The problem with software you have to fill in
A CRM, industry software, a shared spreadsheet: these tools store information, but your team has to type it in. Every email becomes a record to create, every attachment a file to rename and store, every follow-up a task to remember.
The result: the tool is well kept for a few weeks, then it falls behind. And the time spent filling it in never really goes away.
What software that does the work does instead
Software that does the work starts from what already reaches you (emails, PDFs, photos, calls) and does the first part of the job:
- it reads the request and finds the right client and file;
- it files the documents and spots what is missing;
- it prepares the reply, the quote or the follow-up;
- it waits for your approval, or acts on its own for what you allowed.
Three questions to tell them apart
Before buying a tool, ask three questions. Who enters the information: your team or the tool? What happens if nobody opens it for a week: nothing, or the work goes on? And how will you know how much time it saved you?
If the answers are “my team”, “nothing” and “we won't know”, you are buying software to fill in.
In practice
At Singular, we always start with a single task, the one that takes the most time by hand. We measure it before, build the tool, then measure after. If the time saved is not there, we keep adjusting at no extra cost.
Want to see what it looks like for you?
A 30-minute call to look at your tasks. Written summary included.