{"id":7155,"date":"2020-01-31T10:10:17","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T10:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=7155"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:18:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T10:18:42","slug":"peter-jones-smarter-business-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/peter-jones-smarter-business-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Small talk with Peter Jones: How to free up time to make smarter business decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our Small Talk series, we delve into how your business can tackle some of the many challenges you face so you can elevate your performance. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Jones<\/a>, our Sage customer for life, sat down with interviewers Nina and Jed to talk about what you can do to ensure your business can perform at its best. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, there are a few challenges that Peter was set by his intrepid interviewers. Watch the video to see how he got on and below is a transcript, followed by some advice on how you can make smarter business decisions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free copy of Perform at your best<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nina:<\/strong> We\u2019re here to talk about automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jed:<\/strong> What is automation anyway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> I\u2019ll tell you what it is. So automation in a business is, how do you get all of the processes and things you do, and how do you get them on to a computer, run by a piece of software that just produces the reports for you. Like your tax return, all of those sorts of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to worry about it. You can go off, do all the things you want to do, have chats with people in the office, instead of having to worry about it and sit there, and manually write everything down on a piece of paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I\u2019ve automated all of that. I don\u2019t ever have to do that again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, all of those big packs of files that I used to have in my office, I don\u2019t have them now. They\u2019re all up in the cloud somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina:<\/strong> How can businesses make things automatic to help them get better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Well they\u2019re going to save so much more time if they\u2019ve got automated processes. So if they\u2019ve got everything up into the cloud, and all of the things that they have to do, then it makes life so much easier for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve got more time. More time to do things like make phone calls to get new customers in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More time to actually talk to staff, find out what their problems are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And more time to go and have chats with your friends about how Newcastle did at the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can save thousands, tens of thousands of pounds, just by being automated in a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jed:<\/strong> Don\u2019t you make that, like, every hour, though?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Well, I wish I did. I wish I did. I don\u2019t. I make a lot more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jed:<\/strong> Right, then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina:<\/strong> Well, back to fun things. Ok, so it\u2019s us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Us? You two?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina:<\/strong> Kids vs Peter. You.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Ok, I\u2019m in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Peter, Nina and Jed are handed pencils and paper, and are given a maths puzzle: 7605 \u2013 5900 = ?]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> God, what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina:<\/strong> Ready, steady, go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Nina and Jed race ahead and work out the answer before revealing it to Peter]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina:<\/strong> 1,705.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Yes. God, you\u2019re quick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jed:<\/strong> Thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Did you know the answer before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina and Jed:<\/strong> No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jed:<\/strong> No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Wow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jed:<\/strong> That\u2019s a draw, then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter:<\/strong> Draw? I\u2019ll take that. I\u2019ll take the draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free checklist: Five steps to make smarter decisions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Small talk with Peter Jones: Check out the rest of the series<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n