5 small automations Twin Cities service businesses use
Small teams do not need giant platforms. Most wins come from clear steps and tools you already have. Here are five simple automations that work well for service businesses in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
1) Lead capture to CRM with an instant reply
When someone fills out a form, add the contact to your CRM, tag the source, notify the right person, and send a short thank you that sets the next step.
Tools that fit: Zapier, Google Sheets, Gmail, your CRM.
2) Estimate to invoice to payment
Move clean details from your estimate into an invoice and send a payment link without retyping. Keep your customer record in sync the whole way.
Tools that fit: Zapier, Stripe, your invoicing tool, Google Drive.
3) New client onboarding checklist and folders
Spin up a shared folder, a task list, and a short welcome note. Give your team and the client the same checklist so nothing slips.
Tools that fit: Google Drive, Google Docs, AppSheet or Apps Script, Calendar.
4) Job updates to a shared channel and a daily summary
Post key updates to a shared channel as they happen and send a short end of day summary so the team knows what moved.
Tools that fit: Zapier, chat app of your choice, Google Sheets for logging.
5) Renewal and follow up reminders
Create reminders for contract renewals, open estimates, and promised check-ins. Keep it light so it is useful every day.
Tools that fit: Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Zapier.
How to start
Pick one workflow that matters this month. Write the steps on one page. Build the smallest version that does the job. Run real data and adjust. Document it in plain language and share it with your team.
If you want help setting up one of these, I can build it inside your stack and leave you with a clean handoff. Book a short call and we will keep it simple.