PROBLEM CATALOGUE

Which of these sound familiar?

Operational problems we see in growing businesses, what we would build for each, and what stays with your team.

302Labs builds operational systems for growing businesses. We take work that runs on spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups, and people's memory, and turn it into systems that run reliably every day.

Each area below starts with the kind of business it applies to. Find the one that sounds like yours, then read the problems. Most teams recognise two or three straight away.

This is not a menu. Each card is a starting point for a conversation. Every build is shaped to how a team actually works, and that shape gets confirmed before anything is built.

HOW TO READ THE CARDS
  • Built: we have delivered this system for a client.
  • Buildable: we have built the same shape of system, applied to a different problem.
  • Every card says what stays with your team. The system tracks, checks, and flags. People decide.

Cash Control

For businesses that sell on credit or pay many vendors. Knowing what is owed, what is due, and what does not match, without rebuilding it by hand every month.

Built A live view of who owes what, and who is over their limit We sell on credit, but nobody can say in one place who owes us what, who has crossed their limit, or which payments are slipping.

You'll recognise this if

  • Credit exposure lives across Tally, spreadsheets, and people's memory
  • A customer being over their limit is noticed only after the next order ships
  • Group-level exposure across entities takes days to put together, or cannot be put together at all
  • Margin per customer is estimated, not tracked

What we'd build

  • One live view of what each customer owes, against their credit terms and limit
  • Purchases and sales linked, so margin per customer is visible
  • A group-level exposure view across entities
  • Your accounting system stays where it is. The system reads from it

What stays with your team

Credit limits, exceptions, and whether to hold an order stay with your team. The system shows the exposure. People make the call.

Built for a trading and distribution company selling on 30, 60, and 90 day credit terms.

Usually comes next: Payment follow-ups that happen on their own Vendor payments checked against what was ordered and received

Built Payment follow-ups that happen on their own Following up on payments depends on one person remembering who to call and when.

You'll recognise this if

  • Reminders go out late, or not at all, when that person is busy
  • Escalation happens only when someone notices a payment is badly overdue
  • There is no record of who was followed up with, and when
  • The overdue list is rebuilt by hand every week

What we'd build

  • Reminders sent on schedule over WhatsApp and email, based on each invoice's due date
  • Escalations that trigger when a payment slips past an agreed point
  • Every follow-up logged against the customer
  • An overdue list that is always current

What stays with your team

Tone, relationship calls, and decisions on disputed payments stay with your team.

Built for a trading and distribution company, as part of their credit management system.

Usually comes next: A live view of who owes what, and who is over their limit

Buildable Vendor payments checked against what was ordered and received We pay vendors against their invoices, but checking each invoice against the order and what actually arrived is manual, and mismatches show up late.

You'll recognise this if

  • Orders, goods receipts, and invoices are compared by hand
  • Duplicate or excess payments are discovered at audit, not before payment
  • Disputes over short supply depend on someone's memory
  • Month-end is spent reconciling vendor accounts

What we'd build

  • Each invoice matched against its order and the goods received
  • Mismatches flagged before payment is released
  • A short exception list for the accounts team instead of a full manual check
  • A history of mismatches per vendor

What stays with your team

Payment approvals and every conversation with vendors stay with your team.

Same shape as a payroll verification system we built: matching data across several documents and flagging only the exceptions.

Usually comes next: A live view of who owes what, and who is over their limit

Compliance Readiness

For businesses with statutory filings, licences, certifications, and audits. Staying ready instead of scrambling before each deadline.

Built Payroll errors caught before they reach employees Payroll runs across many documents, and checking them against each other by hand is slow. We usually find a mismatch when an employee complains.

You'll recognise this if

  • Salary registers, bank statements, PF and ESI filings, and attendance records are cross-checked by hand
  • Overtime, bonus, and leave encashment are hard to verify against what was actually paid
  • Mismatches surface after payout, through complaints
  • Statutory filings and actual deductions are not reliably compared

What we'd build

  • Every payroll run cross-checked across all source documents
  • Mismatches flagged: salary against bank credit, deductions against filings, overtime hours against payment, bonus declared against paid
  • A short exception list for the payroll team, sorted by severity
  • A record of how each exception was resolved

What stays with your team

The system verifies. It does not calculate or process payroll. Every correction and decision stays with HR and finance.

Built for a garment manufacturer with a large workforce.

