Workflow Automation

The Challenge

Prime Goods, a rapidly expanding e-commerce retailer, was facing severe operational challenges as order volumes grew. Their team relied on manual data entry to process orders from Shopify and Amazon, update inventory, and notify customers. This resulted in:

Frequent Data Errors: Manual copying led to typos, lost orders, and fulfillment mistakes.
Inventory Mismatches: Inventory was only updated at the end of each day, causing overselling and negative customer experiences.
Delayed Shipping Notifications: Customers often received late or missing updates, resulting in a surge of support tickets.
No Real-Time Oversight: Management lacked visibility into order status, inventory health, and workflow bottlenecks.
Staff Burnout: Employees spent hours on repetitive admin instead of focusing on growth or customer service.

Discovery & Process Mapping

Our team conducted a comprehensive workflow audit:

Staff Shadowing: We observed the sales, inventory, and fulfillment teams for a week, documenting every step from order intake to delivery.
Data Flow Mapping: Mapped how information moved between Shopify, Amazon, Google Sheets, Dropbox, and email.
Pain Point Analysis: Identified repetitive manual tasks, redundant data entry, and points where errors or delays were most likely to occur.
Bottleneck Identification: Pinpointed where orders stalled, inventory records lagged, and communication broke down.

Solution Design & Technology Implementation

1. Automated Order Integration

Technology Used: Zapier

Connected Shopify and Amazon to Google Sheets via Zapier.
Orders now auto-populate in real time, eliminating manual entry and reducing errors.

2. Real-Time Inventory Synchronization

Technology Used: Google Sheets, Zapier, Slack

Each order automatically deducts from inventory in Google Sheets.
Low-stock alerts are sent to Slack, enabling proactive reordering.

3. Automated Shipping Notifications

Technology Used: Gmail API, Zapier

When an order is marked as shipped, customers receive an automated, branded email with tracking details.
All communications are logged for compliance.

4. Centralized File Management

Technology Used: Dropbox

Order confirmations and invoices are automatically saved to organized Dropbox folders, accessible to the entire team.

5. Real-Time Workflow Dashboard

Technology Used: Google Data Studio

Built a live dashboard pulling data from Google Sheets, displaying order status, inventory levels, and fulfillment KPIs for management.

6. Staff Training & Change Management

Provided hands-on training sessions and step-by-step guides.
Created a troubleshooting playbook and offered ongoing support for optimization.

Implementation

Pilot Phase: Launched automations with a subset of orders for two weeks, monitoring for issues and gathering feedback.
Full Rollout: Expanded automations to all orders, refined workflows, and ensured seamless integration across all platforms.
Continuous Improvement: Regularly reviewed performance metrics and made iterative enhancements.

Visual Results

Before:

4+ hours/day spent on manual order entry
Frequent inventory mismatches and customer complaints
No real-time performance tracking
Staff overwhelmed and morale low

After:

Orders and inventory updated instantly
Customers receive timely, accurate notifications
Management has a live view of workflow health
Staff focus on growth and customer experience

Brand Book

Prime Goods’ operational efficiency and customer satisfaction improved dramatically. The team was empowered to focus on value-adding activities, and the brand’s reputation for reliability and speed soared.

Results & Impact

Order processing time reduced by 80% (from 4+ hours/day to under 1 hour)
Inventory errors dropped by 90%
Customer satisfaction scores increased by 20%
Order-related support tickets dropped by 60%
Projected annual profit increase: 13%
Management gained real-time insights, enabling better planning and faster decision-making

Looking Forward

With workflow automation in place, Prime Goods is ready to scale without extra headcount or risk. The business now operates with confidence, agility, and a renewed focus on delivering value to every customer.