The problem
Most AI projects in small businesses fade because nobody can say whether they're working. Without a number, the owner stops paying attention and staff stop approving drafts. A weekly number also shows which workflows deserve more autonomy and which ones people are quietly ignoring.
What Cowork does
- Each scheduled task appends a row to a log sheet: task, items handled, drafts created.
- A Monday task checks Gmail and Jobber to see which drafts were sent or used.
- It calculates hours saved using standard minutes per item agreed with the owner.
- It emails leadership the week's numbers and a short list of drafts that went unsent, so the wording can be fixed.
Where the draft lands
A Monday report email and a running log sheet.
What stays with you
Deciding which workflows earn more autonomy and which need fixing.
Week 41: 87 items handled, 64 drafts created, 52 sent (81% approval). Time back: 3h 12m (items × agreed minutes, minus review).
Most rejected: quote follow-ups for commercial clients (5 of 8 unsent). Suggest: exclude commercial or rewrite tone.
Healthy: voicemail requests, invoice reminders.
Watch-outs
- Standard minutes are estimates. Re-check them with staff every quarter.
- A falling approval rate is the early warning. Act on it within a week.
Questions owners ask
Why measure at all?
Because you can't tell whether a tool is worth paying for without a number.
Does it watch staff?
It counts drafts and approvals. It doesn't track keystrokes or screens.