01 / Introduction
A better way to run your business digitally.
Most businesses do not have one digital system. They have a website in one place, accounts software somewhere else, enquiries arriving by email, spreadsheets filling the gaps and processes that have gradually evolved around whatever tools were available at the time.
Individually, those tools may work perfectly well. The problem is often everything that happens between them.
Align Operations gives growing businesses an ongoing technical and operational partner responsible for finding those gaps, improving the way systems work together and building the missing pieces when they are needed.
It is designed for businesses that need more than occasional technical support, but do not need — or do not yet need — a full-time internal systems team.
02 / The bigger picture
From disconnected tools to a joined-up operation.
Align Operations is particularly useful when a business starts recognising the same points of friction again and again.
“We enter the same information more than once.”
“Only one person really understands that spreadsheet.”
“Our website doesn’t connect to anything else.”
“Reporting takes hours every month.”
“We’ve got software for everything, but we’re still doing loads manually.”
“There are improvements nobody ever gets around to.”
These are rarely problems that require one enormous software project. More often, they require a series of sensible improvements made in the right order. That is what Align Operations is designed to provide.
03 / Our approach
Review. Prioritise. Improve. Monitor. Repeat.
Our approach is continuous rather than project-only. Part of Align’s role is helping determine what should be improved next.
Understand how your business currently operates.
Identify the changes that will make the biggest difference.
Implement practical improvements to systems, processes and automation.
Make sure the changes continue to work as expected.
Continue improving as the business changes.
04 / Start here
Digital Operations Review
A fixed-scope review designed to turn a vague feeling of “this could work better” into a prioritised plan.
Basic information about the business, current systems and known pain points.
Talk through the operation and understand how information, customers, staff and systems move through it.
Identify the main tools, workflows, manual steps, duplication and unnecessary complexity.
Find tasks that could be simplified and systems that would benefit from exchanging information automatically.
Review how information is captured and highlight obvious dependencies or fragile processes.
Organise recommendations into a sensible order rather than an overwhelming technical wish list.
A clear client-facing summary of findings, priorities and recommended next steps.
Talk through the Review, answer questions and decide what happens next.
There is no obligation to continue with Align. If you move onto Operations Partner or Fractional Systems within 30 days of completing the Review, we credit the full £395 against your first month.
05 / Our plans
Three levels of ongoing support.
Choose the level of involvement that is right for the business now. Each plan combines ongoing knowledge and responsibility with a defined amount of reserved hands-on improvement capacity.
3-month initial term
Keep things working. Make steady improvements.
- Monthly check-in
- Ongoing systems + process advice
- Relevant Align-built system + automation oversight
- Minor website/system improvements
- Quarterly priorities review
- 2 hours reserved improvement capacity/month
6-month initial term
Continuous improvement for growing businesses.
- Everything in Core
- Structured monthly Operations meeting
- Active process improvement
- Automation + integration work
- Reporting/data improvements
- Third-party platform liaison
- Quarterly strategic review
- 5 hours reserved improvement capacity/month
6-month initial term
Digital systems ownership without a full-time systems manager.
- Everything in Partner
- Fortnightly systems review
- Systems roadmap ownership
- Process design + deeper analysis
- Supplier/vendor liaison
- Requirements + specification work
- Technical input into operational decisions
- 10 hours reserved improvement capacity/month
06 / At a glance
Plan comparison.
| Feature | Core | Partner | Fractional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | £495 | £895 | From £1,495 |
| Initial term | 3 months | 6 months | 6 months |
| Ongoing systems advice | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Process improvement | Light | Active | Strategic |
| Monthly Operations meeting | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fortnightly systems review | — | — | ✓ |
| Automation improvements | Minor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrations / API work | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reporting / data improvements | Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Third-party supplier liaison | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Systems roadmap | — | Included | Owned by Align |
| Support priority | Standard | Priority | Highest |
| Reserved improvement capacity | 2 hrs | 5 hrs | 10 hrs |
| Review fee credit* | — | £395 | £395 |
07 / Reserved improvement capacity
This is not an hourly support package.
You are not simply purchasing two, five or ten hours of somebody’s time.
Your monthly service also covers the ongoing relationship, knowledge of your business, planning, advice, meetings, monitoring, prioritisation, availability and management of your digital operation.
Each plan does, however, include an amount of reserved improvement capacity for hands-on implementation work such as modifying an automation, improving a workflow, building a small integration, adjusting reports, making minor website changes or implementing smaller roadmap items.
