The best systems are the ones people actually use

AI and automation that actually sticks

We build AI and automation inside the tools you already run on, from one quick fix to a full custom system, and stay with it until your people actually use it.

Book a free discovery call Take the System Check

In person around Auckland · Remote across New Zealand · Fixed prices, agreed in writing

Systems we've built · demo data
Staff scheduling app: positions filled, booking conflicts and team staffing for an event Summer leave planner: one office's staff with days away and a sign-off panel Staff scheduling app: teams, leaders and positions
A staff member's schedule on their phone

Real systems we've built, shown with demo data. See the work.

What we do

Three ways to advance

Start with a diagnostic built for where you are right now, then keep advancing from there.

The quickest place to start

First Fix

We find exactly where your time goes, then build the highest-impact automation to give some of it back, so the repetitive work stops eating your week.

Free first step: we map where your time goes · fixes built from $900

About First Fix
For teams and organisations

Systems Roadmap

When the way you worked at five people is breaking at fifty. We map how your business actually operates, find the bottlenecks breaking your handoffs, and give you a clear, prioritised plan to fix them.

From $2,000 · fixed scope, agreed in writing

About the Systems Roadmap
When off-the-shelf won't do

Custom Build

Something your business needs that doesn't exist yet, or a project you started and can't get finished. We scope it, build it and get it live. Then we host and maintain it for you, or hand it over to your IT team.

Quoted after scoping

About the Custom Build
After any of the three

Ongoing partnership

Once we've found the wins, we can keep building: implementing the plan, refining your systems, and keeping your operations advancing as you grow. We can also host and maintain what we build for an ongoing fee, so it keeps running without you thinking about it.

Talk about working together
How it works

Map. Plan. Advance.

A clear, jargon-free path from "everything's a bit stuck" to a working fix.

1

Map

It starts with a focused conversation about your business, then a look at how your time and your team actually work day to day.

2

Plan

You get a clear, jargon-free picture of where the time and friction are going, with practical fixes ranked by effort versus impact.

3

Advance

We put the highest-impact fix in place (a working automation, or your first priority), and we agree what to tackle next.

The toolkit, not the hype

Some of the platforms we work in

Real businesses already run on real tools. These are some we work in often, and they're not the limit: we work inside whatever you've got (CRMs, payments, hosting, networks) before reaching for anything new.

Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365
SharePoint SharePoint
Google Workspace Google Workspace
Cloudflare Cloudflare
Stripe Stripe
Square Square
Xero Xero
Zoho Zoho
n8n n8n
Claude Claude
Notion Notion
Ubiquiti Ubiquiti
Google Analytics Google Analytics
And more

New to all of this? Start with the plain-English guide to business process automation.

Working with your IT team

We work with your IT team, not around them

If you have an IT provider or someone in-house who looks after your systems, they stay in charge. We come from an IT background, so we speak their language and keep their side of the work simple.

Access is asked for, not taken

We request only the access a piece of work needs (an app registration, a permission, a shared mailbox), in writing, with the reason. Your IT team approves it, and we don't hold standing admin rights to your systems.

Hands-on with the stack

Microsoft 365, Entra ID, SharePoint, Business Central and Google Workspace, plus what sits underneath: DNS, email domains, Cloudflare, servers and networks.

Secure by default

Least-privilege access, no passwords or keys in code or email, and nothing hidden: whoever hosts it, your IT team can see how it's built and what it touches.

Hosted by us, or handed to you

We can host and maintain what we build for an ongoing fee. Or we hand it over fully to your IT team, with a written note of what was built, where it runs, what access it uses and how to turn it off.

No IT team? That's common. We can host and look after it for you, and explain everything in plain English.

More for IT managers and providers

The cost of broken systems

Businesses are losing hours every week

The time goes to manual admin, dropped handoffs and tools nobody adopted. The research is blunt about where the time goes.

3 in 5 NZ small-business owners told a 1,000-owner Xero survey that admin is hurting their wellbeing and their passion for the work. Xero NZ small-business survey (2021)
25% Of the work week lost to manual, repetitive tasks, reported by more than 40% of workers. Smartsheet automation research
6+ hrs A week (almost a full workday) that nearly 60% of people reckon they could win back by automating the repetitive stuff. Smartsheet automation research

The good news: that lost time is recoverable, and a focused review finds the biggest drains first. Read the full breakdown of where the hours go.
Sources: Xero / RNZ, Smartsheet.