Usually comes next: Licences, certifications, and audits that never catch you off guard Every statutory deadline tracked, with proof it was met

Buildable Licences, certifications, and audits that never catch you off guard We track licence and certification renewals in spreadsheets, and before every audit someone rechecks everything by hand.

You'll recognise this if

  • An expiring licence or certification is noticed late
  • Audit schedules, submissions, and status live in email threads
  • Before each audit, readiness is rechecked manually
  • Findings from audits are tracked in separate spreadsheets and nobody is sure what was closed

What we'd build

  • Reminders before every expiry, well ahead of the deadline
  • One view of all audits: scheduled, ongoing, and closed, with documents submitted
  • A readiness view for each upcoming audit, based on what is valid and what is not
  • Findings tracked from open to closed, each with one owner

What stays with your team

Renewals, auditor communication, and closing findings stay with your team. The system tracks and reminds.

Same shape as two systems we built: payroll verification that flags only the exceptions, and payment follow-ups that remind and escalate against due dates.

Usually comes next: Every statutory deadline tracked, with proof it was met Payroll errors caught before they reach employees

Buildable Every statutory deadline tracked, with proof it was met Filing and payment deadlines across entities are tracked in someone's head or a calendar, and proof of filing is scattered.

You'll recognise this if

  • Deadlines are missed or met at the last minute
  • Proof of filing is spread across email and folders
  • Nobody has one view across all entities
  • Late fees and notices arrive before anyone notices the gap

What we'd build

  • One calendar of statutory deadlines across entities
  • Reminders to the right owner ahead of each deadline
  • Proof of filing attached to each deadline once done
  • A view of what is due, done, and overdue

What stays with your team

Filing itself, and every judgment on what applies to your business, stays with your team and your advisors.

Same shape as a payment follow-up system we built: reminders on schedule against due dates, with escalation when something slips.

Usually comes next: Licences, certifications, and audits that never catch you off guard

Inbound Operations

For teams handling a steady flow of emails, applications, or orders. Reading, sorting, and structuring what arrives, so people only handle what needs judgment.

Built An inbox that sorts itself Every incoming email is read and sorted by hand, and important ones get buried.

You'll recognise this if

  • Someone spends part of every day just sorting email
  • Important messages are found late
  • The same kinds of email are handled differently depending on who reads them

What we'd build

  • Every incoming email read and categorised as it arrives
  • Each category routed to the right person or next step
  • Items that need judgment flagged, everything else handled in its lane

What stays with your team

Replies, and anything that needs judgment, stay with your team.

Built for a venture education company, connected to a hiring system that builds a searchable candidate pool from incoming applications.

Usually comes next: Applications screened, so your team reviews only the exceptions Orders from WhatsApp and email, captured without retyping

Built Applications screened, so your team reviews only the exceptions Every application to join, partner, or onboard is read and checked by hand before anyone can approve it.

You'll recognise this if

  • A review queue that grows faster than the team can clear it
  • Criteria are applied differently depending on who reviews
  • Good applicants wait days for a decision

What we'd build

  • Each application checked against your criteria as it arrives
  • Clear approvals move forward on their own
  • Anything that needs judgment is flagged for a person
  • A record of why each application was approved or flagged

What stays with your team

Your criteria, and every borderline decision, stay with your team.

Built for a curated creator network that screens every applicant before approval.

Usually comes next: An inbox that sorts itself

Buildable Orders from WhatsApp and email, captured without retyping Orders arrive on WhatsApp, email, and calls, and someone types each one into our system by hand.

You'll recognise this if

  • Orders are retyped from chats, and details get missed
  • Customers are asked the same clarifying questions again
  • Nobody can see which orders are pending entry

What we'd build

  • Orders read from messages and turned into a structured draft
  • Missing details flagged before the order goes further
  • Every draft confirmed by a person before it enters your system
  • One view of orders received, pending, and entered

What stays with your team

Confirming each order, pricing, and availability stays with your team.

Same shape as an inbox triage system we built: read what arrives, classify it, and structure it for the next step.

Usually comes next: A live view of who owes what, and who is over their limit An inbox that sorts itself

Sales Operations

For teams whose leads and customers are spread across chats, CRMs, and spreadsheets. Keeping every lead worked and every new customer set up, without chasing people for updates.

Buildable Old leads brought back, with one record per customer Our leads sit across several systems that do not talk to each other, and old enquiries are never followed up once they go cold.

