Scott Tompkins

SMB Ops Modernization

2 min read

SMB Ops Modernization

I designed and built an integrated operations system that replaced manual spreadsheet-based workflows with real-time, connected tooling—giving a small business live CRM data, a cloud-accessible operational hub, and a reliable field application in one coordinated effort.

Context

A client coordinating national in-person corporate training was managing operations through Excel spreadsheets and manual CRM data exports. CRM data lived in HubSpot; training operations—schedules, deliverables, calendars—lived in Excel files that didn’t scale, weren’t accessible in the cloud, and went stale almost immediately. Field coordinators worked from phones and tablets in venues with unreliable connectivity, making traditional web apps impractical.

What Changed

I built three interlocking components that solved the problem as a system, not as separate tools:

  • A real-time CRM connector that eliminated all manual data transfer between HubSpot and the operational hub. Changes in the CRM appear automatically—no exports, no stale copies.
  • Airtable as the cloud hub, replacing Excel with a familiar spreadsheet-style workspace where CRM data and training operations data converge. Non-technical staff can view and edit directly.
  • An installable PWA that gives field coordinators a fast, offline-capable tool for scheduling, tracking, and dashboards—with sync status transparency so they always know whether their changes have been persisted.

Excel spreadsheets are gone. Manual CRM exports are gone. Operations teams have a single, live source of truth accessible from anywhere, and field staff have a tool that works regardless of connectivity.

Why It Matters

Small and mid-size businesses often operate with tooling gaps that larger enterprises solve with dedicated platforms. This project demonstrated that modern, integrated tooling doesn’t require enterprise budgets—targeted architecture connecting existing tools (HubSpot, Airtable) with purpose-built glue (the connector, the PWA) can transform operations at SMB scale.