742 quotes a year, every one retyped by hand

The problem

A Cape Town tour operator sends about 742 quotes a year at an 18.7% conversion rate. Each quote means reading client details from a form or email, then retyping them into itineraries, costing sheets and supplier documents. Multiply the minutes by the volume: weeks of skilled staff time spent copying, and every copy is a chance for an error that reaches a client.

The approach

1. 1Map the document chain first: which file feeds which, who touches what, where the same passport gets typed for the third time.
2. 2One agent takes intake as the trigger: when client details arrive, it extracts the fields and pre-fills every downstream document in their existing Drive, in their existing formats.
3. 3Staff review instead of retype. Every action the agent takes is logged and visible.

The outcome

The design principle this proves: automate the existing process instead of replacing the tools. The team keeps their sheets, their Drive, their way of working. The retyping is what disappears.