AIM Dental Laboratory / Automation case study
From scattered tasks
to connected workflows.
Reporting, content and lead handoffs—with a clearer path through the work.
Follow a workflowWorkflow illustration · delivery stages below
Six workstreams / choose one
See how the
work moves.
Select a workflow. Tap a step to see what happens there.
01 / Reporting
Human review includedFetch dated Evident and EviSmart reports and parse the relevant tables.
Daily runs documented. Rep auto-send remained off.
Project notes & evidence
Reporting that starts with the source
One repeatable preparation flow, with people handling exceptions and approvals. The October status report records weekday runs on October 19–23; rep auto-send was built but not switched on.
Evidence: CRM report services, n8n job definitions and the October 19–24 weekly report.
My approach
Understand. Connect. Refine.
- 01Map
- 02Normalize
- 03Connect
- 04Review
- 05Refine
How I approached the build
Map the real inputs
Identify the reports, calendar rows, pickup forms and prospect sources already used by the team. Define the owner and intended output of each flow.
Make the data dependable
Standardize dates, brands, lead sources and record links. Define which report wins when figures disagree, and what must stop a send.
Build one complete path
Connect collection, transformation and delivery. Keep report logic on the server and scheduling separate so the workflow is easier to inspect.
Add human review and failure handling
Use previews, approvals, hold controls, missing-data alerts and duplicate protection. Review content and prospect fit before external action.
Roll out in stages
Record real runs, fix source and counting errors, and migrate one connection at a time. Measure task time and matched CRM outcomes before declaring ROI.
The potential business value
Time back.
A clearer sales path.
Explore the example, then change the assumptions.
Editable assumptions. Estimated capacity—not measured savings or client sales.
Same example workload
Less handling.
Room for better work.
7.1 eight-hour days · 0.36 of a 160-hour month. Capacity can be redeployed; payroll savings require an actual reduction in paid work or an avoided hire.
Adjust time & cost assumptions
Volumes are monthly; times are minutes per item. Review time is included. Task boundaries below avoid double counting.
Daily reporting
Preparation and review of one consolidated daily reporting batch; excludes sales meetings.
Social production & coordination
Layout adaptation, file handling and approval preparation; includes manual publishing, excludes video editing.
SEO brief & metadata preparation
Research organization and brief/metadata work; excludes article writing and developer fixes.
Short-form video assembly
Template-based assembly and exports; includes review, excludes new filming and social coordination.
Prospect research & preparation
Finding, enrichment, deduplication and checking; excludes outreach, meetings and closing.
Pickup-to-case handoff
Record re-entry and verification only; excludes courier and lab production.
Manual labor value: $2,613/month. Assisted handling: $1,095/month. Operating allowance: $340/month.
Default costs assume $100 tools, four maintenance hours at $60/hour, and 80 setup hours at $60/hour. These are budget assumptions, not invoices.
Capacity value = Σ [volume × (manual − assisted minutes) ÷ 60 × rate]. Operating benefit = capacity value − incremental tools − maintenance. Payback = setup ÷ positive monthly operating benefit.
From a list to an opportunity
The generator opens the door.
The sales handoff earns the business.
One example cohort. Each conversion depends on fit, follow-up and delivery.
- 200Prospects
- 50% 100Qualified
- 8% 8Meetings held
- 25% 2Paying practices
One cohort over 6 months, with no churn inside that period. This is contribution, not net profit or a sales guarantee.
Adjust lead & revenue assumptions
For AIM, the sale is a practice sending paid cases, followed by repeat work if the service earns it. The generator reduces preparation work and supports a relevant sales handoff. The rep, offer, follow-up, lab quality and retention determine whether that opportunity produces revenue.
Rates apply successively. Fractional customers are expected values. Acquisition cost per customer: $500. Include prospecting, tools, outreach, allocated implementation and selling effort. Do not add recovered capacity to sales contribution as though both were new cash.
Revenue = prospects × qualification × meeting × close rate × monthly value × months. Contribution after acquisition = revenue × margin − acquisition cost.
For a closer look
The detail is here when you need it.
What is delivered—and what is staged?
The strongest evidence is the CRM source, report jobs and October 19–24, 2026 delivery record. Lead-finder exports and content-pipeline plans show additional implementation work, with activation and sales outcomes distinguished below. Savings shown here are scenarios, not measured client results.
One repeatable preparation flow, with people handling exceptions and approvals. The October status report records weekday runs on October 19–23; rep auto-send was built but not switched on.
A November plan for 23 posts and reusable production assets are documented. The latest reviewed status says the old Zapier posting was off and Buffer + n8n was still in progress; automatic publishing is not claimed as complete.
The work created an actionable search and measurement process. Five articles were recorded as published on October 26. Research and drafting are assisted; rankings and qualified inquiries still require measurement.
A repeatable editing toolchain supports how-to and brand reels. A Flow generator also exists, but its README lists remaining account, Drive and Sheet setup; it is not evidence of a fully unattended production line.
The weekday finder export is marked active; scoring, reminder and Maps alternatives are also present. An export is not a live execution audit. Cold-email nurture and the dormant-account pilot remain plans in the reviewed documents, and no closed-won lift is verified.
The workflow connects the public request to internal handling and a traceable case record. It removes a defined re-entry step; the actual minutes saved were not logged.
Typical labor costs & market references
Upwork marketplace references checked October 31, 2026. Rates vary by scope, experience and geography; SEO is US-specific. These are not client invoices or Nadine’s fees.
The automation guide ↗ lists $40–$90/hour, $2,000–$5,000 for standard implementation and $5,000+ for complex custom work. Software, API usage and maintenance require separate scoping.
Sources & how to measure actual results
Project evidence
- AIM CRM source and CHANGELOG.md (July–October 2026)
- Backend/n8n/README.md and daily reporting job exports
- October 19–24 leadership weekly report, prepared October 26
- Marketing OS automation, content-calendar and SEO folders
- Lead Finder — Aim + KH and Phase 4/5 workflow exports
- AIM Cold Email Outreach scope and campaign planning documents
Validation
- Time a representative manual report and assisted report, including checking and corrections.
- Measure prospect acceptance, contact validity and duplicates—not just rows produced.
- Match qualified inquiries to meetings, first paid cases, repeat cases and collected revenue.
- Subtract tool usage, maintenance, setup, selling time and delivery costs before calling a benefit cash profit.
Private records and personal prospect data are excluded from this portfolio.
Let’s make it happen
Which handoff could work better?
Let’s start with one repeated process and a useful next step.