What the audit covers
- The jobs that repeat every week, and who does them.
- How long each one really takes, including the interruptions around it.
- Where work waits on one person, usually you.
- Which tasks a tool could genuinely take on, and which need a person.
- What it would cost in time and money to change each one.
How the audit works
1
We talk
A conversation with you, and with whoever actually does the admin, about how a normal week runs.
2
We look at the work
The forms, spreadsheets, inboxes and documents behind those jobs, so the list is based on the real thing.
3
We rank it
Every task is scored on the hours it takes, how repetitive it is, and how hard it would be to change.
4
We go through it
You get the findings and we agree what to do first, whether or not we are the ones who build it.
What you receive
- A ranked list of tasks, with the estimated hours each one takes now.
- An estimate of the hours recoverable each week, given as a range.
- A recommended order of work, with the quick wins separated from the bigger jobs.
- The tasks we would leave alone, and why.
- A walkthrough of the findings, so you can ask questions.
Estimates are estimates. They are based on what the audit finds in your business, and the basis for each one is written down so you can judge it yourself.
Example only, not a client result
What the output looks like
The audit arrives as a single ranked table. Each row is one task, and the columns are the same every time:
- Task. For example, replying to enquiries that come through the website.
- Who does it, and how often.
- Hours a week now, given as a range.
- How much could be taken off, with the reasoning behind it.
- Effort to change, from a small change to a proper build.
- Do this first, later, or not at all.
Example only, not a client result
| Task | Who, how often | Hours a week now | Could be taken off | Effort | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditing and reviewing performance | Owner, weekly | 2 to 3 | 0.5 to 1, by pulling the figures together; the judgement stays with you | Medium build | Leave mostly alone |
| Reporting | Office manager, weekly | 3 to 4 | 1.5 to 2.5, by drafting from the same data each time | Medium build | First |
| Creating content | Owner or marketing, weekly | 3 to 5 | 1 to 1.5, with drafts from notes that still need your voice | Small change | First |
| Replying to business enquiries | Owner, daily | 3 to 4 | 1 to 2, with drafted replies and sorting | Small change | First |
| Admin tasks | Admin, daily | 4 to 6 | 1.5 to 2.5, depending on the systems involved | Proper build | Later |
Total now: 15 to 22 hours a week. Estimated recoverable: 5.5 to 9.5 hours a week.
Audit questions
How much of my time does it take?
Less than you would expect. Most of the work is ours. You need to be available for the conversations and to answer a few questions as we go.
Do I have to use you for the work afterwards?
No. The audit is yours. Take it to someone else, or do it in house, and that is a perfectly good outcome.
What if there is nothing worth automating?
Then the audit says so. Knowing that your time is already going on the right things is worth having.
Will you need access to our systems?
Usually we only need to see how things work, not to be given logins. Where access would help, we agree it in writing first and remove it afterwards.
Ready to get your hours back?
Book a free 20 minute call. No obligation, no jargon.