ProblemDouble work
We type the same thing into two systems
Every time something is typed twice, time is lost and a mistake becomes possible. Often the tools you already pay for can pass the information along themselves.
Double entry happens when tools that should share information do not. First write down every place a piece of information is typed. Then check whether your existing tools can already import, export or connect, because many can. Where they cannot, a small automation moves the information for you and tells you when it fails. Automations start at N$2,499.99.
What you see, and what it usually means
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| An invoice is typed from a quote that was typed from a message | Three steps that could be one. |
| Figures in two systems disagree | One of the two entries was mistyped or forgotten. |
| Someone's main job is copying | A person is being used as the cable between two programs. |
| Month-end is spent matching lists | The lists were never linked, so they are reconciled by eye. |
| A customer's new phone number is right in one place only | There is no single place where that fact lives. |
What you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time. Do them before paying for software, including ours.
Follow one order from start to finish
Write down every place its details are typed, by whom, and how long each takes. Most owners are surprised by the count.
Decide where each fact lives
A customer's phone number should have one home. Everything else should read it from there.
Look for import and export
Most accounting and point-of-sale programs can import a spreadsheet or export one. A weekly import may be enough.
Check the built-in connections
Open the settings of each tool and look for “integrations” or “connected apps”. Use what is already there before paying for anything.
Remove a step before automating it
If nobody reads the second copy, stop making it.
Today, and with a system
Today
- A person copies from one screen to another
- Mistakes are found at month end, if at all
- Work stops when that person is away
- Nobody knows how long it really takes
With a system
- The first entry is the only entry
- A failed transfer raises an alert the same day
- It runs at night and at weekends
- A log shows what moved and when
- The copying happens many times a day.
- Mistakes in the copy cost money, such as a wrong price or a missed order.
- The two tools have no built-in way to connect, but both allow one.
- The person doing the copying is needed for better work.
What we would build
We map the journey of one piece of information, check what each tool allows, and build the smallest link that removes the retyping. Every automation writes a log and alerts you when it fails, because a silent failure is worse than no automation.
One automation starts at N$2,499.99 and usually takes one to two weeks. If the other program has no way in, we say so before you pay.
Common questions
Can you connect anything to anything?
No. Both programs must allow it: through a connection point (an API), an import and export, or at least a file. We check before quoting, and tell you if the honest answer is no.
Is this the same as tools like Zapier or Power Automate?
Those are good, and for simple links we may recommend one and set it up for you. A custom automation is for cases they cannot reach, or where their monthly cost passes the cost of building it once.
What happens when one of the programs changes?
The automation may stop, and the alert tells you. Fixing it is covered by a care plan, or charged at N$424.99 an hour.
Describe the problem. We will send back a scope.
Say what is slowing the work down and who is affected. You get a one-page scope in plain words: what would be built first, how long it takes and what it costs. It is free, and you owe nothing if you do not go ahead.