The Owner’s Playbook · Promptolution

Twelve workflows. One shortlist. Thirty days.

Work through it in order: the hour audit prices your manual work, the twelve workflows show what’s possible, and the priority score picks your first build. The worksheets do the math and remember your answers in this browser.

Start the hour audit →Download the printable PDF ↓
  1. 00Start here
  2. 01The hour audit
  3. 02Twelve workflows
  4. 03Which one first
  5. 04Your 30-day plan
  6. 05The ownership checklist
  7. 06What goes wrong
  8. 07Start with one

How to fill this in

Print this page and use a pen. Prefer to type? The interactive version at promptolution.com/playbook does the math for you.

  1. Write what an hour is worth at the top.
  2. For each row, write the hours per week — everyone combined.
  3. Cost / year = hours × your hourly value × 48.
  4. Circle how much a machine could do: None (× 0), Half (× 0.5) or Most (× 0.8).
  5. Savings / year = cost / year × that number.
  6. Add up each column for your totals.

Example: 3 hrs/week × $40 × 48 = $5,760 cost per year. Circle Half: $5,760 × 0.5 = $2,880 savings per year.

What an hour is worth: $

WorkHours / weekCost / yearA machine could do
(circle one)		Savings / year
01Answering calls, texts and messagesPicking up, calling back, replying to texts and DMs — including after hours.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
02Scheduling and reschedulingThe back-and-forth to find a time, plus moving appointments that change.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
03Following up on quotes and leadsChecking in on estimates, proposals and inquiries that went quiet.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
04Retyping informationCopying the same names, addresses and order details from one system into another.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
05Collecting documents and signaturesChasing forms, photos, IDs and contracts from customers.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
06Producing routine paperworkQuotes, invoices, letters and reports built by hand from a template.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
07Answering the same questionsHours, prices, availability, “where’s my order?” — things you’ve answered a hundred times.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
08Giving status updatesTelling customers where their job, order or case stands.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
09Chasing paymentsFinding unpaid invoices, sending reminders, making the awkward call.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
10Pulling numbers togetherCopying figures into a spreadsheet so you can see how the week went.$ None  ·  Half  ·  Most$
Totals$ $

Compare your total savings — not the full cost — against a build that starts at $3,000. Decide row by row, not in bulk.

01Answering calls, texts and messagesPicking up, calling back, replying to texts and DMs — including after hours. hrs$0
02Scheduling and reschedulingThe back-and-forth to find a time, plus moving appointments that change. hrs$0
03Following up on quotes and leadsChecking in on estimates, proposals and inquiries that went quiet. hrs$0
04Retyping informationCopying the same names, addresses and order details from one system into another. hrs$0
05Collecting documents and signaturesChasing forms, photos, IDs and contracts from customers. hrs$0
06Producing routine paperworkQuotes, invoices, letters and reports built by hand from a template. hrs$0
07Answering the same questionsHours, prices, availability, “where’s my order?” — things you’ve answered a hundred times. hrs$0
08Giving status updatesTelling customers where their job, order or case stands. hrs$0
09Chasing paymentsFinding unpaid invoices, sending reminders, making the awkward call. hrs$0
10Pulling numbers togetherCopying figures into a spreadsheet so you can see how the week went. hrs$0
Hours per week0
Cost by hand / year$0
Realistic savings / year$0

Cost per year = hours per week × what an hour is worth × 48 working weeks. Realistic savings multiplies each row by the share a machine could do. Compare that figure — not the full cost — against a build starting at $3,000. Decide row by row, not in bulk.

01

Missed-call text-back

Every unanswered call gets a text within a minute.

Your hands are full — literally — when the phone rings. Most people who reach voicemail don’t leave a message. They hang up and try the next business in the search results.

Home servicesConstructionHealthcareSalons & spasAuto repair

What starts it

A call to your business number rings out, is declined or goes to voicemail.

What you’ll need

A business phone service that can send texts, an automation platform, and a place to keep contacts — a CRM or even a spreadsheet.

What it’s worth

Count last month’s missed calls from new numbers. Multiply by how often a new caller becomes a customer, then by your average job. That’s the revenue slipping through the gap every month.

What it does

  1. Spot the missed call immediately — not when someone checks the log tonight.
  2. Text from your business number: who you are, that you saw the call, and one simple question.
  3. Offer two ways forward: reply by text, or pick a time online.
  4. Log the call and the conversation on the customer’s record.
  5. Alert a named person if the caller replies and nobody responds within the time you set.
↑ All workflows

How often

1 = A few times a year · 5 = Many times a day

Rare problems feel painful in the moment but cost little over a year.

Time each time

1 = Under a minute · 5 = An hour or more

Count the whole thing — including the interruption to whatever else was happening.

Cost of a miss

1 = Nobody notices · 5 = A lost customer or real money

What happens when it’s late, wrong or forgotten?

