5 Quick IT Wins That Cut Costs in 90 Days
A survival guide for NZ professional services, charities & manufacturers under pressure.
Cheaper Biscuits & No Colour Printing?
Yep, times are tough. The NZ economy is putting pressure on every dollar. The lunchroom snacks are downgraded, the heating’s dialled down, and someone just suggested going back to black-and-white printing.
But here’s the difference between surviving and thriving in 2025: smart organisations are cutting costs without cutting quality – by using IT strategically.
There’s no epic digital transformation. Just fast, practical wins that make a real dent.
The Case for Quick Wins
It’s not about being the biggest. It’s about being smart with what you already have.
%
of NZ businesses say AI boosted worker productivity
%
report cost savings from smart IT moves.
%
say automation boosted efficiency by +25%
Here are 5 IT tweaks you can make in 90 days to ease pressure and get results.
1. Automate the Boring Stuff
Stop paying people to do what robots are good at.
Every team has a few unspoken truths: spreadsheets multiply overnight, data entry is nobody’s dream job, and your smartest people are stuck doing the digital equivalent of busywork. But here’s the kicker – most of it can now be automated using tools you probably already own. Whether it’s AI, RPA, or good old workflow automation, this is the low-hanging fruit that delivers fast results and happy staff.
Quick Wins by Sector
Legal Firms
AI can review documents, format files, and handle scheduling.
✅ More billable hours, less non-chargeable admin.
Engineering & Architecture
Automate version control and early compliance checks.
✅ Fewer delays, faster approvals.
Professional Services
Auto-generate reports from existing data sources.
✅ Less time formatting, more time advising..
Charities
Streamline donation processing and volunteer coordination.
✅ Lower admin cost, better donor engagement.
Manufacturing
Automate repetitive tasks like inventory tracking and order processing.
✅ Fewer errors, higher output.
2. Cloud Migration: Turn CapEx into OpEx
Someone else’s electricity bill. Predictable monthly costs. No surprises.
If your server room is still humming away in a back cupboard (next to the mop and a flickering fluorescent light), you’re probably bleeding money. Between maintenance, power, cooling, and unexpected outages, on-prem infrastructure is a silent budget killer. Cloud migration isn’t about being trendy – it’s about cutting complexity, reducing risk, and shifting to a cost model that makes sense in 2025
Quick Wins
Start with pain points
Email, file storage, and line-of-business apps are easy targets.
✅ Most tools already run better in the cloud.
Access anywhere:
Staff can securely access systems from the office, home, or field.
✅ Better mobility and business continuity.
Lower risk, fewer surprises
Forget fire drills and server crashes – cloud vendors handle the heavy lifting.
✅ No more 2 AM panic calls. Someone else has it covered (with better insurance)
3. Microsoft 365: The Swiss Army Knife You Forgot You Had
You’re paying for features you’re not using.
You already own Microsoft 365. So why are you also paying for Zoom, Slack, Trello, Dropbox, and random tools that only three people use? Most businesses use about 20% of what Microsoft 365 offers – and ignore the rest. With a few tweaks, it can replace a raft of other subscriptions, consolidate your workflows, and unlock automation and AI that’s hiding in plain sight.
Quick Wins
Replace Slack with Teams
✅ Already included (in most plans) — no need to pay twice
Ditch other project tools
✅ Use Microsoft Planner or Project for streamlined task management.
Consolidate video calls
✅ Teams handles meetings, chats, and webinars (and it links to Outlook)— no need for Zoom.
Automate with Power Automate
✅ Build workflows in-house without Zapier fees.
Share files with SharePoint
✅ No more Dropbox or Google Drive subscriptions.
4. Workforce Automation: Let Humans Be Human
Robots do the admin. People do the thinking.
Your people didn’t join the business to manually copy and paste data between systems or chase down overdue invoices. Yet, here we are. Strategic automation isn’t about replacing staff – it’s about lifting the digital burden so your team can focus on higher-value work. Let the robots do the repetitive stuff. Humans are better at thinking, solving, and connecting.
The outcome? That $25/hour data entry role evolves into a $40/hour problem solver
Quick Wins
Automate invoice approvals
✅ Cut delays and remove manual bottlenecks.
Enable auto-backups + syncing
✅ Protect your data and keep systems aligned
Use chatbots for FAQs
✅ Resolve common queries instantly, 24/7.
Automate maintenance scheduling
✅ Stay on top of recurring tasks without admin.
Build self-service portals
✅ Let clients help themselves — and save your team time.
5. Proactive IT Management: Stop Fighting Fires
Be the fire station, not the fire.
It’s 3 PM. The server’s wheezing, the internet’s crawling, and your top client’s waiting. Meanwhile, your “IT person” is really just Craig from accounting who once installed a printer. This is what reactive IT looks like — expensive, stressful, and totally avoidable.
Proactive IT flips the script: monitor, maintain, and fix issues before they blow up. You reduce downtime, control costs, and keep your business humming — no firefighting required.
Did you know: One day of downtime can cost more than six months of proactive IT.
Quick Wins
Switch to managed IT support
✅ Covers monitoring, maintenance, and helpdesk support.
✅ No more scrambling — help is just a call away.
Implement real-time system monitoring
✅ Catch issues before they become outages.
✅ Improve performance, protect productivity, and avoid costly surprises.
The Kinetics 90-Day Advantage
Limited Offer: $2,500 Business IT Discovery Workshop
We’ll show you where to start, how much you can save, and what you can automate.
No pressure. No hard sell. Just real solutions for real savings.
We don’t just recommend these changes – we implement them. Fast.
✅ Tailored, high-impact changes
✅ Results in weeks, not years
✅ No jargon, no fluff, no wasted time