Workflow automation
Stop re-typing. Connect the forms, the sheets, the accounting and the payment confirmations.
Someone copies the WhatsApp order into a sheet, the sheet into the accounting package, the payment SMS into the sheet again. We connect the pieces so data is typed once, and we draw a hard line where ZIMRA's fiscal device must do its job.
The Zimbabwean situation
What usually goes wrong
A customer pays by EcoCash and sends a screenshot. Someone reads it, finds the quote, marks it paid in a sheet, writes the invoice in the accounting package, prints the fiscal invoice on the device, and WhatsApps a photo of it. Six steps, four systems, one person, twenty times a day.
Meanwhile the quarterly payment date arrives on the 25th and the accountant is chasing the same sheet for numbers. And since 31 May 2025, every fiscal tax invoice must carry the buyer's details and be transmitted to FDMS from an upgraded device, so the "type it into the device" step cannot be skipped or faked.
What we build
What gets built
- Payment matching. EcoCash/Paynow notifications parsed and matched to open quotes; ambiguous ones proposed for a person to confirm.
- Single entry. Order captured once (WhatsApp, form or counter) and pushed to the sheet, the accounting package and the CRM.
- Fiscal boundary. A draft with the buyer's name, address, TIN and VAT number is prepared for the fiscal device; the fiscal invoice is issued there; the resulting document is filed and sent automatically.
- Deadline flows. QPD and VAT-cycle checklists with reminders to the right people, and the numbers pre-gathered.
- Documents. Quotes, delivery notes, statements generated from templates with both currencies and the rate used.
How it works
The flow, end to end
What it needs from you
- A list of the repetitive tasks with a rough count per day.
- Access to the systems involved (sheet, accounting package, payment notifications, CRM).
- Your fiscal device or FDMS-integrated software and how invoices are issued today.
- Who approves what, and the thresholds.
- Your currency rules: which price list, which rate source, how often updated.
Timeline shape
| Phase | Typical span | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping | 1–2 weeks | List the repetitive tasks; pick the three that cost the most hours; map each step and its system. |
| Build | 2–5 weeks | Connectors, transformations, approval points, error handling, logging; test with real data copies. |
| Pilot | 2 weeks | Run alongside the manual process; compare outputs daily; switch when they match. |
| Run | ongoing | Monitoring, failure alerts, monthly review of run counts and hours saved. |
Spans are typical shapes, not quotes. The process page explains what moves them.
What it costs
What drives the price
Priced by steps and systems. The recurring cost is hosting (a small server for n8n, or per-operation fees on Make/Zapier). Fragile inputs such as SMS and PDF parsing add build and maintenance time.
We do not publish package prices because the drivers below move the number by multiples. The pricing page lists every driver with sourced platform costs.
| Driver | Effect on cost |
|---|---|
| Number of steps and systems | A three-step flow between a form and a sheet is small; eight steps across four systems is not. |
| How data enters | APIs are reliable; parsing emails, SMS or PDFs is fragile and needs more handling. |
| Approval points | Each human approval is a small build plus a notification path. |
| Hosting | Self-hosted n8n has a server cost and no per-task fee; Make and Zapier charge per operation. |
| Error handling depth | Retry-and-alert is standard; full reconciliation reports are more. |
Questions we get asked
Can the automation issue our fiscal tax invoices?
No, and neither can anyone else's. ZIMRA requires fiscal tax invoices to be produced through a fiscal device integrated with the Fiscalisation Data Management System (FDMS), carrying buyer details and a verifiable QR code. We automate everything up to that point (quote, order, payment matching, the draft with the buyer's TIN and details) and everything after it (sending the fiscal invoice, filing it, updating the CRM). The fiscal step itself stays on your fiscal device or FDMS-integrated software.
Which tools do you build on?
Mostly n8n (self-hosted or cloud) and Make; Zapier where a client already has it. Custom code where the connector does not exist. The choice is written into the scoping document with the reason.
Can it match EcoCash payments to invoices?
Yes, from the payment notification (SMS/email/API depending on your setup) or from a Paynow merchant account, which supports EcoCash and other methods. The match is proposed automatically and confirmed by a person if the amount or reference is ambiguous.
What about ZIMRA deadlines?
Reminders and checklists for the quarterly payment dates (25 March, 25 June, 25 September, 20 December) and your VAT return cycle are a common early build. The automation prepares and reminds; your accountant files.
What happens during a power or connectivity outage?
Flows run in the cloud, so they keep running. If your on-premise system is unreachable, actions queue and retry, and a person is told if the queue grows beyond a threshold.
Next step
Scope it before you book it
Fill in the scoping worksheet (five minutes, no sign-up). It produces a summary you can paste into WhatsApp or email, so the first call starts with the actual work.