How Much Time Are You Losing to Manual Reporting? Here’s the Smarter Alternative.
- Chris Farr
- Mar 5
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 12
Most small businesses we talk to are spending over 180 hours a year updating reports. Time that could be better spent growing your business.
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, tracking performance across multiple systems is a necessity. But when spreadsheets become the go-to tool, reporting turns into a time-consuming, error-prone process that hinders growth.
Tack Room Distillery faced this exact challenge. With a rapidly growing business and multiple data sources to manage, they struggled with the inefficiencies of manual reporting. By switching to Sontai’s automated KPI dashboards, they not only eliminated manual data entry but also gained up to date insights that transformed their decision-making process.
Want to read more about how Sontai has benefitted companies like yours? Check out our Client Stories section. If you'd like to learn more about the KPI Dashboard solutions that Sontai offers, see our starter dashboard templates here.
The Common Frustrations of Manual Reporting
SMEs across the FMCG industry face similar hurdles when relying on spreadsheets:
Time Drain: Manually updating reports takes away valuable hours that could be spent on strategy and sales. This is time downloading, copying and pasting data into spreadsheets that doesn't add any value.
Scattered Data: Pulling figures from multiple systems leads to inconsistencies and outdated numbers. Selling on multiple platforms, like Shopify, or WooCommerce, Amazon and offline through invoiced sales, your product data is very hard to combine and get to a consolidated picture of performance.
Resistance to Change: Many businesses hesitate to switch from spreadsheets, believing their current system “works well enough.” However, as businesses grow, outdated systems struggle to keep up.
Lack of Visibility: With static reports, identifying trends and opportunities becomes difficult. I have seen some advanced Spreadsheet dashboards in my time, but they tend to be few and far between. Most Excel based reports are huge grids of numbers that people spend time scouring to find the values they're looking for.
Human Error Risks: Manually inputting data increases the chances of mistakes that can lead to flawed decision-making and financial losses.
As businesses grow, these problems compound, leading to missed opportunities and inefficiencies. The amount of time it takes to get data from the systems into the reports increases, the amount of errors increases along with it. Meaning even more time spent trying to make sure the data is right.
Tack Room Distillery’s Reporting Challenge
Tack Room Distillery, an SME in the drinks industry, had a reporting process that relied heavily on manually updating spreadsheets. Data was being collected from different sources, including their online and offline sales platforms and financial management systems, but consolidating this information was a laborious task, particularly as they are experts at making gin, not making reports.
Key Challenges Tack Room Distillery Faced:
Reports needed constant updates, requiring hours of manual input each week.
The data was spread across multiple platforms, making it difficult to track key performance indicators (KPIs) efficiently.
Human errors and inconsistencies in reports led to misinterpretations of business performance.
The process was not scalable - as the business grew, reporting became even more time-consuming.
Recognising the need for an automated, scalable solution, Tack Room Distillery looked for a tool that could simplify and streamline their reporting process.
Want to read more about how to Transform Your Business with Data? Check out our eBook, filled with useful information, tips and solutions to help you maximise the data you already have in your business.
The Sontai Solution: 100% Automated Reporting
Sontai provided Tack Room Distillery with a prebuilt suite of KPI dashboards, offering seamless integration with their existing systems. Unlike traditional business intelligence (BI) tools, which require extensive setup and training, Sontai’s dashboards were ready to use from day one, with the flexibility to customise and enhance as needed.
Key Benefits of Switching to Sontai:
Automatic Data Refresh: No more manual updates - dashboards always display the latest figures from all their systems.
Data Merging Across Systems: A single source of truth combining all their sales and financial data.
User-Friendly Visuals: Intuitive dashboards that make key metrics easy to understand at a glance.
Custom Enhancements: Sontai tailored reports to Tack Room Distillery’s specific requirements without the high cost of bespoke BI development.
Scalability: As the business continues to grow, reporting needs can evolve without adding additional workload to the team.
The Results: How Much Time (and Effort) Did They Save?
By transitioning from manual spreadsheets to fully automated dashboards, Tack Room Distillery achieved:
100% reduction in manual data entry, freeing up 350+ hours per year.
Faster, more informed decision-making, with up to date insights readily available, leading to a +13% increase in sales growth.
Improved accuracy and consistency, eliminating the risk of human error in reporting, meaning that people weren't second guessing the numbers.
Enhanced efficiency, enabling the team to focus on growing the business rather than spending time on tedious reporting tasks.
The simple to use Sontai reports have been invaluable, delivering clear, concise data at the touch of a button. The reports are helping my business grow from strength to strength. I don’t know where I would be without it!
Tim Bisson
Founder, Tack Room Distillery
Why This Matters for SMEs
Tack Room Distillery’s story is far from unique. Many SMEs hesitate to adopt automated reporting tools, believing that their spreadsheet-based reports are “good enough.”
However, research shows that businesses leveraging BI tools see significant improvements in decision-making. According to Deloitte, 83% of organisations that adopt BI tools experience a positive impact on both the speed and quality of their decisions.
For SMEs, where margins are tight and competition is fierce, the ability to react quickly to sales trends, inventory levels, and financial performance can be a game-changer.
By automating reporting and visualisation with a tool like Sontai, businesses can eliminate manual work while ensuring they always have the most up-to-date insights at their fingertips.
The cost of inaction is clear:
Wasted hours on inefficient reporting.
Missed insights due to outdated data.
Growing complexity as the business scales.
But I know what you're thinking...
“We already have our reports set up in a spreadsheet”
Yes, but how much time is spent maintaining them? If your team spends 30 minutes a day on updates, that’s over three weeks lost every year to a manual task that could be eliminated. Each update requires manual input, increasing the risk of errors. These errors, potentially unnoticed, could lead to incorrect decisions and potentially lost income.
“I don’t see the value in dashboards”
Dashboards provide real-time visibility into key business metrics, helping SMEs make faster, data-driven decisions. Remember, they eliminate manual effort, reduce mistakes, and provide a clear, visual representation of key trends that spreadsheets simply cannot offer. The manual updates cost money and the
Next Steps: Take Action Today
If you're ready to take control of your data and eliminate time-consuming manual reporting, here are two ways to move forward.
Either
📅 Book a Demo: See how Sontai’s automated dashboards can save your business time and provide real-time insights. Book your personalised demo →
Or
📚 2. Explore More: Not ready for a demo? Check out our other articles below on how FMCG businesses are using data to drive growth.