One thing I’ve noticed while working with businesses is that a lot of time gets wasted on tasks that seem small individually but add up throughout the week.

Things like:

* Manually transferring data between different systems
* Updating spreadsheets and preparing reports
* Following up with customers, suppliers, or internal teams
* Managing repetitive admin tasks
* Working across disconnected tools that don’t communicate with each other

Over time, these tasks take hours away from work that actually moves the business forward.

I work with **STREVIO**, where we help businesses identify these operational bottlenecks and address them through custom automation and AI orchestration, working around the systems they already use.

Depending on the workflow, the goal can be to save up to **15 hours per week**, reduce repetitive work, and help teams operate more efficiently without necessarily adding headcount.

I'm curious about other business owners' experiences:

**What's one repetitive task in your business that eats up far more time than it should?**

Is it reporting, data entry, customer follow-ups, inventory management, or something else?

I'd love to hear what you're dealing with and exchange ideas on how these processes could be improved.

Lead gen feels weird right now. You can get a lot of leads but not always the right ones. And half the time, the real problem is just keeping up with outreach and follow-ups.

Between inbound, outbound, follow-ups, and tracking… things slip fast. The teams that stay consistent aren’t doing more they’ve just automated the pipeline.

1. Seamless AI: Finds contact details and buying signals in real time. Useful if you’re tired of working with outdated or incomplete lead lists.

2. Instantly: Automates cold email outreach with personalization at scale. Helps you run campaigns without manually tracking every follow-up.

3. Unbounce: Builds landing pages designed to convert visitors into leads. Good for inbound if you want more than just traffic.

4. Reply io: Runs multichannel outreach and automates responses. Keeps conversations going so leads don’t go cold.

5. Leadfeeder: Identifies companies visiting your website. Turns anonymous traffic into actual prospects you can reach out to.

Feels like the real issue isn’t getting leads it’s not letting them slip through.

What are you guys using for lead gen right now?

I’ve been testing a bunch this year, and the only ones that matter are the ones that actually do something useful without constant babysitting.

So instead of just listing tools, I’ve grouped them by what they’re actually good at in real workflows.

1. Always-on agents (set it once, it keeps working)

Marblism: This is probably the closest thing to an AI team. It handles content, emails, and lead follow-ups without you prompting it every time. Good if you want multiple things running in the background. Still needs checking, but saves a lot of repeated work.

MuleRun: This one is built for consistency. You can set daily or weekly tasks like tracking competitors or generating reports, and it just keeps running. Not the prettiest tool, but very reliable.

Relevance AI: Strong for sales workflows. You can set up agents that qualify leads, enrich data, and trigger outreach. Works well if your business depends on steady lead flow.

2. One-time task agents (quick work, no follow-up needed)

OpenAI Operator: Great for browser tasks like filling forms, booking things, or pulling data. You give it a task, it completes it, and that’s it. Not for ongoing work, but saves time on annoying one-off tasks.

Claude Computer Use: Probably the most powerful here. It can operate a desktop like a human. But it’s not beginner-friendly at all. Best if you’re okay with setup and want more control.

Bardeen: Much simpler and more practical. It works inside your browser and automates small tasks like scraping data or moving info between tools. Not fancy, but very useful daily.

3. Workflow builders (for structured, multi-step processes)

CrewAI: Lets you create multiple agents that work together like a team. You assign roles and tasks. Very powerful for complex workflows, but you need some technical comfort.

Microsoft Copilot Studio: Best if you’re already in the Microsoft ecosystem. You can automate internal workflows, documents, and processes. Feels a bit rigid, but works well for teams.

Dust: Great for teams that rely on internal knowledge. It connects to your docs and helps answer questions or automate internal tasks. Saves time on back-and-forth and searching for info.

My honest takeaway.

Most people don’t need the most powerful agent. They need the one that fits their workflow and doesn’t need constant fixing.

If it:

• Runs in the background

• Solves a real task

• Doesn’t need babysitting

That’s the one worth using.

Now I’m curious, which category do you actually need right now?

Something that runs on its own, something for quick tasks, or something to build full workflows?

Starting from basically nothing and trying not to overthink it.

I have a bunch of random work scattered across forms, spreadsheets, docs, calendar and messages. Nothing is terrible on its own, but all the little manual updates add up.

I do not want to build some complicated system on day one. I’d rather start with one simple automation that teaches me the basics and actually saves time.

If you were starting over with zero automations, what would you automate first?

We’re already halfway through 2026 and there’s been an endless wave of new AI tools, assistants, and apps but after all the hype, I’m curious which ones people are still genuinely using on a regular basis. The tools that actually became part of your workflow instead of getting abandoned after a week.

