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Automation playbooks

33 workflows we've already designed

Every playbook follows the same shape: a trigger, what the automation does, and exactly where a person stays in the loop. Pick the one that costs you the most hours; that's your proof of concept.

All businessesTrades & field serviceRetail, food & hospitalityProfessional servicesProperty & real estateResorts, condo-hotels & HOAsEvents, weddings & venuesMedical, law & accounting practicesCreators, studios & mediaHealth, wellness & studiosNonprofits & associationsConservation & outdoors

Invoice & receipt capture

~3–5 hrs/wk
Trigger
A vendor invoice or receipt arrives by email, text, or a photo from your phone.
What it does
  • Reads vendor, line items, tax, total, and due date, even from a crumpled photo
  • Matches it to a job, PO, or property so the cost lands in the right place
  • Posts the bill to QuickBooks or Xero with the right category and schedules payment
  • Files the original in a dated folder you can hand to your accountant
Where a person stays in the loop
Anything over $500, a vendor you've never paid, or no matching job.
Connects to
Gmail / OutlookQuickBooksXeroGoogle Drive
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Try it live →

Estimate & quote drafting

~3–6 hrs/wk
Trigger
A qualified lead sends photos and a description of the job.
What it does
  • Drafts an itemized estimate from your own price book and past quotes
  • Flags what it couldn't see (access, permits, existing damage)
  • Produces a branded PDF and an e-sign link
  • Follows up twice if the quote sits unopened
Where a person stays in the loop
You approve every estimate before it's sent.
Connects to
Price book (sheet)PDFDocuSign / Dropbox SignEmail / SMS
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Ask about this →

Reminders, reschedules & no-show recovery

~2–3 hrs/wk
Trigger
An appointment is booked, changed, or missed — or a layaway or installment plan has a payment due.
What it does
  • Sends confirmations and reminders on your schedule, by text or email
  • Handles 'can we move it to Thursday?' replies and rebooks from open slots
  • Fills a cancelled slot from your waitlist automatically
  • Sends the after-visit note and review request
  • Runs layaway and installment plans on held items: deposit, schedule, pay-link reminders, and the written terms at intake
Where a person stays in the loop
Cancellations inside 24 hours and anything involving a fee.
Connects to
Google / Outlook CalendarSquare AppointmentsSMSEmail
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Try it live →

Review requests & reputation

~1–2 hrs/wk
Trigger
A job closes, or a new review appears on Google, Yelp, or Facebook.
What it does
  • Asks happy customers for a review at the right moment, with a direct link
  • Reads every new review and drafts a reply in your tone
  • Routes unhappy reviews to you before anything is posted
  • Logs recurring complaints so you can see patterns by crew or month
Where a person stays in the loop
Any reply to a review under four stars.
Connects to
Google Business ProfileYelpFacebookSMS
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Try it live →

Reorder alerts & purchase orders

~2–3 hrs/wk
Trigger
Nightly, from your POS sales and on-hand counts.
What it does
  • Projects when each item runs out based on the last eight weeks
  • Drafts a purchase order per supplier at their minimums and lead times
  • Emails the PO for approval, then sends it to the supplier
  • Notices price changes on supplier confirmations and updates your cost
Where a person stays in the loop
Every PO is approved by you before it goes out.
Connects to
Square / Clover / ShopifySupplier email or portalSheet
Usually Growth Build · $7,500+Ask about this →

Receiving & three-way match

~2–4 hrs/wk
Trigger
A delivery arrives and the packing slip is photographed.
What it does
  • Matches packing slip lines to the PO and later to the invoice
  • Flags shorts, overages, substitutions, and price differences
  • Updates on-hand counts and closes the PO when complete
  • Drafts the dispute email to the supplier with the evidence attached
Where a person stays in the loop
Any mismatch over your tolerance goes to you before the bill is paid.
Connects to
Phone cameraQuickBooksSheet / inventory app
Usually Growth Build · $7,500+Ask about this →

Timesheet & payroll prep

~2–3 hrs/wk
Trigger
Crews text their hours, or drop a photo of the paper timesheet, on Friday.
What it does
  • Reads hours per person per day and per job, however they were written
  • Checks against the schedule and flags overtime, missing days, and duplicates
  • Produces the payroll import file for Gusto, ADP, or your bookkeeper
  • Splits labor cost to jobs so your job costing is real
Where a person stays in the loop
Overtime and any week that doesn't reconcile with the schedule.
Connects to
SMS / photosGusto / ADP / QuickBooks PayrollSheet
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Try it live →

Consignment intake, settlement & payouts

~5–10 hrs/wk
Trigger
A consignor brings in items, a booth renter sends photos of what they're putting out, or the settlement period closes.
What it does
  • Reads the intake — photos, a text, or the paper sheet — and creates the consignor and item records with the split, the markdown schedule, and the tags to print
  • Credits every POS sale to the right consignor at the right split, applies markdowns on schedule, and lists what is past its return-or-donate date
  • Drafts each consignor's statement and payout, reconciles to the POS and the bank, and queues payouts by ACH, store credit, or check
  • Answers 'did my jacket sell?' texts and generates the consignment agreement at intake; booth-rental malls get rent and commission deducted the same way
Where a person stays in the loop
Every payout batch, every dispute, and every item disposal or return.
Connects to
Ricochet / SimpleConsign / ConsignPro / Square exportsSMS / email / photosBank feedQuickBooks
Usually Growth Build · $7,500+Try it live →

