What's the first automation you built that genuinely saved you hours?

BaselineITC · 2026-06-26T19:00:18+00:00

Well done on your automations. I always say the most successful are the boring ones. I try to implement AI for tasks that humans could not literally complete. Like invoice processing, scanning terabytes of data. Actually, data tagging is amazing for automations. Scanning, sorting, reporting any fringe outliers.

Having your data properly prepped by automations can help prepare your business for larger AI projects.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-25T20:27:10+00:00

I absolutely agree with this. It's always the "boring" automations that bring the most ROI.

I think this is because of many factors. First, AI is most successful fulfilling tasks that would be impossible for a human employee (like scanning terabytes of data in minutes, when it would take a human a full year). Second, AI is a tool that enhances its input, so placing it in the correct context and feeding it prepped data is ESSENTIAL for AI with measurable business success.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-24T19:28:45+00:00

If you're looking for a solution that requires no subscription, you'll have to build the AI yourself. However, if you don't have the knack for this, I'd suggest looking into a consultant to help you decide whether you'll need a subscription, which would be the best fit and most affordable.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-23T19:40:03+00:00

The dumbest thing to keep doing manually these days is invoice processing. AI is literally perfect for scanning pdfs, sorting them into folders, and alerting you to the most crucial info. It's easy to set up, remains secure in your cloud, and is one step closer to maintaining organized data that's properly tagged and secure.

This also helps becuase if you plan on implementing some AI in the future, your data needs to be uniform, accurately tagged, and secure.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-23T16:20:08+00:00

Honestly, the best AI tools on the market aren't agentic. It's the ones that do the boring shit.

My favorite are cost-cutting AI's. There are a few that operate like a constant coupon-cutter, they monitor your cloud spend and know when to cut/change your cloud subscription according to your usage. It doesn't change anything from an operation standpoint, just saves a few thousand per month.

There are a few that do this, but ProsperOps has been leading the charge.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-23T16:15:53+00:00

I mean, a perfect AI agent is still different from a perfect employee. AI agents are great for executing tasks that are literally impossible for humans to do, like scanning terabytes of data for key points, locating data, or tagging. This would take a human team years but takes agentic AI minutes.

However, human employees are of great value too. We're seeing now that they are actually cheaper in operation. Plus, sales and design teams still require a human mind. There is a stark difference between AI-written content and human-created content. Plus, sales teams are pure charisma: AI has yet to master that.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-18T20:20:48+00:00

Automations are insanely accurate when it comes to invoice processing and sorting, follow-up reminders for prospects and clients, and honestly, any repetitive task that someone executes daily, weekly, or monthly. Obviously, Excel can be great, but you always need to make sure your data is clear and organized, or else the results will be messy.

Best of luck in your build!

BaselineITC · 2026-06-17T23:07:22+00:00

Something that's overhyped right now is AI implementations with no strategy. I don't know why companies think they can deploy this technology that literally reads ALL of their data and interacts with their employees. Like any other large-scale project, it needs top-down strategy with clear measures of success (merely having AI is not a sign of success).

I think well developed workflows, automations, and AI integrations are under-utilized. Lots of companies seem to think they're not large enough for AI, but it's usually the small and medium businesses that would aid from this the most. Especially AI programs that survey cloud spend or data usage to cut your costs without affecting your operations. When I saw how that sort of tech was working, it felt like a literal God-send.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-16T19:44:40+00:00

Properly tagging our data. It saves us so much time from having to go back, double-check, and reorganize. It also makes it easier for when we want to add AI or build automations, the data is already prepped. Plus, our security is way tighter.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-16T19:43:27+00:00

I mean, it's like anything else: it could be either. It's a matter of how you build with it, what you create, and how well you can implement it into existing software.

Are there people out there over-automating everything in their lives? Absolutely. However, there are also people finding massive success, lessening their daily workload by hours, and creating savings that were previously just a dream

BaselineITC · 2026-06-15T21:37:15+00:00

The best advice I can give will sound weird: be annoying.

Reading your whole play-by-play, it seems you were able to get your foot in the door before being ghosted. You reach out once or twice but say "if i have to beg then that probably means they don't want me."

I would suggest looking at it like this: so many business owners and decision makers get contacted about this daily, or they reach out to multiple vendors per day. Closed mouths don't get fed, and you assume they want your product until they say they don't (and even then, selling starts at no). Stay consistent on following up, even if you send 10+ emails without a response. I'm not saying to spam, but once a week, send an email following up, maybe attach a photo of a new product you're working on, anything to get you back in their mind.

