Almost everything in technology can be scripted or automated. I get reports from all of our managed customer's machines and they indicate general health from the automated system. When I see a computer in person, I often spot signs of a failing hard drive before the automated systems do. When RAM starts having paging issues, the problem does not always show in the reports. Video output and sound currently cannot be detected by automated systems. When I work with a computer, I can pickup on these troubles before they become debilitating and the extra warning allows my customers to make purchasing decisions before a potential problem becomes an emergency. For this reason, I do not automate everything although it would increase my efficiency. 

When a Member is transferring it starts with a phone call.  
Would email be more efficient? Maybe.
More effective? Absolutley not - things get missed, important concepts are overlooked. The results are unsatisfactory for them and for the Team they transfer too.

Telling them the transfer has been accepted is also a phone call - with 13 verbal check points.  Could it be an email list? Would you read and remember and ask questions about all 13?

When a transfer is declined it's a phone call because of the ""bad news to ears" principle.  Not efficient, not fun; respectful.

Same thing with Pause.
Pause can only happen with a phone call. It is neither efficient nor effective to go back and forth and back and forth and back and forth with email (then have a misunderstanding) when a three minute phone call provides clarity.

Drafting a demand is a critical process where I prioritize effectiveness over efficiency.

An efficient approach would be to use a template, quickly attach medical bills, and send the demand to the insurance company in under an hour to keep the case moving.

Instead, I choose a slower, deliberate, more effective process:

• Scrutinizing medical records: Reading every page of clinical notes to highlight symptoms, their duration, and intensity.  My prior experience in healthcare enables effectiveness and efficiency in this process.
• Narrative building: Spending hours writing a compelling story about how the injury specifically affected my client’s quality of life, rather than just listing costs.
• Calculating future impact: Consulting with life-care planners or economists to ensure the demand covers medical needs my client hasn't even had yet.

While this takes days instead of hours, the effective result is a comprehensive recovery, significantly higher than the efficient result which leaves money on the table and does not make the client whole.  Personal injury claimants have only one chance to recover for their injuries which is why I take the time to do it right and prioritize effectiveness over efficiency.

During a website build, I meet with my clients every week for an hour. I didn’t always do that, and plenty of web design agencies don’t. I could absolutely make the process more efficient with forms, emails, checklists, and fewer conversations.

But I don’t think the website would be as effective.

Those weekly meetings do more than move tasks along. They help me understand the business more deeply—what makes it different, what clients are actually asking for, what needs to be explained, and where the owner may be too close to the work to see clearly.

They also keep the client involved and accountable. Content gets reviewed, decisions get made, and the project doesn’t quietly stall in someone’s inbox.

It costs more time, but it leads to a better website—and a stronger relationship with the client.

Holly Neumann, Fresh Eggs, Web Design for Small Businesses on Big Missions.

One of the key parts of my Discovery Process is the 90-minute client interview. I can get AI to transcribe the conversation for me -- and I do for quick reference. But before I start writing, I go back and transcribe the interview for myself. The reason is so I can listen to not only to what my clients say about their businesses, but also how they say it. This absolutely takes more time than simply reviewing the AI transcript. But it allows me immerse myself in my clients' world so I can write about their business using their voices rather than my own. 

Betty Emrey

Use Your Words Marketing

When working with insurance companies on roof approvals, there is a lot we do for our homeowners. Take photos, document damage, meet with adjusters, and go over the insurance scope of work. More time consuming, but very effective for the homeowner rather than them dealing with it on their own

Communication is something I could probably make more efficient. On a typical loan, there can easily be 10 or more people involved between the buyer, agents, lender, title company, insurance agent, processor, underwriter, and closing attorney.

Could I rely more on emails and automated updates? Probably. But when timing matters or confusion starts brewing, I pick up the phone. It takes more time, but it keeps everyone aligned, prevents misunderstandings, and helps get difficult deals to the closing table.

When I begin working with a new client, I like to take the process slow. It usually takes at least 2 or 3 meetings before we will commit to an investment.

I do this because I don't want to have a transactional practice. Financial decisions shouldn't take as long as choosing an ice cream flavor.

Maybe I could sell someone on a mutual fund within a single 30 minute meeting. But that result is not likely to be optimal for my client. Sometimes it takes until the 3rd meeting before someone is comfortable telling crucial information.

As a holostic financial advisor, I want to earn my client's trust by listening to what's truly important to them. In my initial consultation, I will spend 90% of the time just listening. Then, after I have a clear picture of their goals, I will make a reccommendation.

In catering alot of my clients will e-mail me when they want to do catering. Is a phone call better... yes then I can ask all the questions I need to get the order complete correctly the first time. There is usually at least one or 2 e-mails sent after that or a call or text or two before they have everything the way it needs to be. 

There is a faster and more efficient way for me to request and get tax account transcripts for my clients from the IRS. However its more effective if I call them as most times the IRS agent can give me some insights which can help me serve my clients better. 

One process we intentionally do less efficiently is deed drafting and legal description review. When preparing a deed, we don’t just copy the legal description from the most recent deed in the chain of title, even though that would be faster. We review several prior deeds to make sure the legal description actually matches the entire property being conveyed. Sometimes owners have bought or sold small strips of adjoining land over the years, and the most recent deed may only describe that smaller piece instead of the full property. Taking the extra time to trace the chain of title helps us avoid major errors that could create title problems or boundary disputes later. So it’s less efficient in the short term, but far more effective for protecting the client and ensuring a clean closing.