A local business owner spent one hour reviewing her company's tech tools. What she found? Disconnected apps, overlapping subscriptions, and a team wasting hours on manual data entry.
The result? Over $250,000 lost annually to inefficiencies.
Here’s how to find those same savings in your own business—without needing an IT degree.
- Simplify Communication Channels
If your Knoxville team is using Slack, email, Teams, and texts, you’re creating chaos. Employees lose time searching for answers that were shared in a different app.
What it costs: For a 10-person team, that’s $60,000+ a year in wasted time.
Fix it by assigning each tool a clear purpose:
- Urgent = phone
- Projects = one task manager (Redtail, Asana, Trello, etc.)
- Quick chat = Slack or Teams, not both
- Client updates = CRM only
Set a rule: "If it’s not in the right place, it doesn’t exist."
- Automate Manual Workflows
Manually entering client info into your CRM, billing platform, and document storage? That’s not secure—and it wastes time.
Example: One real estate business in Knoxville saved 13 hours a month by automating lead entry and task assignments with Zapier.
Start by mapping your new client process:
- Intake form
- CRM entry
- Billing setup
- Document folder
Then ask: which steps can we link together?
- Cancel Subscriptions You’re Not Using
When was the last time you looked at your software billing?
Pull your credit card and bank statements from the last 90 days. List every recurring charge. You’ll find tools you haven’t touched in months.
Ask:
- Did we use this in the last 30 days?
- Does another tool do the same job?
- Would we buy it again today?
If the answer is no, cancel it.
Even modest tech audits save Knoxville companies $6,000 to $18,000 per year.
Local Business Math
- Streamlined communication: Save $30,000+
- Simple automations: Save $4,000–$20,000+
- Canceled tools: Save $6,000–$18,000
That’s $40,000+ you could redirect to team bonuses, new equipment, or growth initiatives.
Start With One Hour
This isn’t about a full tech overhaul. One hour of focused attention can help you identify the three biggest drains and fix them in weeks.
Need a second set of eyes? We help Knoxville business owners audit their tech stack, cut waste, and protect their time and budget.
