The Admin Automation Playbook

Your Complete 20-Prompt System to End the Paperwork Nightmare

Author

William Tygart
August 12, 2025

Stop losing 15-20 hours a week to admin. Start billing those hours instead.

Every restoration contractor faces the same truth: You didn't get into this business to write emails until midnight. But here you are, covered in drywall dust, typing your third "professional update" of the day while your family eats dinner without you.

This playbook changes that. Twenty field-tested prompts across five critical areas. Copy, paste, edit, send. Get home on time.

The 15-Hour Problem

Here's where your week disappears:

  • 3 hours: Writing homeowner updates

  • 4 hours: Chasing insurance approvals

  • 3 hours: Creating documentation

  • 2 hours: Coordinating crews

  • 3 hours: Managing subs and vendors

That's 15 billable hours. At $150/hour, you're losing $2,250 weekly. $117,000 annually.

This playbook gets you 80% of that time back.

How This System Works

  1. Pick your biggest pain point (start anywhere)

  2. Copy the prompts to your phone

  3. Use them on real jobs this week

  4. Track time saved

  5. Expand to other areas as you see results

No training. No complex software. Just prompts that work.

The Complete System: 5 Clusters, 20 Prompts

Stop spending 20 minutes per email. Start copying, pasting, and moving on.

What's Inside:

  • The Daily Update Generator (homeowner updates in 2 minutes)

  • The Bad News Buffer (deliver delays without panic)

  • The Completion Closer (final summaries that get you paid)

  • The Emergency Explainer (after-hours communication that calms)

Best For: PMs writing updates at midnight, anyone dealing with anxious homeowners

Stop chasing adjusters. Start getting approvals and checks.

What's Inside:

  • The Approval Accelerator (first-submission approvals)

  • The Follow-Up Formula (responses, not silence)

  • The Supplement Supporter (additional coverage approved)

  • The Payment Pusher (invoices paid in 22 days, not 60)

Best For: Anyone tired of calling adjusters, companies with cash flow issues

From "where did I put that?" to "here's everything you need" instantly.

What's Inside:

  • The Note Translator (field scribbles to formal reports)

  • The Photo Narrator (images that explain themselves)

  • The Compliance Creator (pass every audit)

  • The Summary Synthesizer (complete job documentation)

Best For: Companies facing audits, anyone who's been burned by poor documentation

Stop the "nobody told me" excuse. Start the "already handled" culture.

What's Inside:

  • The Assignment Architect (morning chaos eliminated)

  • The Handoff Helper (shift changes without drops)

  • The Update Broadcaster (messages that actually get read)

  • The Task Tracker (complex jobs stay on track)

Best For: Multi-crew operations, companies with communication breakdowns

End the contractor coordination circus. Get subs showing up right.

What's Inside:

  • The Scope Sender (work orders without confusion)

  • The Schedule Coordinator (multiple trades, zero conflicts)

  • The Quality Checker (punch lists that get fixed)

  • The Payment Processor (invoices without disputes)

Best For: Jobs needing multiple trades, anyone tired of babysitting subs

Start Here: Your First Week

Monday: Pick your worst pain point above Tuesday: Copy those 4 prompts to your phone Wednesday: Use one prompt on a real job Thursday: Use all 4 prompts in that cluster Friday: Calculate time saved × your hourly rate Weekend: Enjoy time you didn't spend on admin

Most contractors save 2-3 hours in their first week. That's $300-450 back in your pocket.

Real Results from Real Contractors (simulated)

"First month: saved 47 hours of admin. That's $7,000 in billable time recovered." - Water Mitigation, Houston

"Insurance payments arriving 3 weeks faster. Cash flow completely changed." - Full Service Restoration, Denver

"Haven't written an email from scratch in 6 weeks. Home by 5:30 every day." - Fire Restoration, Phoenix

The Math That Matters

Your time is worth $150-250/hour on a job site. These prompts cost $0. Each one saves 15-20 minutes. Use 4 prompts daily = 1+ hour saved. That's $750-1,250 weekly. $39,000-65,000 annually.

Not bad for copy and paste.

Advanced Moves

Once you're comfortable:

  1. Customize prompts for your specific market

  2. Create templates in your CRM/software

  3. Train your team (takes 10 minutes)

  4. Build prompt packages for specific situations (CAT events, large loss)

  5. Track which prompts save the most time

Common Questions

"Do I need special AI tools?" No. These work with ChatGPT (free version), Claude, or any AI assistant.

"Will these sound robotic?" They're trained on thousands of real contractor messages. They sound like you on your best day.

"What if adjusters notice?" They'll notice you're organized. That's good.

"Can my whole team use these?" Yes. Share this page. Everyone gets the same professional output.

Your 30-Day Challenge

  1. Week 1: Master one cluster

  2. Week 2: Add a second cluster

  3. Week 3: Implement across your team

  4. Week 4: Calculate total time/money saved

Average contractor saves 12-15 hours per week after 30 days.

Get Started Now

Don't overthink this. Pick the cluster that annoys you most:

Start with one. See results this week. Expand from there.

Share Your Wins

Used these prompts? Saved time? Got paid faster?

Send your story to us. We feature the best wins (with credit) and share new prompts that contractors discover.

Remember: You got into restoration to rebuild properties and help people, not to type until midnight. These prompts get you back to what matters.

Time to stop reading. Time to start pasting.

Pick your first cluster above. Your future self (home at dinner) will thank you.

P.S. Bookmark this page. You'll reference it weekly until these prompts become muscle memory. Then you'll share it with every contractor you know who's drowning in admin.