Every business has that one task nobody wants to admit they’re still doing manually. Maybe it’s copying leads from a website form into the CRM. Or retyping quotes into invoicing software. Or updating courier tracking numbers by hand.
It seems small — just a few minutes here and there. But across an entire team, those minutes add up fast.
In fact, our workshops often reveal that manual rekeying chews up as much as 15% of staff time. That’s almost a full day every week wasted on work a system could do instantly.
Why Rekeying Still Happens
When I run Process Discovery Workshops, the same culprits come up again and again:
- Disconnected systems — Website orders aren’t integrated with CRM.
- Legacy habits — “We’ve always done it this way.”
- Partial automation — Some workflows are automated, but gaps remain.
- Fear of change — Staff are nervous about replacing processes they “trust.”
These bottlenecks feel small, but they quietly drain productivity and morale.
A Real-World Example
One client thought their CRM was “working fine.” But in our efficiency mapping, we found:
- Quotes were created in CRM.
- Invoices had to be retyped in accounting software.
- Stock allocation was updated in spreadsheets.
Result?
- Multiple points of failure.
- Delays in invoicing.
- Staff spending hours every week duplicating data instead of serving customers.
When we automated the quote-to-invoice flow and linked CRM to Inventory, the admin overhead disappeared overnight. The team recovered 12% of their weekly time, which they immediately reinvested into sales follow-ups.
The Ripple Effect of Manual Processes
Manual rekeying doesn’t just waste time. It also creates:
- Errors — Typos in invoices, wrong dates in schedules, mismatched stock numbers.
- Frustrated staff — Talented people reduced to “data monkeys.”
- Customer delays — Slow quotes, late invoices, or missing updates damage trust.
- Hidden costs — Extra headcount is often justified just to “keep up” with admin.
And when volume scales, those cracks widen fast.
How to Eliminate Manual Processes
- Map your workflows — Identify where data is being copied between systems (our workshops do exactly this).
- Automate the core flows — Quote-to-invoice, scheduling, and customer communication deliver the fastest ROI.
- Standardise your data — Consistent product codes and naming conventions prevent integration errors.
- Measure efficiency gains — Track how much staff time is reclaimed once automation is in place.
The Bottom Line
Manual rekeying isn’t just “part of the job.” It’s a silent cost eating 15% of staff productivity.
Eliminating manual processes isn’t about replacing people — it’s about freeing them to do work that generates revenue and improves customer experience.
Ready to See Where You’re Losing Time?
I help businesses uncover hidden inefficiencies through Process Discovery Workshops. We map your workflows, calculate wasted effort, and design automations that pay back in months, not years.
👉 Book your free 30-minute mini workshop here
