By: William Jones

Over time, businesses of all sizes can accumulate layers of inefficiency. Systems that were once designed to make operations smoother can become cumbersome, and processes intended to save time start to slow people down. This is rarely the fault of any one individual, as teams work hard, leadership makes thoughtful decisions, and technology is implemented with the right intentions. Yet as organizations grow, these small inefficiencies can multiply, leaving employees overwhelmed and managers without clear visibility into their operations. 

“Often when growth stalls, it’s not because of a lack of effort,” explains Alesia Dvorkina, founder of technology consultancy Hmara Solutions. “There’s always effort, but it’s usually little inefficiencies that build up through daily operations. Sometimes it helps to bring in someone from the outside who can dig in and see where the real value lies.” 

In her work helping organizations refine and realign their technology stacks, Dvorkina has seen how even relatively small changes can produce substantial, measurable results. She illustrates this philosophy through two examples, one from a large company and one from a smaller team, demonstrating how proper alignment of systems can transform efficiency and scalability for businesses of all sizes. 

The first case involved a large insurance organization whose sales team had abandoned its customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Adoption was low, and each team member developed personal workarounds, using spreadsheets, emails, or standalone tools to track leads, which caused the sales process to become fragmented. “The problem wasn’t in the pipeline itself,” Dvorkina notes. “It was that the CRM platform they were using wasn’t set up to work for the people. The technology was intended to help, but it wasn’t aligned with how the team actually worked.”

Dvorkina’s team began conducting interviews with the sales team to understand the information they needed at each stage of the sales process. She shares, “We asked them questions like: ‘What do you actually need?’ ‘What questions are you asking people during sales calls?’ What information do they require for insurance applications?’

After analyzing their needs, they simplified workflows and redesigned interfaces to display only the data relevant at each moment, reducing cognitive load and making the platform more intuitive. Another challenge was duplication: the sales team and underwriters worked in separate systems, forcing employees to retype data multiple times. After integrating these systems, Hmara Solutions eliminated inefficiencies, reduced errors, and freed up hours of manual work each week.

After streamlining its systems, employees could focus on meaningful tasks rather than repetitive administrative work. Sales management teams and other leadership teams gained visibility into critical metrics. In doing so, the system began supporting growth instead of hindering it. 

A similar transformation occurred with a smaller financial services company, another example offered by Dvorkina. The team was managing complex processes with limited resources and staff, and repetitive manual tasks consumed significant portions of employees’ time. Every week, the president of the company handled the invoicing. “It was nonstop for him,” Dvorkina states. “He would spend hours just verifying everything.” 

After analyzing the problem, Hmara Solutions implemented automation across its workflow, including client data management and billing processes. “Our processes included putting automations in place, which helped in streamlining their work processes effectively,” Dvorkina shares. “Now they have visibility in billing and licensing processes, which eliminated excessive time-consuming verifications and created clarity around workflows.”

Both examples underscore a key principle that underpins Dvorkina’s work. “You can’t scale chaos,” she says. Efficiency, visibility, and alignment between business goals and technology are essential for growth. When systems reflect how teams actually operate, adoption improves, errors decrease, and companies gain the flexibility to scale confidently.

The broader lesson for businesses, Dvorkina points out, is that technology, when properly implemented, should be frictionless and enable employees to do their jobs. By assessing where inefficiencies live, reconfiguring tools to support real workflows, and connecting previously fragmented systems, organizations can see tangible results, often faster than expected. When digital platforms are implemented thoughtfully, they do more than streamline operations; they enable growth, reduce stress, and allow teams to focus on their highest-value work.