Ease to build

1 = Needs new systems first · 5 = Clear rules, tools already connect

Can you describe it end to end in five minutes, and do your tools talk to each other?

How to fill this in

Print these pages and use a pen. Prefer to type? The interactive version at promptolution.com/playbook multiplies and ranks for you.

  1. For each workflow, circle one number from 1 to 5 in each of the four columns.
  2. Multiply the four circled numbers and write the result under Score (the highest possible is 625).
  3. Skip any workflow that doesn’t apply to your business.
  4. Write your three highest scores in Your shortlist below the table.

Example: quote follow-up scored How often 4, Time each time 2, Cost of a miss 4, Ease to build 5 → 4 × 2 × 4 × 5 = 160.

WorkflowHow often
circle one		Time each time
circle one		Cost of a miss
circle one		Ease to build
circle one		Score
01 Missed-call text-back1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
02 All your leads in one place1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
03 Self-booking with screening questions1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
04 Reminders and rebooking1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
05 Quote follow-up1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
06 Won-deal handoff1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
07 Document and receipt reading1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
08 Status updates1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
09 Invoice follow-up1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
10 Review requests and check-ins1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
11 Win-back and reorder reminders1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
12 The Monday numbers email1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
Your own: 1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
Your own: 1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5

Your shortlist

1. Score

2. Score

3. Score

Build the top one or two, run them for a month, then rescore. The list will have changed — fixing one workflow usually reveals the next one behind it.

WorkflowHow oftenTime each timeCost of a missEase to buildScore
01 Missed-call text-back1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
02 All your leads in one place1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
03 Self-booking with screening questions1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
04 Reminders and rebooking1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
05 Quote follow-up1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
06 Won-deal handoff1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
07 Document and receipt reading1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
08 Status updates1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
09 Invoice follow-up1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
10 Review requests and check-ins1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
11 Win-back and reorder reminders1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
12 The Monday numbers email1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–
1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5–

Your shortlist

  1. Score at least one workflow to see your shortlist.

Build the top one or two, run them for a month, then rescore. The list will have changed — fixing one workflow usually reveals the next one behind it.

  1. Week 1

    Measure and choose

    • Redo the hour audit with real numbers — your call log, sent folder and unpaid-invoice report.
    • Score all twelve workflows and commit to the top one.
    • Write today’s process as numbered steps, including the odd cases someone handles by instinct.
    • Pick the one number that will prove it worked, and write down where it stands today.
  2. Week 2

    Build the simple version

    • Build the main path only. Send every unusual case to a person for now.
    • Use tools you already pay for before buying anything new.
    • Create every account in your business’s name — never a personal or vendor account.
    • Test with ten real examples, checking each result before it reaches a customer.
  3. Week 3

    Run it with someone watching

    • Turn it on for real, with a person reviewing anything unusual.
    • Log every mistake and why it happened. That log is your list for version two.
    • Tell your team what it does and what to do if it misfires.
    • Fix the two most common problems. Leave the rest for now.
  4. Week 4

    Prove it, then pick the next

    • Compare your number with week one.
    • Write a one-page guide: what starts it, what it does, who owns it, what to do if it breaks.
    • Decide: keep it, fix it or switch it off. Switching off is a fine — and cheap — answer.
    • Rescore your list and start the next build, or let this one settle for a month.

Automating a process nobody wrote down

01

If nobody can list the steps, the automation gets built around whoever talks loudest. The odd cases show up after launch, one at a time, and each one costs a little trust.

Picking the exciting project over the expensive problem

02

The workflow that sounds fun is rarely the one losing money. Score first, then build. The dull one usually pays best.

Letting AI make judgment calls

03

Automate the fetching, sorting, drafting and sending. Keep a person on pricing exceptions, legal or medical questions and anything that could damage an important relationship.

Building for the business you might have someday

04

Extra capacity you don’t need yet is complexity you have to maintain now. Build for today’s volume and rebuild when growth actually arrives.

No owner, no runbook, no alarm

05

Every automation needs a named owner, a one-page guide for when it breaks, and an alert when it stops running. Without them, failures go unnoticed for weeks.

07

Your next step

Start with one

If you read this and build one workflow yourself, it did its job. None of the twelve is a secret — doing it well is the hard part, and you now have enough to start. If you’d like help, here’s how it works with us:

  • Free: the AI readiness quiz (2 minutes) and your industry checklist (5 minutes).
  • Free 30-minute call: bring your shortlist. We’ll check your scores and put real dollar figures on the top two. No pitch deck — if it isn’t worth building, we’ll say so.
  • Build with us: projects start at $3,000 and go live in about 30 days. AI costs stay yours, paid directly to the provider, and every account is in your name from day one.

Book a call at promptolution.com/contact. Whatever you choose: own the accounts.

Bring your shortlist

Want a second opinion on your first build?

Send us your hour audit and scores. We’ll reply with what we’d look at first and whether a Discovery makes sense — or tick the box and we’ll go through it on a free 30-minute call.

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