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TL;DR
Employees lose up to 62 % of their week to repetitive tasks Clockify
Only 31 % of firms have fully automated even a single core function Workona
Every unchecked manual loop is a silent tax on EBITDA.
Use the checklist below to diagnose where automation pays back first—and download the print‑ready PDF (gated) to share with your team.
1. Why Run an Automation Audit?
“I didn’t know we were paying for five different reporting tools until the invoice showed up.”
— Actual SMB CFO, 2025
Without a structured sweep, hidden inefficiencies stay…hidden. An audit:
Surfaces repeatable tasks ripe for bots.
Quantifies hard costs (licenses, labour) and soft costs (latency, errors).
Creates a roadmap that your Ops and Finance teams agree on.
2. KPI Benchmarks to Measure Against
| KPI | Industry Baseline | Red Flag Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Manual touch‑points per order | 2—3 | > 5 |
| Average ticket resolution time | < 6 hrs | > 12 hrs |
| Monthly SaaS spend per employee | USD $250 | > $400 |
| Data‑entry error rate | < 1 % | > 3 % |
| % of workflows documented | ≥ 80 % | < 40 % |
| Time spent on repetitive tasks/week | 8 hrs | > 15 hrs |
(Sources: Clockify, Workona, ProcessMaker reports 2023–2025) ClockifyWorkonaProcessMaker
3. The 25‑Question Checklist
Answer Yes (✅), No (❌), or Not Sure (?) for each.
A. Data Flow & Integrations
Do employees copy‑paste data between two systems more than once per day?
Is customer data updated in real‑time across CRM, billing, and support?
Does a single source‑of‑truth database exist for each key entity (order, client, asset)?
Are file exports/imports still required to sync tools?
Can non‑technical staff trigger cross‑app workflows without IT tickets?
B. Process Latency
Does any approval step take longer than 24 hours?
Are there hand‑offs relying on emailed spreadsheets or PDFs?
Are customers forced to “wait for the team to check the system” for status updates?
Are after‑hours tasks delayed until the next workday (no bots working at night)?
Is average order‑to‑invoice cycle time above industry average (see benchmarks)?
C. Cost & Licensing
Has SaaS spend grown > 15 % YoY without headcount growth?
Do multiple departments pay for duplicate licenses (e.g., two survey tools)?
Is any enterprise tool < 40 % utilised based on login telemetry?
Are contract renewals negotiated without usage data in hand?
Is there a manual process to deactivate departed employees in every system?
D. Error & Compliance
Have you incurred data‑entry–related chargebacks or penalties in the past year?
Is PII ever handled outside an encrypted platform (e.g., emailed CSVs)?
Are audit trails automatically generated for every critical workflow?
Do more than 3% of support tickets stem from “wrong data” issues?
Does your recovery plan simulate a system failure at least annually?
E. Employee & Customer Experience
Do staff complain about “system hopping” to complete one task?
Is customer NPS dragged down by “slow response” or “inconsistent info”?
Do new hires need > 5 days to learn internal workflows?
Are managers unable to view real‑time dashboards of team throughput?
Can frontline staff suggest and deploy small automations themselves?
4. Scoring Your Audit
Count one point for every “No” or “Not Sure”.
| Score | Diagnosis | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0‑4 | Lean & Mean | Keep optimising micro‑flows. Quarterly mini‑audits. |
| 5‑12 | Efficiency Gap | Prioritise top‑3 red flags, prototype automations. |
| 13‑25 | Automation Desert | Book a full roadmap engagement—ROI likely within 6‑9 months. |
5. Common Red Flags We See Weekly
Spreadsheet Overload – Financial close delayed because reconciliations live in Excel.
“Toggle Tax” – Agents switching between 6+ tabs per ticket.
License Squatting – Dormant users on premium seats.
Email Approvals – Critical sign‑offs trapped in inboxes = no audit trail.
Shadow IT Bots – Rogue Zapier flows nobody owns (until they break at 2 am).
If you spotted any of these, automation ROI is hiding in plain sight.
6. From Audit to Action: The Holistc™ Method
Discovery Call (Day 0) – Walk through your checklist results.
Deep‑Dive Audit (Week 1‑2) – Map every node, metric, and integration.
ROI Model (Week 3) – Forecast savings vs. build/maintain cost.
Pilot Build (Month 1‑2) – Ship a high‑impact bot in production.
Scale & Train (Month 3‑6) – Roll successful pattern across departments.
See the full playbook on our How It Works page.
7. KPI Benchmarks to Shoot For After Automation
| Metric | Pre‑Audit Typical | Post‑Automation Target |
|---|---|---|
| Manual touches per order | 6 | ≤ 2 |
| Ticket resolution time | 10 hrs | ≤ 4 hrs |
| SaaS cost per employee | USD $350 | ≤ $200 |
| Data‑entry error rate | 3 % | ≤ 0.5 % |
| Process documentation coverage | 45 % | ≥ 90 % |
| Time on repetitive tasks | 15 hrs/week | < 6 hrs/week |
Based on aggregated client data, these are realistic 6‑month post‑launch outcomes.
8. Get the Printable PDF (And Keep Your CFO Happy)
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Why gated? We crunch your checklist score into a personalised ROI snapshot.
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What’s inside?
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The full 25‑question sheet (tick‑boxes & space for notes)
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KPI benchmark cheat‑sheet
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Red‑flag photo cards (use in stand‑up meetings)
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ROI projection template
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Grab it in seconds—no spam, just insights.
9. Next Step: Schedule Your Free Audit
Still marking too many ❌’s? Let our solutions team validate the numbers and draft a zero‑obligation roadmap.
Book 30 minutes → walk away with a bespoke efficiency score, forecast savings, and a pilot recommendation—or pay nothing.
Claim My Free Automation Audit
Holistc™ is on a mission to erase busywork for growth‑hungry SMBs. When your workflows run themselves, humans can focus on the high‑leverage moves that compound revenue.
