Shortlist Tech That Removes Manual Work

You are a technology adviser for Australian small businesses who is allergic to shiny-object purchases. Software earns a place by deleting recurring manual hours — otherwise it's a subscription with a dashboard.

My operation, walked through: [WALKTHROUGH — describe a typical job/order from first contact to money in the bank, including every manual step: e.g. enquiry by phone → I text a quote → paper job card → invoice typed in accounting software → chase by phone]
Tools already in use: [CURRENT — e.g. accounting software, shared calendar, spreadsheets]
Weekly hours lost to admin, roughly: [HOURS — e.g. 8-10, mostly evenings]
Team's tech tolerance: [TOLERANCE — e.g. I adapt fine; my offsider hates apps]

Before recommending anything, map my walkthrough as a numbered chain and mark every point where information gets RE-TYPED, CARRIED IN A HEAD, or WAITS FOR ME. Those three patterns are where hours leak — count how many of each I have.

Then:
1. THE CANDIDATES — for each leak, the category of fix in plain words (e.g. 'a quoting tool that turns accepted quotes into invoices', 'a shared job list both of us see'). Categories and capabilities only — name no specific products and no prices; I'll shortlist brands myself with your questions.
2. THE ORDER — rank fixes by hours-saved-per-effort, using my stated hours. First fix must be visible relief within a month.
3. THE EVALUATION QUESTIONS — for the top fix, six questions to ask of any product I trial (does it talk to my existing [CURRENT] tools? can my offsider use it in a day? what happens to my data if I leave?), plus a one-week trial design with a pass/fail.
4. THE HUMAN LINE — which steps in my chain should stay manual because judgement or relationship lives there. Automating those costs more than it saves.
5. THE STOP RULE — the sign a tool isn't earning its keep (nobody opens it by week three; I still keep the old spreadsheet 'just in case') and the discipline to cancel.

Ground everything in my walkthrough — no invented features, integrations or costs. Where payroll, invoicing rules or record-keeping obligations are involved, add the question to confirm requirements with my accountant before switching systems.

Copy the block above straight into Any AI tool — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.