You'll recognise this if

  • The same customer appears in several systems, matched only by phone number
  • Lead records hold little more than a name and a number
  • Past customers who are due to buy again are not tracked anywhere
  • Sales agents start every call without the history

What we'd build

  • One record per customer, joined across the systems you already use
  • Each lead enriched once, so the team works from the full picture
  • Old enquiries and past customers surfaced when they are likely to be ready again
  • Agents given the right list, with the context for each call

What stays with your team

Every conversation with a customer, and every decision on offers and priorities, stays with your sales team.

Same shape as a hiring system we built: every applicant captured and enriched once, and the best fits surfaced on demand.

Usually comes next: Sales notes that reach the CRM without anyone typing them

Buildable Sales notes that reach the CRM without anyone typing them Our reps learn things in the field, but it stays in voice notes and WhatsApp chats, and the CRM is always out of date.

You'll recognise this if

  • The CRM is updated late, or only before a review
  • Follow-ups depend on each rep's own reminders
  • Managers cannot see where each account stands without asking

What we'd build

  • Voice notes and messages from reps turned into structured CRM updates
  • Every update confirmed by the rep before it is saved
  • Follow-ups sent on schedule over email and WhatsApp, based on each account's stage
  • One view of the pipeline that stays current without chasing

What stays with your team

Relationships, pricing, and every judgment on an account stay with your sales team.

Same shape as an inbox triage system we built: read what arrives, sort it, and put it in front of the right person.

Usually comes next: Old leads brought back, with one record per customer An inbox that sorts itself

Built New customers onboarded through one standard flow Once we win a customer, onboarding runs through email threads and loose forms, and nobody owns the next step.

You'll recognise this if

  • Customer details and documents are collected differently every time
  • Onboarding stalls when the person handling it is busy
  • Credit terms are set before anyone has the full picture

What we'd build

  • One standard form for every new customer, collecting the details and documents you need
  • Each customer's record created once, and used by everything that follows
  • Credit terms and limits set against a complete record from day one

What stays with your team

Approving each new customer, and setting their terms, stays with your team.

Built for a trading and distribution company, as the first step of their credit management system.

Usually comes next: A live view of who owes what, and who is over their limit Sales notes that reach the CRM without anyone typing them

Field and Fleet Visibility

For businesses whose work happens on the road or across branches. Seeing what is happening in the field without calling around for it.

Built A shared view of how loads are sourced and how the fleet moves Our branches source loads through brokers over calls and WhatsApp, and management has no shared view of it, or of where the fleet is.

You'll recognise this if

  • Load sourcing lives in calls, chats, and each branch's spreadsheets
  • Management cannot compare how branches work with brokers
  • Fleet movement is pieced together by phone

What we'd build

  • Load sourcing captured from the channels branches already use
  • One view of broker activity across branches
  • Fleet movement visible to management without calling around

What stays with your team

Broker relationships, rates, and every sourcing decision stay with your branch teams.

Built for a logistics company, as the first of three systems under one ongoing relationship.

Usually comes next: Vehicle maintenance requests handled through one chat Every tender tracked from opportunity to outcome

Built Vehicle maintenance requests handled through one chat Maintenance requests and status updates come in over calls and WhatsApp, and nobody knows which vehicle is waiting on what.

You'll recognise this if

  • Requests get lost in chats and phone calls
  • Status is checked by calling the workshop or the driver
  • Nobody has one list of open maintenance work

What we'd build

  • One chat where maintenance requests and status updates are logged
  • Every request tracked from raised to done
  • One view of open maintenance work across the fleet

What stays with your team

Repair decisions, vendors, and spending approvals stay with your team.

Built for a logistics company, alongside its fleet visibility and tender systems.

Usually comes next: A shared view of how loads are sourced and how the fleet moves

Built Every tender tracked from opportunity to outcome We track tenders by hand, so deadlines, submissions, and results are spread across email and spreadsheets.

You'll recognise this if

  • Tender deadlines are tracked by memory or a spreadsheet
  • Submission documents are scattered across inboxes
  • Nobody has one view of which bids are open, submitted, or won

What we'd build

  • Every tender logged from the moment it is found
  • Deadlines and submission status tracked for each bid
  • Outcomes recorded, so the pipeline shows what was bid and what was won

What stays with your team

Whether to bid, pricing, and every submission stay with your team.

Built for a logistics company, alongside its fleet visibility and maintenance systems.

Usually comes next: A shared view of how loads are sourced and how the fleet moves Every statutory deadline tracked, with proof it was met

Recognise any of these?

Note the cards that sound like your business, and which one costs you the most today. That is where the conversation starts.