Re-typing emailed jobs, double entry into Xero, chasing overdue invoices, the Friday spreadsheet ritual: it all looks free because it never shows up on the P&L. Put rough weekly hours against the four areas below and see what it actually costs a year. Be honest, and use last week, not a good week.
// by Chris Olanda, founder of Kontrol AI · kontrolai.com.au
Job intake & quoting
Re-typing emailed jobs into the system, chasing missing site details, quotes written from scratch, follow-ups that rely on memory. hrs/wk
Scheduling & job admin
Jobs sent by text, calendar and whiteboard updated separately, paper timesheets typed in later, asking around to see if a job is done. hrs/wk
Invoicing & payments
Invoices built by hand from job cards, the same job entered twice (job system, then Xero or MYOB), chasing overdue invoices, keying supplier bills. hrs/wk
Reporting & the office
The weekly copy-paste into a spreadsheet, "when's the tech coming?" calls, compliance certs assembled job by job, the inbox as the to-do list. hrs/wk
What an admin hour costs you
Wages plus on-costs, or your own hourly rate if it's you doing it. $45 is a fair default.$ /hr
Your admin time-cost, per year
$0
0 hours a week × $45 × 48 working weeks
Put your hours in above. Most owners who do this honestly land somewhere between 5 and 20 hours a week.
Want the fix, not just the number?
Tell me which area is costing you most and I'll tell you whether it's worth automating. Your calculator result comes with your message, so you don't need to repeat it. I'll reply personally, usually within one business day.
Got it. I'll take a look.
I'll review what you've described alongside your calculator result and reply to the email you gave, usually within one business day.