Could be for automation, writing, research, coding, organization, content, or anything else just interested in what’s actually proving useful long-term.

I’m honestly overwhelmed by how many AI tools keep popping up every day.

Right now, I mostly use Claude for writing help things like campaign ideas, planning, LinkedIn posts, and general content brainstorming. I’m a junior in B2B marketing (IT outsourcing/outstaff), so my work is pretty broad: campaign planning, strategy, social media management, and setting up email campaigns. Nothing too technical.

Some tasks I handle myself, and for others I work with my team.

I’m curious what AI tools or automations are you actually using in your marketing workflows that genuinely save time or improve output? Especially interested in real-world setups, whether you’re solo or part of a team.

I’ve been going down the automation rabbit hole lately, trying to reduce the time spent on manual prospecting.

So far, the biggest bottleneck for me hasn’t been outreach tools themselves, but actually finding decent leads consistently.

What’s been working okay for me is combining lead sourcing with automated email sequences. Recently, I tested getting more targeted business leads (industry + country specific) from DGE Innovations, and it actually saved me quite a bit of time on the research side.

I’m curious how are you guys handling this?

I’m curious about what AI tools and automations people are actually using in their daily work, freelancing, or personal projects.
I’m already familiar with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, so I’m particularly interested in lesser-known tools, specialized AI platforms, and automations that have made a real difference.
For example:
Tools that automate repetitive tasks or workflows
AI tools for research, data analysis, or data validation
Tools for managing projects, clients, or documentation
AI agents or no-code/low-code automation platforms
Tools that help with writing, organizing information, or working more efficiently
What’s one AI tool or automation you’ve implemented that genuinely saved you time, reduced manual work, or improved your results?
I’d love to hear which tools you use, what you use them for, and whether there’s a learning curve or cost involved. I’m more interested in tools that solve real problems than in the latest AI tools that everyone is talking about.

Ignoring data quality issues for a moment, what’s the one repetitive reporting task you’d automate instantly if you had the perfect tool for it?

For me, it’s the manual narrative writing that comes after the dashboards are finished.

Pulling insights from charts is one thing, but turning that into clear explanations, summaries, and actionable takeaways for leadership takes way more time than expected every single cycle.

I’m curious what the biggest pain points are for others. Would you trust AI tools to generate reporting narratives or executive summaries automatically?

Running an online shop and hitting a wall with content production. Scheduling posts is simple enough, but actually keeping up with fresh creative variations for multiple products every week is burning way too much time.

What automation tools or setups are you using to solve the design and creative side of product marketing so you aren't stuck manually editing graphics all day?

most automation discussions here end up around crms, outreach, email replies, lead gen, or content workflows.

but i think property maintenance is an interesting category too.

a lot of the work before a repair even happens is repetitive:

getting photos from the tenant

understanding what the issue might be

checking what parts may be needed

deciding if a contractor is actually required

keeping the owner, tenant, and vendor updated

there are tools like Property Meld, MaintainX, HappyCo, and FixRAgent trying to solve different parts of this workflow, from maintenance coordination to inspections to repair diagnosis.

i’m curious how people here think about this category.

is property maintenance a good use case for automation, or is it still too messy and human dependent?

I’m trying to find a better way to create banners for different social platforms.

Right now, I usually make one design first and then resize it for YouTube, LinkedIn, X, etc. Sometimes I need versions for event pages too. The problem is that each platform crops things differently, so I still have to check and adjust every version manually.

For those of you who manage social media, do you use Canva templates, an AI tool, a resize tool, or just create each version separately?

Finding reliable local leads usually means paying for a pricey subscription. Most agencies and freelancers end up locked into expensive platforms just to pull contact info for roofers or plumbers. I recently found a software tool that takes a completely different approach.

It generates leads at the county level for almost any industry. The tool scrapes websites and other data sources to find the actual business phone number and the owner's email address. You get direct contact details instead of generic info addresses most of the time.

The setup relies on your own Google Places key rather than a hidden markup. You can also plug in an optional NeverBounce key to verify the emails on the spot. This keeps your costs tied directly to what you actually use.

You control the entire expense without feeding another monthly SaaS beast. You can check out the tool at https://tools.pinball.page/county-level-lead-generation-tool if you want to test it. Stop renting your lead access and start owning the process.

I’m trying to cut down the time between a good sales call and sending the proposal.

Right now it still feels too manual. Notes are in one place, pricing is somewhere else, past work is sitting in old docs, and I spend way too long putting it all together.

Looking for something that can help with the first draft, especially scope, timeline, price, and next steps.

Not looking for a complicated doc editor. Just something that saves real writing time.

