Digitalisation & processes
Digitalise without slowing down your day-to-day business.
Whether it's double data entry, paper forms or programs that don't work together: we look together at what is really costing you time. Then we choose the smallest sensible next step – not automatically a big software switch-over.
Typical starting points
Where everyday work loses time.
Digitalisation doesn't start with a program – it starts with what is really costing you time. I often hear these three:
Information is transferred twice
A job comes in by phone, lands on a form and is typed up again for the invoice – that costs time and invites errors.
Handovers depend on individual people
How far along is the job, what did the customer say? Often only one person knows – if they're away, people search. Not a failing, just how things grew over the years.
Data sits in several programs
Customers in the bookkeeping, appointments in the calendar, jobs in a spreadsheet: each program does its job, but they know nothing of each other.
What I help with
Look at & simplify workflowsHow you work today – and where it sticks.
Then I rework the workflows with you – digital or on paper, whichever works in everyday life.
Examples
- From the first call to the invoice: the whole job
- Ordering material & keeping track of stock
- Taking on new customers & answering enquiries
- Approvals in the business – who decides what
Finding the right softwareVendor-independent, based on your needs.
Which customer database? Which accounting software? Which program for projects? What counts is what your business needs – not what's being advertised right now.
Examples
- Customer database (CRM) – e.g. HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce
- Projects & tasks – e.g. Monday, Asana, ClickUp
- Accounting – e.g. lexoffice, sevDesk, DATEV
- Team chat – e.g. Slack, Teams, Mattermost
Digitalisation plan – what comes whenWhat comes first, what waits, what it costs.
A written plan: What do we tackle when? What needs to be finished first? How much money and time are realistic? So you know what happens in the coming months – and what deliberately waits.
Examples
- Quick improvements (0–3 months)
- Medium-sized projects (3–12 months)
- Larger rebuilds over 1–3 years
- Planning cost and time
Rollout & training in the teamOn real tasks, right at the workstation.
New software only helps if your team actually uses it. I guide the rollout and stay reachable for questions.
Examples
- Hands-on introduction at the desk
- Short videos & written guides
- Open office hours for questions
- One person on your team who can explain it afterwards
Connecting programs with each otherSo nobody has to type things in twice.
I connect your existing programs – via an interface (API), meaning direct data exchange between two programs, or, if there isn't one, by importing tables.
Examples
- Customer database ↔ accounting
- Website ↔ newsletter
- Inventory ↔ online shop
- Time tracking ↔ payroll
Moving & cleaning up dataScattered lists cleanly into the new system.
Often it's three programs for the same thing. I move your data over and clear out duplicates and errors along the way.
Examples
- Customer data from Excel into the customer database
- Scanning old invoices and making them findable
- Sorting the email archive
- Deletion rules under data protection – what has to go when
My approach
Four steps, one after the other.
Every step has a clear result – and your day-to-day business carries on as normal in the meantime.
- Stocktake while you keep workingI look at a normal working day – you don't have to interrupt anything for it.
- Priority planWhat helps most, what can wait – and do you need new software for it at all?
- Implementation, one step at a timeI implement what's at the top of the plan – new software takes shape next to the old.
- Training & follow-up supportI show your team what's new at their own desks and stay reachable if something gets stuck.
What each step delivers
01 · Stocktake while you keep working
In Schleswig-Holstein I come to your premises, otherwise we talk by video – you carry on working as normal. Together with your team I walk through a typical day: Where is something typed in twice, where is someone waiting for information, where does only one person know how things work? That's how we find the spots where real time can be saved.
Outcomes
- Your current workflows, written down
- The spots where things get stuck, sorted by importance
- Small improvements you can make right away
02 · Priority plan
The stocktake becomes a written plan: What comes first, what can wait? Often the first step is small – for example connecting two existing programs instead of replacing one. Where new software is needed, I compare off-the-shelf programs without being tied to any vendor, and tell you honestly when custom software is worth it – and when it isn't.
Outcomes
- A plan with order and time frame
- If needed: a software recommendation with cost estimate
- The decision: connect, buy ready-made or have it built
03 · Implementation, one step at a time
I work through the points in the plan one after the other. If new software is involved, I set it up while you keep working with the old system. That's called running in parallel: the old and new systems run side by side for a while. Then comes the data migration – customers, jobs and invoices move into the new program – and together we test it with real cases until everything is right.
Outcomes
- Done: what's at the top of the plan
- Your data, fully moved across and checked
- A trial run with real cases from your day-to-day work
04 · Training & follow-up support
We switch over when things are quiet for you – after hours or at the weekend, on site in Schleswig-Holstein, otherwise via remote access. I show your team what's new at their own desks, not via a manual. Until everything has settled in, the way back to the old system stays open – and afterwards I stay reachable on request if something gets stuck.
Outcomes
- Switched over while your business keeps running
- A team that works confidently with the new program
- If you want: one contact who knows your business
Worked example with assumptions
Where the time goes in day-to-day work.