Vendor, sub & product compliance

~2–6 hrs/wk
Trigger
A new sub or vendor is about to be paid, a new SKU arrives from a distributor, or a state list or filing date changes.
What it does
  • Collects W-9s and certificates of insurance before a sub is paid, watches COI expirations, and prepares 1099s in January
  • For regulated products (vape, tobacco, hemp, alcohol): checks each SKU on a distributor invoice against the state directory and flavor or nicotine rules, and flags what has to come off the floor
  • Files manufacturer certifications and certificates of analysis against each SKU and chases the distributor when one is missing
  • Prepares excise and PACT Act filings from POS sales where they apply, and keeps the age-verification and inspection log in the state's format
Where a person stays in the loop
Every filing before it is submitted, every decision to pull a product, and every payment released to an uncleared sub.
Connects to
Distributor invoices / emailPOS exportsState directory (web)QuickBooks / bill payDrive
Usually Growth Build · $7,500+Ask about this →

Hiring & new-hire onboarding

~3–8 hrs/wk
Trigger
An application arrives from Indeed, Facebook, your website, or a walk-in — or you make an offer.
What it does
  • Screens applications against your must-haves, drafts the interview invitation, and books the slot from your calendar
  • Keeps a one-page pipeline: who applied, who's scheduled, who's waiting on you
  • After the offer: collects the I-9, W-4, direct deposit, and handbook acknowledgment by e-sign, and chases what's missing
  • Prepares the E-Verify case and the state new-hire report, and sets the person up in payroll
Where a person stays in the loop
Every hiring decision, every rejection before it goes out, and the I-9 document check in person.
Connects to
Indeed / Facebook / web formE-signGusto / ADP / QuickBooks PayrollCalendar
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Ask about this →

Monthly close & sales tax

~4–10 hrs/wk
Trigger
The bank feed updates, receipts arrive, or the sales tax return is ten days out.
What it does
  • Categorizes the bank feed and matches receipts and invoices to transactions
  • Sends the owner one weekly text with the handful of items it couldn't place, instead of twenty questions
  • Prepares the sales tax return from POS sales by jurisdiction, including local option taxes
  • Hands the bookkeeper a reconciled month with a short list of what to look at
Where a person stays in the loop
The bookkeeper or owner reviews and files; nothing is submitted by the automation.
Connects to
Bank feedQuickBooks / XeroPOS exports (Square, Clover, Shopify)SMS / email
Usually Growth Build · $7,500+Ask about this →

Job photos to marketing posts

~2–4 hrs/wk
Trigger
The crew sends before-and-after photos and a two-line voice note from the job.
What it does
  • Drafts the week's Google Business Profile, Facebook, and Instagram posts in your voice from the photos and the note
  • Tracks the customer's permission to post and blurs faces, plates, and addresses when it's missing
  • Schedules the posts and pairs each with a review request to the customer
  • Gives you a monthly note on which posts brought calls
Where a person stays in the loop
You approve the week's posts in one pass; nothing publishes without it.
Connects to
SMS / photosGoogle Business ProfileMeta (Facebook, Instagram)Buffer / Later
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Ask about this →

Overdue invoice follow-up

~1–3 hrs/wk
Trigger
An invoice passes its due date.
What it does
  • Sends a friendly reminder with a payment link, then escalates tone on your schedule
  • Reads replies: promises to pay, disputes, 'never got it' — and responds appropriately
  • Pauses the sequence the moment payment lands
  • Gives you a weekly aging list with the story behind each one
Where a person stays in the loop
Disputes, payment plans, and any account you've flagged as sensitive.
Connects to
QuickBooks / Xero / StripeEmail / SMS
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Try it live →

Inbox triage & drafted replies

~3–6 hrs/wk
Trigger
Email arrives, all day.
What it does
  • Sorts into needs-you / needs-someone / FYI / noise
  • Drafts replies for the routine ones in your voice, ready to send
  • Pulls the ask out of long threads into one line
  • Ends the day with a five-line summary of what's still open
Where a person stays in the loop
Nothing is sent without you. Drafts wait in your outbox.
Connects to
Gmail / Microsoft 365
Usually Starter Automation · $2,500–$6,000Ask about this →

Monday owner's brief

~1–2 hrs/wk
Trigger
Every Monday at 6 a.m.
What it does
  • Pulls sales, cash, overdue invoices, open jobs, and upcoming deadlines
  • Writes a one-page brief in plain English with the three things that need a decision
  • Compares to last week and the same week last year
  • Answers follow-up questions by text: 'why is cash down?'
Where a person stays in the loop
It's a report; you decide.
Connects to
QuickBooksPOS / CRMCalendarEmail / SMS
Usually Growth Build · $7,500+Ask about this →

Don't see yours? Most businesses have one we haven't written down yet.

If it arrives as text, photos, PDFs, or forms and ends in a decision or a data entry, it's a candidate. The $950 proof of concept is how we find out.

Describe your workflow
Automation playbooks — Carolina Solutions Architects