Case Study: How Custom Automations Saved My Client 20+ Hours a Week

As business owners, we all know that time is money. But what if you could save 20+ hours every week—without hiring extra staff?

In this case study, I’ll share how I helped one of my clients automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes, and free up valuable time. You’ll learn what we automated, the tools we used, key results—and tips you can apply to your own business.

The Client’s Challenge

My client, an e-commerce business selling wellness products, was growing fast but struggling with time-consuming tasks, such as:

Manually processing orders
Sending individual follow-up emails
Tracking leads from Facebook ads
Updating inventory across multiple platforms
Handling customer support tickets

👉 On average, their team was spending 25+ hours a week on these repetitive processes.

They knew they needed automation—but didn’t know where to begin.

The Goal

We had 3 main goals:

Save time by automating repetitive tasks.
Reduce human error.
Improve customer experience.

Step 1️⃣ Analyzing the Workflow

We started by mapping out every manual task they were doing regularly. Here’s what we found:

🛠 Task Analysis:

Order Processing: Daily — 8 hours/week
Follow-Up Emails: Daily — 5 hours/week
Lead Collection from Facebook: Weekly — 2 hours/week
Inventory Updates (Shopify + Amazon): Twice Weekly — 4 hours/week
Customer Support (First Response): Daily — 6 hours/week

👉 Total Time: ~25 hours/week

Step 2️⃣ Choosing the Right Tools

We chose tools that would integrate seamlessly with their Shopify + WordPress setup:

Make: For connecting apps and automating workflows.
Shopify Flow: To automate store processes.
Mailchimp: For automated email marketing.
Tidio Chatbot: To handle customer support.
Google Sheets: For real-time reporting.

💡 Ajay’s Tip: Always invest in tools that scale with your business—they save time and prevent future headaches.

Step 3️⃣ Implementing Custom Automations

Here’s what we automated:

🔄 Order Processing Automation

Shopify orders were automatically synced with the fulfillment center.
Order status emails (confirmed, shipped) were triggered automatically.

✅ Time saved: 8 hours/week

📧 Follow-Up Email Sequences

Set up email automations in Mailchimp to handle:
Thank you emails after purchase
Review requests after 7 days
Upsell offers after 14 days

✅ Time saved: 5 hours/week

🚀 Lead Capture from Facebook

Used Zapier to auto-sync Facebook Lead Ads into Google Sheets and Mailchimp.

✅ Time saved: 2 hours/week

🛒 Inventory Management

Automated inventory sync between Shopify and Amazon.
Low-stock alerts sent to Slack.

✅ Time saved: 4 hours/week

💬 Customer Support Automation

Integrated Tidio chatbot to:

Auto-respond to FAQs
Escalate complex queries to human support
Set up auto-replies for off-hours.

✅ Time saved: 6 hours/week

Results

After 4 weeks of implementation, here’s the impact:

Manual Hours/Week: Reduced from ~25 to ~5
Order Processing Errors: Dropped from 6% to under 1%
Customer Support Response Time: Improved from 4 hours to instant (via chatbot)
Follow-Up Email Open Rate: Increased from 22% to 35%

🎉 Total Time Saved: ~20+ hours/week

Key Takeaways

1️⃣ Start Small: Focus on automating your biggest time drain first.
2️⃣ Choose Smart Tools: Quality tools pay off quickly.
3️⃣ Test & Improve: Track performance and refine automations regularly.
4️⃣ Prioritize Customer Experience: Make sure automations enhance user experience.

Could Automation Help Your Business?

This project proves that custom automations can save significant time, cut down errors, and improve customer satisfaction. Whether you're in e-commerce, services, or any other business—automation can free up your time to focus on growth.

Need help building automations tailored to your business? Let’s connect!

📧 Email: shahajay213@gmail.com
📞 Phone: +91 9004609949

Ajay Shah — How can I help you?

Posted on: 01-05-2025