Problems we solve

Start with what is actually going wrong.

Most people arrive describing a symptom rather than a diagnosis, which is exactly right. These are the operating problems we are asked about most often, written the way they are usually said out loud.

Problem 01

Customers are not getting answered.

Calls come in after hours, during a job, or while the one person who answers is already on another line. The enquiry does not disappear. It just waits long enough for somebody else to win the work.

This is rarely a phone problem. It is a coverage and routing problem, and the fix depends on volume, hours and who is genuinely available.

Fig. — Where it breaks 1 break · 1 delay

Customer calls

No answerFriction — break

Customer hires someone elseOutcome — lost

Problem 02

Leads are not followed up fast enough.

The lead arrives and sits. Not because anybody is careless, but because nothing tells the right person it is there, and the list of things already in front of them is long.

Usually a handoff and ownership problem. Speed of first response is one of the few things in a sales process that a small company can change quickly.

Fig. — Where it stalls Ownership unclear

Enquiry submitted

Lands in a shared inboxHandoff — unowned

Followed up after the decision was madeOutcome — too late

Problem 03

The team is buried in manual work.

Data copied between systems that do not talk. A report rebuilt by hand every week. Work that exists only because it has always existed.

Almost always a process problem first and an automation opportunity second. Fixing the sequence usually removes more work than automating it would have.

Fig. — Where it repeats 1 duplicate step

Entered in system A

Re-typed into system BFriction — duplicate step

Numbers disagree, someone reconcilesOutcome — rework

Problem 04

Key people are too involved in daily operations.

One or two people are the only ones who know how something works, so everything routes through them. It functions, until they are on holiday, in a meeting, or ready to do something more valuable.

A key-person dependency is a people and process problem. Technology helps only once the knowledge has been made explicit.

Fig. — Where it concentrates Key-person dependency

Three routine requestsNode — team

All routed to one decision makerFriction — bottleneck

Everything stalls when they are outOutcome — fragile

Problem 05

“I know AI could probably help. I just don’t know where to start.”

This one is said almost word for word, often slightly apologetically. It is a reasonable position and a good place to begin.

Working out where to start is the first thing we do together. It is not something you need to have solved before getting in touch.

Fig. — The honest starting point

There is no diagram for this one, because the problem has not been located yet. Locating it is the work.

Do not see your exact problem here? You do not need to diagnose it before talking to us.

Describe what is actually happening, in whatever words you would use to explain it to a colleague. Working out what category it belongs in is our job, not yours.

Tell us what is happening.

You do not need a diagnosis, a budget or a technology preference. A description of the problem is enough to start.

Let’s find what’s slowing you down Schedule a discovery call

Complimentary 30-minute conversation. No preparation needed.