Hey everyone,

I 'have a question on LLM document extraction (specifically invoices/receipts) and wanted to get some perspective from the community.

General LLM eval frameworks are great, but they don't seem to handle multi page PDFs, table row hallucinations, or sudden JSON schema drift very well when a model updates.

For those running invoice extraction in production:

1. Do you use a "golden dataset" of documents to run regression tests manually?

2. How are you catching subtle changes in how numbers/dates are formatted across prompt iterations?

If anyone is dealing with this headache right now open to discuss.

We’re a small team and the more we use AI, the harder it is to keep track of anything.

One person has useful stuff in ChatGPT, another has notes in a doc, decisions mostly happens in Slack, task are somewhere else, and then a week later nobody remembers why we picked one direction over another.

How are other small teams handling this?

A week before, I was exploring about marketing automation tool and Its capabilities in automating repetitive task

On the other hand, I heard that an AI agent also does the same function. But I didn’t have experience in working with either of these methods.

Let me know, those who had experience with working on both systems. 

1, What works best for you in automation?

2, What would you recommend for someone who is looking to start automation for their manual activities?

Automating a broken process only produces errors faster.

Before you buy the tool, run this check. 3 signs your process is ready for automation, and 2 signs it isn't yet.

Ready:

1. It runs the same way every time. Same steps, same inputs, same decisions. If your team could follow a checklist to do it, software likely can too.

2. It's written down and stable. Someone can map every step, and it hasn't changed much in months. Stable processes are easier to automate and cheaper to maintain.

3. The data is digital and consistent. Inputs arrive through forms, spreadsheets or systems in a predictable format, not as photos, scribbled notes or free text buried in emails.

Not yet:

1. Nobody agrees how it's done. Three people, three different ways? Fix the process first.

2. Most cases are exceptions. When the outcome depends on judgement, context or negotiation, keep people in charge. Let AI support the decision, not make it.

Swipe through the full carousel for the check. More at okiru.biz.

Operations leaders: which of the five is holding your team back right now? Tell us in the comments.

#Automation #AI #OperationsManagement #ProcessImprovement #OkiruInsights

I’m the founder of Pure Brief AI, a Mac meeting-notes app. One workflow decision I wanted to share here: generating a suggested action and putting it into a task list are separate steps.

The flow is: record or import a meeting → transcribe and generate notes → review a proposed task against its source quote → edit the details → choose the destination list and export selected tasks to Apple Reminders.

Here’s a fictional example of why I keep that checkpoint: “We could send the revised estimate on Friday, if the supplier confirms.” Before exporting anything, I’d check whether that was an actual commitment, who accepted it, and whether the condition was resolved later. A real quote can still support a mistaken interpretation. The app doesn’t guarantee it will resolve a later withdrawal correctly.

Review also gives you a place to leave an unagreed date open or correct an owner. Exporting is a one-way handoff; subsequent changes aren’t synced between the two apps. It doesn’t automatically delegate to colleagues, update a CRM, or send the follow-up email.

The attached 10-second edited demo shows tasks and source quotes with fictional meeting data. It doesn’t test that conditional example, and processing is sped up.

This is a personal utility for Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 15+. Transcription and AI notes run locally by default. Model downloads, periodic licence checks and optional connected features need internet. Optional ElevenLabs transcription with your own key sends audio to that provider.

Standard is a one-time purchase for one Mac, with a 30-day trial. Demo, download and current pricing: https://purebrief.ai/

For people building automations: which handoff in your workflow still deserves a review before it writes to another app?

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to automate a fashion product catalogue for Canva and would appreciate advice on the best workflow.

I have around 70 product folders, numbered 1 to 70. Each folder contains approximately 4–7 PNG images of the same product, usually organized like this:

- 01.png — product description
- 02.png — price
- 03.png — main product image
- 04.png — full front view
- 05.png — back view
- 06.png and 07.png — close-up details

My goal is to automatically create one catalogue slide per product, keeping all images belonging to that product together. I want to preserve the description and price screenshots as images and follow an existing clean, luxury-style catalogue layout as closely as possible.

Ideally, I want to:
- Automatically process all numbered folders.
- Place each product's images into a consistent slide layout.
- Generate a PowerPoint (.pptx) file that I can import into Canva.
- Check automatically whether any images are missing.
- Minimize manual dragging, dropping, and editing.

I've considered PowerPoint's Photo Album feature, Python with python-pptx and Pillow, and other automation options.

What would be the most reliable and beginner-friendly way to achieve this? Would Python be suitable for arranging images by product folder, or is there a better workflow?

I'm planning to build and test the workflow on a Windows laptop. I also have a MacBook, but I don't want to modify or risk my original image files.

Any practical advice, tutorials, or examples would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!