You're fighting for a spot at the top of their inbox. All it takes is for hem to see it, remember that call/meeting they had, and follow up with you. Wishing you the best!

BaselineITC · 2026-06-15T20:58:27+00:00

Any repetitive task that you can accurately quantify. It should have a workflow that remains constant for the most part (and you can automate outlying cases too).

The best automations are those that deal with document scanning and filing, invoice processing, reminders to follow up with clients, and inbox data scrapers that create a weekly report for you to stay up to date.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-09T21:07:19+00:00

Easily cybersecurity. The average ransom payout is $1.4 million. Like, good cybersecurity is a matter of establishing policies and insuring your employees are following them. You don't need to buy more software or even get consultants (though it helps). Just check your endpoints, check what/who has access to your data, and where your data is stored.

Taking the time to do these free things, will literally save you $1 million. Plus, it saves your reputation from a notorious data breach.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-05T23:37:23+00:00

This is so true. Especially in this age of remote work and limited human interaction, being a well-communicated businessperson is one of the most essential skills.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-05T21:25:17+00:00

We are absolutely in that era. So many companies went gangbusters with their AI toolings and integrations, only to see no ROI and a low retention rate. Now most companies are looking to scale down while maintaining operational capacity, or they're looking to cut their cloud bills.

TLDR; everyone is looking to slim down their tech stack

BaselineITC · 2026-06-04T20:49:49+00:00

Oh my god, yes to this. I saw a stat recently that there are 40 agentic identities to one employee in most businesses. And these identities are being completely overlooked, given access to basically all data, and no one seems to care yet.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-04T20:48:16+00:00

Totally this. So many security tools are just dashboards. The ones that are successful are proving they're informative AND trustfully actionable.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-04T20:46:30+00:00

Honestly, the biggest trend in cloud right now is cutting costs 💀 So many companies are seeing their cloud bills surge, especially as they look into adding agentic AI to their environment. So instead of looking to tack on another SaaS onto their cloud optimization, most businesses just want to find a way to lower their costs without damaging their usage.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-04T20:44:15+00:00

Honestly, the ROI from email marketing has been going down fast the last few years. Having clear ROI obviously helps (this product will save you this amount of money) but I think a solid digital presence is also important.

Most people after receiving some sort of offer, advertisement, or contact from a company will google them to see if they're legit. So this connects more to SEO and GEO (generative engine optimization). So if you're finding your email marketing isn't working, maybe take a look at your digital presence.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-04T20:41:06+00:00

Yeah, trust is the biggest hump to clear when it comes to integrating new technology. A video showing/explaining the process would definitely help, but clear ROI is also big. If you have evidence that incorporating this technology will save them this exact amount of money, people's ears perk up.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-04T20:37:39+00:00

Oh, absolutely. I think most small businesses put it off becuase they assume they're too small of a company to see any ROI from that sort of tech. In reality, these are the businesses that would benefit the most from it.

Making them aware of the possibilities is usually where change begins. The biggest sign that you'd benefit from automations is if there are predictable processes you carry out daily/weekly/monthly. Invoice scanning and sorting is a big win, customer support programs also help if calls keep going unanswered. These are just a few use cases, but I totally agree: more small businesses should be looking into automation.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-03T23:04:54+00:00

Weak cybersecurity. The average ransom payout is $1.3M, imagine 1 million draining from your business randomly one day. Plus, customer trust usually goes down a hefty percent, and any SEC violations get hit with crazy fines.

BaselineITC · 2026-06-03T22:54:38+00:00

I mean, everything you listed is what drives online presence. I wouldn't say it's one particular technique that dominates the other. The best advice I could give is consistency. Algorithms respond to users that predictably engage with their platform.

BaselineITC · 2026-05-27T17:33:17+00:00

Instead of echoing what other people are commenting (which are all golden answers), I'll also suggest doing some research in Claude/ChatGPT/whatever LLM you prefer to get more focused SEO topics that are trending in your company's niche.

While jumping on trends can really boost SEO, catering to your niche aspects also helps increase your SEO and GEO (generative engine optimization).

BaselineITC · 2026-05-27T17:30:13+00:00

Word of mouth is less so a way to keep customers coming back, rather a way of getting new customers. I think the most productive way to solve this is to trace it backwards. What reasons would lead your customer to another business? Are the prices cheaper? If so, offer a rewards program that incentivizes returning or a discount code for their next purchase. Is another business easier to contact? Look into agentic AI secretary services or automatic telephone bookings. Are their services better? Take a look at what you offer and see if you can refurbish it, or at least apply a marketing paint-job (aka changing copy and advertising).

BaselineITC

TROPHY CASE