Shuru

Proposal

Workflow Automation for Toner Direct

A staged plan to turn the customer data you already hold into repeat sales.

Prepared for

Trevor Johnston · Managing Director, Toner Direct

Prepared by

Kshitij Bhardwaj · Co-Founder & COO, Shuru

Date

26 June 2026

The short version

You already hold the information that tells you who buys next.

It sits in Xero and in your master Google Sheet. Right now that signal is read by eye and acted on by hand, when there is time.

This plan turns it into well timed, personal emails that go out on their own. Order confirmations, cross-sell prompts based on what someone has already bought, and gentle win-back notes when a customer goes quiet.

We built it in stages on purpose. Each stage stands on its own, pays for itself, and earns the next one. You can stop after any stage and still keep something that works.

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What we understood

Where you are today

Xero holds every order and all your customer information. It is the natural hub for all of this.

A master Google Sheet captures customer, date, invoice, amount, genuine or compatible, value and tracking. You match supplier invoices on it to see profit invoice by invoice.

Maildroppa handles email today, and you are open to a clean start on a new platform.

Two virtual assistants in the Philippines share one full time role, keying data and handling the day to day.

“Use Xero as the information hub, and let the workflow do the follow-up for me.”

That is exactly the shape of what we build. Nothing about how you and your team work day to day has to change.

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Your goals

Four things you want happening on their own

When tracking information lands, the customer gets a thank you with their tracking details, automatically.

When an order has an obvious next purchase, the right follow-up goes out. A yellow ink today means cyan, magenta and black are coming. A toner order means a drum is due around every fourth cartridge.

When a customer has not bought for a set period, a win-back email goes out.

Over time, a layer of AI that surfaces sales opportunities you would not spot by hand.

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The real lever

The fastest growth is hiding in customers you already won.

The market has been hard, and turnover is down over the last three years. Winning brand-new customers is slow and expensive. Selling more to people who already trust you is neither.

That is precisely what cross-sell and win-back do. So this plan is built around revenue first, not technology for its own sake.

45%

drop in turnover over three years, in a tough New Zealand market.

The data to recover it is already in your systems. It just needs to be put to work.

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Our approach

Four principles behind the plan

Start where risk is lowest, proof is quickest

Stage 1 is the simplest to build and the one customers feel first. It gets the plumbing in place and gives you a visible win before you commit further.

The right tool for each job

Low-code platforms like Make.com or Zapier for speed and low cost early on, with custom-built parts where reliability or logic demand it. We confirm the mix in discovery, not by guessing now.

Xero stays the single source of truth

Everything reads from the data you already maintain. We are not asking you to change how you or your team work day to day.

Decide the email platform with eyes open

Rather than commit to Maildroppa or a switch today, we settle it in the foundations stage once volumes and needs are clear. You keep the freedom to choose well.

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The roadmap

Five stages, each standing on its own

0

Foundations

Map the flow, connect Xero, decide the email platform.

Complimentary

1

Order & tracking emails

Automatic confirmations the moment tracking lands.

The first win

2

Cross-sell & upsell

Compatibility-based follow-ups that drive repeat sales.

Revenue engine

3

Win-back

Re-engage customers before they drift away for good.

Safety net

4

AI opportunity layer

Predict reorders and surface the best opportunities.

Forward-looking

Stop after any stage and keep what works. Each one earns the next.

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0

Stage 0 Foundations & blueprint

Get the groundwork right

The work that makes every later stage faster and safer.

We map your current flow end to end, connect Xero as the hub, agree how data moves between Xero and your sheet, and decide the email platform. You come out with a clear blueprint and a fixed scope for Stage 1, so there are no surprises.

You get

A workflow map, the integration foundation, and firm numbers for Stage 1

Approach

Discovery and light setup

Investment

Complimentary

Timeline

About 1 week

During this stage we also look at the manual work your VAs do. A good deal of it can likely be automated, and we will show you exactly what, at no cost.

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1

Stage 1 Order & tracking emails

The first automation customers see

The one that builds trust in the whole system.

When tracking information is entered, the customer automatically receives a clean, branded email thanking them for the order and giving them their tracking details. No one has to remember to send it, and it goes out the moment the information is ready.

You get

Automatic, professional confirmations and a better post-purchase experience

Approach

Low-code, triggered from your data, in your brand voice

Investment

NZD $2,500

Timeline

1 to 2 weeks

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2

Stage 2 Cross-sell & Upsell

The revenue engine

Where the data starts paying you back.

