Operations Automation Suite

The Problem

A 25-person marketing agency was spending roughly 60+ hours per week across 4 repetitive operational workflows:

1. Client reporting — manually pulling data from 6 platforms (Google Ads, Meta, GA4, etc.) and assembling monthly PDF reports (12 hrs/week)
2. Brief intake — reading client briefs, extracting key info, creating project tasks in Asana (8 hrs/week)
3. Invoice processing — extracting line items from vendor invoices, entering into Xero (15 hrs/week)
4. Content approval routing — moving content through review stages, chasing approvals via email (25 hrs/week)

None of this required judgment. All of it was killing morale.

What I Built

Workflow 1: Automated Reporting

Python scripts pulling from each platform’s API, normalizing metrics into a Postgres data warehouse, and generating reports via a Jinja2 + WeasyPrint pipeline. Monthly reports now generate in 4 minutes vs. 3 hours.

Workflow 2: AI Brief Processing

A Make.com scenario: new brief uploaded to Google Drive → webhook → Python script → GPT-4o extracts structured data (deliverables, deadline, budget, stakeholders) → creates Asana project with pre-filled tasks. Accuracy: 96% on structured extraction.

Workflow 3: Invoice Processing

Zapier + Python: invoice email → attachment extracted → GPT-4o Vision parses line items → validates against PO database → creates Xero bill draft for one-click approval. Reduced invoice processing from 15 hrs/week to 45 minutes of review.

Workflow 4: Content Approval Routing

Replaced the email chain with an Airtable workflow + automated Slack notifications. When content moves to “Ready for Review,” the assigned approver gets a Slack message with a direct link. Reminders at 24h and 48h. Escalation to manager at 72h. Approval time dropped from 5.2 days average to 1.1 days.

Results

• 64 hours/week eliminated across the 4 workflows
• Build time: 3 weeks (audit + build + test + handoff)
• Payback period: < 2 weeks at their blended hourly rate
• Staff reaction: unanimous positive — redirected time to client work they actually enjoy