Workflow ideas
Pick a job you already repeat.
These are the easy workflows small businesses ask for first. Choose one. I'll set that workflow up with you.
20 easy jobs. Most of these fit a Quick Win: one workflow, one setup call.
When someone gets in touch
The first reply is where the work is won or lost.
- A form or email lands
Instant reply
The sender gets an answer straight away. You get a text with the details. Set this up - An enquiry arrives
Every lead, one sheet
Name, number, and the job they want, written into a sheet once. Set this up - A quote sits for two days
Quiet quote, chased
A reminder goes out, then a second if the quote stays quiet. Set this up - A call goes unanswered
Missed call, text back
They get a text while the job is still on their mind. Set this up - A Facebook or Instagram form is filled
Social lead, caught
The details hit your sheet, and you hear about the lead the same minute. Set this up
Getting paid
The job is done. The money should not need another spreadsheet.
- An invoice passes your due date
Overdue invoice, nudged
A reminder goes out on the day you choose. You stop checking who owes what. Set this up - A payment lands
Payment in, books updated
Your records update, and the customer gets a short thank-you. Set this up - A job is marked finished
Job done, invoice ready
The job details are waiting in your accounts tool. No second typing. Set this up - A card payment fails
Failed payment, flagged
You hear the same day, before the month slips past. Set this up - Monday morning
Who still owes you
One note of unpaid invoices, instead of logging into accounts to look. Set this up
After the job
The follow-up is easy to forget, and easy to hand off.
- A few days after the job
Ask for the Google review
A polite request goes out. You do not keep a list of who to ask. Set this up - A review is posted
New review, same day
You get a note while the review is still fresh enough to answer. Set this up - A regular date comes around
Time for the next visit
The boiler, the MOT, or the regular client gets a reminder before you have to chase. Set this up - The job is closed
Thank-you, with a next step
They get a short note, and a simple way to book you again. Set this up - A happy job is finished
Ask who else needs you
A short message asks that customer who else could use the same work. Set this up
The weekly copy and paste
If the same details move by hand every week, that job is a workflow.
- Details arrive in a form or email
Typed once
Those details land in the sheet, the customer list, and the inbox that needs them. Set this up - The week starts
The Monday note
What came in, what is unpaid, and what is still waiting, in one email. Set this up - The job details already exist
Quote, already filled in
The quote, job sheet, or proposal is drafted from details you have already captured. Set this up - Someone books a visit
Booked, then reminded
A confirmation goes out, then a reminder before you are due to arrive. Set this up - A customer emails a file
The file, filed
The attachment lands in the right folder. The inbox stops being the filing cabinet. Set this up
Worth a workflow?
Four things I look for before I automate a job.
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Same steps
You do it the same way each time.
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A clear rule
If this happens, then that happens.
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A start and a result
You can point to what goes in, and what should come out.
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It already costs you
The job takes real time or real money.
When all four are true, that job is a workflow, and I will automate it. A conversation, a one-off decision, or a job that changes every time stays with you.
Don't see your job?
Name the admin you repeat every week. If those four things are true, I'll tell you if it can be a first workflow.