This lets Align maintain predictable capacity across every Operations customer.
What happens when something is larger?
A completely new portal, major website redesign, new bespoke business system, large data migration or complex multi-system integration may be too substantial to fit sensibly within monthly reserved capacity. Where work is a standalone project, we scope and price it separately before work begins.
08 / Scope + boundaries
What Align Operations can cover.
Updates, functionality, forms, journeys and connections to other systems.
Internal applications, portals, operational tools and bespoke systems.
Removing repetitive work and creating reliable automated workflows.
Connecting platforms and enabling systems to exchange information.
Improving how information is captured, moved, reported and used.
Automated generation, routing and storage of operational documents.
Enquiries, bookings, orders, accounts, portals and notifications.
Internal workflows, approvals and operational administration.
Relevant coordination with software vendors and digital providers.
Maintaining a roadmap and identifying what should be improved next.
What it is not
Not a general IT helpdesk.
Unless specifically agreed, Align Operations does not cover laptops, printers, office Wi-Fi, password resets, Microsoft 365 helpdesk work, hardware procurement, 24/7 support, emergency out-of-hours support or unlimited development.
Third-party costs
External services remain separate.
Hosting, licences, SaaS subscriptions, API usage, transaction fees, paid plugins, domain charges and other third-party supplier costs are not included unless specifically stated.
09 / Support
Clear expectations.
Align Operations is designed around planned improvement and ongoing systems support rather than emergency IT support.
Some requests can be handled immediately. Others may require investigation, development, third-party input or separately scoped project work. Where something needs more time, we explain what is required and agree the next step.
10 / Getting started
A simple process to better operations.
Understand your current systems and processes.
Identify problems, opportunities and priorities.
Choose the right level of ongoing support.
Gather the access and information needed to work properly.
Work through priorities and keep the roadmap moving.
A different kind of partner
More than a supplier. A long-term partner.
Many businesses have separate companies for their website, software, IT, automation and marketing platforms. The result can be that everybody looks after their own piece, but nobody looks after how the operation fits together.
Align Operations exists to help close that gap. We combine practical business understanding with the ability to design, build, connect and improve digital systems.
Not every business needs a full-time systems manager. But as a business grows, somebody eventually needs to take responsibility for how the digital pieces fit together.11 / Frequently asked questions
Your questions, answered.
Do we have to complete a Digital Operations Review first?
Not always. Where Align already understands your business and systems, or where the required service is already clear, we may be able to begin directly with an Operations plan. For new customers with several systems or unclear priorities, the Review is normally the best starting point.
What happens to the £395 Review fee if we continue with Align?
If you begin Operations Partner or Fractional Systems within 30 days of completing your Digital Operations Review, the full £395 is credited against your first month.
Why is the Review not credited against Operations Core?
Operations Core is deliberately a lower-cost service for lighter ongoing involvement. The Review credit supports businesses moving into the more active Partner or Fractional relationship.
Can we move between plans?
Yes. If you need greater involvement, we can discuss moving to a higher plan. If requirements reduce, we can discuss the most appropriate arrangement once any applicable initial term has been completed.
What if we need more than our reserved capacity?
Small additional requirements can be discussed as they arise. If additional work becomes substantial, Align will normally scope it separately. Significant chargeable work is not simply carried out without discussing it with you first.
Does unused capacity roll over?
No. Reserved improvement capacity expires at the end of each billing month so that appropriate capacity can be maintained for every Operations customer.
Can you work with our existing IT company?
Yes. Traditional IT support and Align Operations solve different problems. Your IT provider can continue looking after devices, networks, user accounts and infrastructure while Align focuses on business systems, automation, integrations, websites, data and processes.
Can you work with systems you did not build?
Usually, yes. Where a system provides suitable access, APIs, exports or integrations, we may be able to improve or connect it without replacing it. Sometimes the right answer is to configure what you already have rather than build something new.
Do you provide emergency or 24/7 support?
Not as part of the standard Align Operations plans. Where a business requires specific business-critical support arrangements, these would need to be discussed and agreed separately.
Can you visit our premises?
Yes, where an on-site visit is genuinely useful. Travel or on-site work outside the normal service scope may be quoted separately.
Ready to find out what could work better?
Start with a Digital Operations Review.
£395 one-off. We will look at how your current systems and processes work, identify unnecessary manual work and disconnected tools, and provide a prioritised roadmap for improvement.
This Service Guide explains the scope and structure of Align Operations. Specific responsibilities and contractual terms are confirmed in the relevant proposal and service agreement.