We build a map of how your products relate. Colour ink families bought together. Toner and drum cycles, a drum due around every fourth toner. Any pattern you know from running the business. When an order comes in, the system reads it against that map and sends the right follow-up at the right time, written to feel personal rather than blasted.

You get

Well timed cross-sell emails, plus a product relationship map you own

Approach

Low-code orchestration with custom compatibility logic

Investment

NZD $4,500

Timeline

2 to 3 weeks

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3

Stage 3 Win-back for lapsed customers

Catch customers before they are gone

A safety net for the ones who quietly drift away.

When a customer has not ordered within a window you set, the system sends a win-back email automatically. We can vary the message by customer value or by what they used to buy, so a high value account gets a warmer, more tailored note.

You get

Automatic re-engagement, with no manual tracking of who went quiet

Approach

Time-based triggers reading your order history

Investment

NZD $2,000

Timeline

1 to 2 weeks

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4

Stage 4 AI opportunity layer

The forward-looking layer

Once the basics are proven and earning.

With the foundations earning their keep, we add AI that does what rules alone cannot. Estimating when a customer is likely to reorder, ranking the opportunities worth chasing first, and drafting tailored outreach your team can approve and send. We scope it properly after Stage 2, because the best version depends on what the earlier stages teach us.

You get

Opportunity spotting beyond fixed rules, and drafts ready for a human

Approach

Custom models on the low-code backbone already in place

Investment

NZD $4,000 (Indicative)

Timeline

Scoped after Stage 2

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More time from the team you already have

Your two VAs spend real hours each week on repetitive work. Keying orders into Xero, updating the master sheet line by line, matching supplier invoices, and sending notes by hand. Much of that is exactly the kind of work automation handles well.

The point is not to reduce your team. It is to let the same hours go further, on the work that actually grows the business.

Routine data entry and invoice matching that runs in the background

Tracking and confirmation emails sent without a person remembering

Time freed for customers, opportunities the system surfaces, and the cases that need a human

We map this in the complimentary Stage 0 discovery and show you exactly which tasks are worth automating, and what each one gives back.

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Investment at a glance

Clear numbers, stage by stage

Stage	What it delivers	Timeline	Investment
0 · Foundations	Workflow map, Xero hub, email platform decision, firm Stage 1 scope	~1 week	Complimentary
1 · Order + tracking	Automatic confirmations on every order	1 to 2 weeks	NZD $2,500
2 · Cross-sell + upsell	Compatibility-based follow-ups that drive repeat sales	2 to 3 weeks	NZD $4,500
3 · Win-back	Automatic re-engagement of lapsed customers	1 to 2 weeks	NZD $2,000
4 · AI opportunity layer	Predictive opportunity spotting and drafted outreach	Scoped after Stage 2	NZD $4,000 (Indicative)

Running costs are small and separate: the low-code platform subscription, server cost, and a light monthly support arrangement so things keep working and can be adjusted as you learn. We set those out clearly once the email platform is chosen in Stage 0.

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Why Shuru

A partner who proves it before asking for more

Built to last in production

Automations that hold up in real day to day use, not demos that fall over a week later.

Tool-agnostic by choice

Make.com, Zapier, API integrations and custom builds. We recommend what fits you, not the one tool we happen to sell.

Support across your hours

Our team spans several time zones, overlapping both your New Zealand hours and your VAs in the Philippines.

Start small, prove the value with real numbers, and only spend more once the last stage has paid for itself. You stay in control of the pace and the budget throughout.

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What we would need from you

A light lift to get started

A short look at your master Google Sheet and a sample of recent invoices, so we can map the data and product relationships accurately.

The product compatibility knowledge in your head: colour families, toner-to-drum ratios, and any other patterns, so we can build them into Stage 2.

A decision-maker for sign-off at each stage. That sounds like you.

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The next step

A clear, low-risk first stage you can judge on its own.

A short scoping conversation, or a back and forth over email if you prefer, to confirm Stage 0 and lock the numbers for Stage 1. We are ready to begin quickly.

Let's start with the complimentary Stage 0 →

Kshitij Bhardwaj · Co-Founder & COO, Shuru · kshitij@shurutech.com
Singapore · UAE · Canada · India

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