Project Time Management Integration into CRM Automation

TL;DR.

Maven X’s automations streamline project time data import from Clockify to Airtable, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. It simplifies managing project statuses, reducing manual data entry and errors. The automation improves project management and reporting, scalable for growing needs.

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Script Content

Introduction.

Hi, I’m Noah from Maven X. In this video, we’ll explore how Maven X leverages automation to seamlessly import project time data from our time-tracking tool, Clockify, into our Airtable CRM. This automation helps us efficiently manage project time and easily identify projects that are at risk or have exceeded their allocated time.

This is part of our business automation series, where we showcase how automation has helped Maven X streamline operations, drive growth, and ensure precision. As you watch, consider how automation can save your business time, eliminate repetitive tasks, and enhance accuracy, ultimately boosting your productivity.

Problem Statement.

One common challenge businesses face is manually importing time-tracking data and updating project statuses into a CRM that doesn’t have a built-in time tracking feature. This process can be time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient, especially with a high volume of projects. Our approach allows for a low-cost solution and integration to keep costs low, while still ensuring high functionality of our custom built CRM.

High Level Explanation.

That’s why we created our Clockify Time Import automation. This solution ensures that our project time-tracking data is efficiently imported into our Airtable CRM for time and project tracking. This automation also allows us to manage our Projects in Clockify that when projects are marked as completed in the CRM, they are archived in Clockify without manual intervention. This helps us to automatically maintain our project list in Clockify.

Demonstration.

Now let’s see how the automation works:

1. Search Airtable Records: The automation starts by searching for records in our ‘Deals’ table in Airtable, filtering by ‘Status’ and ‘Clockify Project ID.’
2. Get Project from Clockify: It then retrieves the project details from Clockify using the project ID.
3. Splice Time into Variables: The duration data is split into hours and minutes for easier processing. Clockify by default has a standard time format that cannot be placed directly into Airtable without some manipulation.
4. Set Time in Seconds: The hours and minutes are converted into total seconds for final import into Airtable.
5. Router – Update or Archive: The process is routed based on the project status.
   • Update Records with Time: If the project is active, the ‘Hours Worked’ field in Airtable is updated with the time. This time can then be viewed in the CRM deal to ensure the project is on track.
   • Archive Completed Projects: If the project is completed or not active, it is archived in Clockify.

From here we can see the entry in the Airtable interface. Additional Airtable automations will send Slack messages when the project is at-risk or over time estimates to the team can make appropriate decisions and changes. This could be notifying management, requesting additional billing from the client, and more. This data is easily seen with the color coordinated statuses that are all reflected from this time-entry automation.

Benefits Recap.

By automating this process, we gain a few benefits like:

• Efficiency: This automation eliminates the need for manual data entry and project status updates from our two systems and integrates their data together, saving significant time and effort.
• Accuracy: Automated data import ensures that time-tracking data is accurately recorded, reducing the risk of errors. It also removes a tedious task that needs to be done and is ensured to be updated regularly.
• Consistency: Ensures that every project is updated and archived in the same manner, maintaining high standards of data integrity.
• Scalability: As the number of projects increases, the automation can handle the load without additional manual effort. If done manually, each project would need to be found and updated in both Airtable and Clockify, which is a job that no one would want to do!
• Improved Project Management: Timely updates and archiving help in maintaining an organized project management system.
• Enhanced Reporting: Accurate time data in Airtable facilitates better reporting, analysis of project performance, and notification of issues with time and billing before they occur.

Maven X Services & AI Automation Assessment.

At Maven X, we specialize in crafting custom automations to meet your business needs. If you’re interested in automating your business, check out our free Client Automation Assessment tool. This tool allows you to input your specific challenges and goals, and our AI generates tailored automation solutions for your business. It’s the perfect starting point to explore how automation can enhance your efficiency and success.

If any of the suggested automations are what you’re looking for, or if your automation is more complex, reach out to us at [email protected] to speak with our automation experts.

Closing.

Thank you for watching! We hope this video has inspired you to consider the benefits of automation for your business. Be sure to check out our other videos for more automation solutions and success stories.

Ready to take the next step? Visit our website in the description to try the Client Automation Assessment tool and discover the perfect automation for your needs and to contact us.

Until next time, happy automating!