Most PE backed companies already run a 100 day plan. The back office is often left out of it, because changing it mid hold feels risky. It does not have to be. Starting with one function, automating what can be automated and staffing what is left keeps the risk small and the savings measurable.
Pick one function to start
Choose the function with the most repetitive work and the clearest measures. Common starting points:
- Accounts payable and receivable
- The order desk and customer service
- Payroll and timekeeping
- Scheduling and dispatch
Starting with one function means the rest of the business keeps running as it is, and the results from the first function make the case for the next.
Days 1 to 30: map the work
- List every task in the function, who does it today, how often and how long it takes.
- Mark each task as rules based (the same steps every time), judgment based (needs experience and context), or both.
- Collect the current cost of the seats involved, including benefits and payroll taxes, so you have a baseline the board will accept.
- Note the differences between sites. If six locations run six versions of the same process, write down each one. That is where most of the savings hide.
Days 31 to 60: decide what to automate and what to staff
- Automate the rules based tasks: invoice matching, payment reminders, data entry between systems, standard reports.
- Staff the judgment work and the exceptions with a dedicated team: disputes, unusual orders, vendor follow ups, anything a customer sees.
- Keep in house approvals, controls, banking and anything an auditor will ask the company to own.
Write one documented process for the function and run it with one team, instead of a version per site. The documentation is also what holds up in diligence at exit.
Days 61 to 100: run it and measure it
- Run in parallel for two to four weeks: the new team and automations work alongside the current setup until the results match.
- Switch over one site or one queue at a time.
- Report monthly on three numbers: cost of the function against the baseline, volume handled, and error or exception rate.
How to show it to the board
Boards want savings in the same terms as the rest of the value creation plan. Show the annual cost of the function before and after, the run rate saving, and what it is worth at the company's exit multiple. A saving that recurs every year is worth far more at exit than a one time cut.
For an illustrative example with figures, see how a PE backed distributor could take $423,000 a year out of back office costs.
What makes it stick
The plan only holds if someone keeps the process documented and improving after day 100. From 10 seats, employmagic includes monthly process advisory, 10 hours a month with our operations team: team level reporting, SOPs written with your team, team leads trained in process engineering, and a review of which processes AI could improve.