Assumed: a business with 10 employees, where the owner and one office clerk handle the admin. The times are estimates and deliberately conservative – an example, not a promise.
| Task per week | today | digital | saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing quotes & invoices | 3 hrs | 1 hr | 2 hrs |
| Transferring timesheets & job data | 2 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 1.5 hrs |
| Searching for information (notes, emails, folders) | 4 hrs | 2 hrs | 2 hrs |
Show all tasks
| Task per week | today | digital | saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double data entry (till, bookkeeping, spreadsheets) | 2 hrs | 0.5 hrs | 1.5 hrs |
| Queries, appointment coordination, email ping-pong | 3 hrs | 2 hrs | 1 hr |
| Task per week | today | digital | saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 14 hrs | 6 hrs | 8 hrs / week |
How I calculated this
What that means for your business in concrete terms is something we'll work out together in our first conversation – using your own figures.
For comparison: according to KfW Research, bureaucratic processes took up around 7% of employees' working time in mid-sized businesses on average – 32 hours a month per company on average (KfW Research, Fokus No. 495, 25 April 2025). Every business is different – for you it might be more hours, or fewer.
Prices
What it costs.
I'd rather name prices up front than afterwards. This is the frame – what exactly fits your business, we work out in the first call.
Which approach fits?
Quick Audit (1 day) · Price on requestOne day on site – afterwards you know where I would start.
A good fit if: You can tell something isn't running smoothly, but not exactly where. I come by for a day, look at everything and tell you where I would start – without you committing to anything afterwards.
Not ideal if: You already know what you want and just need someone to build it. Or your business has many branching workflows – one day isn't enough for that.
One-off project · Fixed priceA clearly defined task – fixed price, no term.
A good fit if: You know exactly what's missing – for example an interface between two programs. You get a fixed price up front, and there's no term.
Not ideal if: Several topics are coming up that build on each other – then consulting with a digitalisation roadmap is the better start.
For larger businessesA separate offer for several locations; scope and price based on effort.
A good fit if: Several locations or departments, many interfaces: I tailor the offer to your business – scope and fixed price based on the work involved, agreed after the free initial call. Access and data stay with you, no subscription.
Not ideal if: Your business is small and manageable – then consulting, the Quick Audit or a one-off project is the better way in.
On demand · €95 per hourIndividual tasks in between, with no project and no term.
A good fit if: Something comes up now and then – setting up a program, a question about your software, a small change. You call, I take care of it and bill by effort.
Not ideal if: You want to improve your workflows fundamentally – then consulting is the better way.
How your business keeps runningUsually you work in the old system until the end of the working day and in the new one on the next.
With me, new software doesn’t mean closing for a day. Usually you work in the old system until the end of the working day and in the new one on the next.
- The old and new systems run side by side for a while
- Your data is moved across in full and checked together
- The switch-over happens after hours or at the weekend
- The way back stays open until everything has settled in
For businesses only. All prices net plus VAT.
Frequently asked
What businesses often ask me.
From the switch-over to the price – answered briefly and honestly.
Do I have to change everything at once?
No. We start with the step that helps you most in day-to-day work – that isn't automatically new software; often it's enough to connect two existing programs or simplify a workflow. The digitalisation plan sets out in writing what comes first, what waits and what it costs; larger changes are spread over months or years.
Can I keep my existing software – and does my team get a say?
Yes, and yes. What works in day-to-day business stays: I often connect your existing programs instead of replacing them – via an interface or a spreadsheet import. Your team is involved from the start: during the stocktake we walk through a typical working day together, and I show anything new right at the workstation, on real tasks rather than via a manual.
What does the consulting cost?
Consulting is a self-contained project at a fixed price, which I quote after the free initial call – with a written report and a section on IT security. Within 50 km of Husum as the crow flies, travel costs nothing. Small tasks without a project I handle on demand for €95 per hour. For businesses only, all prices net plus VAT.
How long am I tied in?
Not at all: consulting and one-off projects are self-contained projects at a fixed price, with no term and no subscription. Afterwards you keep working independently; access credentials and data belong to you. For custom software: You receive the rights of use under section 6 of the terms. If the source code is to belong to you, we set that out in the offer. Websites, SEO management, review support and the operation of custom software run for 12 months and can then be cancelled monthly.
How do we start – and how soon can we get going?
With a free initial call: you phone or write to me, and we talk for 20–30 minutes about your business – no obligation, no preparation needed on your side. I'll tell you honestly what's worth doing and what isn't, and you get a proposal with a fixed scope and a fixed price. If it fits, I usually start within one to two weeks: first with your workflows, then with the software selection. I work for businesses in Schleswig-Holstein and across Germany. In Schleswig-Holstein I'm happy to come by for the initial call, for workshops with your team and on switch-over day; otherwise everything runs by phone, video or remote access. You'll see first results within the first month.
Will my business stand still during the switch-over?
No. I build the new system while you keep working in the old one as normal – you write invoices, book appointments and take on jobs as usual. For a while the old and new systems run side by side; that's called running in parallel. During that time I move your data across, and we check together that customers, open jobs and invoices have all arrived in full. We switch over at a quiet time – after hours or at the weekend – and I show your team the new program right at their desks. Until everything has settled in, the way back to the old system stays open.
Contact
Let's talk about your business.
Call or send an email – whatever suits you. I’ll get back to you within one working day, with no sales pitch.