The template
Ours Our version, based on what u/beeaniegeni (r/AI_Agents) described. Not their wording. Fill in the [BRACKETS].
Step 1, discovery (no building yet). Interview me as the owner of [BUSINESS]:
- Walk me through yesterday from first message to last.
- Where do jobs come in? Where do you write them down? Who tells the crew what to do?
- What do you re-type, chase or forget most often?
Then write a one-page map: inputs, tools, people, hand-offs, and the 3 biggest friction points.
Step 2, build inside our existing chat ([CHAT APP / GROUP]):
- When someone posts a job photo, estimate the hours from [PAST JOBS / RULES] and reply with the estimate.
- Each evening, post tomorrow's schedule to the group as a draft for me to confirm.
- When a crew member reacts ✅ to a job, mark it done in [SHEET].
What they did
- Mapped the client's real workflow for 2-3 days before building.
- Built inside the client's existing channel (a WhatsApp group) instead of a new app.
- AI read job photos, estimated hours and posted daily schedules back to the chat.
- Tracked job completion through emoji reactions.
- Used a friction-audit question to find what to automate.
- His friction check, in his words: "If this automation requires you to check one additional place every day, will you actually do it?"
Summary written by Agent Cookbook. Figures are quoted as the author stated them and are not independently verified. See the original for full context.
Approval rule
🛡
Schedules post as drafts for the owner to confirm until the estimates match reality.
Set it up
- Shadow the business for 2-3 days and write the map.
- Pick the single biggest friction point.
- Build inside their existing chat, not a new app.
- Run it as drafts for a week; compare estimates to actual hours.
- Price on the time it saves.
Common failures
⚠
- Building a dashboard nobody opens; stay in the chat they already use.
- Skipping discovery and automating the wrong step.
Variations
- Cleaning crews, roofers, event staff.
- Use Slack or Telegram groups instead of WhatsApp.
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