Client feedback

What it's like to work together

I'm not new to business, systems or AI. Will at System Advance took the time to properly understand where I was at, identify the best next step, and show me exactly how to action it.

His knowledge was undeniable, and he communicated the process in a way that reduced overwhelm significantly. I now have clarity on the steps I need to take, and am more confident in taking them because of his work.

Trent Vase
True Vision Performance
Built and running

Systems people actually use

Scheduling app overview screen

Staff scheduling app

~150 staff

A scheduling app that took about 150 staff off the spreadsheet and into the browser.

Read the case study
Power BI organisation overview with headline figures, a weekly trend and a department scorecard

Power BI reporting dashboards

4 sources, one picture

A CRM, a registration platform, SharePoint and ad platforms, feeding Power BI for every department.

Read the case study
An AI-drafted quarterly operations review awaiting sign-off

AI report builder

4 hrs → under 1

An AI report builder that cut a quarterly report from about four hours to under one.

Read the case study
A PopStudio camera station tethered to a laptop at an event

PopStudio event photo platform

~2,000 photos, one day

Our own product: guests get their event photos by email, usually within a minute.

Read the case study
William de Lacey, founder of System Advance
William de Lacey
Founder, System Advance
About

About System Advance

System Advance is an Auckland AI, automation and systems company, founded and led by William de Lacey. We work with businesses across New Zealand: in person around Auckland, remotely everywhere else.

Most businesses we talk to are in one of two places. Either everyone is too busy doing the work to improve how it gets done, or growth came fast and the way things run hasn't kept up. Both end the same way: good people spending their week on admin, workarounds and chasing each other for information.

That's the gap we close. We work out what's costing the most time, build the fix inside the tools you already run on, and stay with it until your people are using it. Then we host and look after it, or hand it over to your IT team.

The best systems are the ones people actually use.

More about System Advance

FAQ

Questions, answered

The things people ask before they book a call.

Getting started

Do I need AI, or just a better system?

Sometimes the honest answer is a better system and no AI at all. We start with how your business really works, then recommend the simplest fix that sticks. Sometimes that's an AI workflow, often it's just a better system. The best systems are the ones people actually use.

How do I get started?

With a free discovery call. We'll talk through where your business is getting stuck, and afterwards we'll send you a tailored, no-obligation recommendation for the best way forward.

Which service is right for me?

If your own week is disappearing into repetitive admin, start with the First Fix. If the problem is handoffs between people in a growing team or a larger organisation, the Systems Roadmap is built for you. If you need something built that doesn't exist off the shelf, or a project you can't get finished, that's the Custom Build. Not sure? Take the free System Check or book a discovery call.

Do you work outside Auckland?

Yes. We meet clients in person around Auckland and work remotely with businesses across the rest of New Zealand. Discovery calls, reviews and handovers all run well over video.

Cost and time

What does it cost?

With First Fix, the first step is free: on your discovery call we map where your time goes and send you a ranked list of fixes. Building a fix starts from $900. The Systems Roadmap starts from $2,000. A Custom Build is quoted after a scoping conversation. Every price is fixed and agreed in writing before any work starts.

How long does a build take?

Most builds go live in a matter of weeks. The timeline is agreed in writing up front, alongside the price.

Can I get Government funding for this?

Some NZ small businesses may be eligible for co-funding of up to 50% (capped at $15,000) towards developing and implementing an AI plan, under MBIE's AI Advisory Pilot, delivered through registered advisers via the Regional Business Partner Network. Places are limited and the pilot runs until 30 June 2027. Your business needs to be GST-registered with 50 or fewer staff, so ask your local Regional Business Partner whether you qualify. We've written a plain-English guide to how it works: read it here.

Your systems and your IT team

Will you work with our IT team or IT provider?

Yes. Your IT team or provider stays in charge of your systems. We ask for only the access a piece of work needs, in writing and with the reason, and keep them across what we build. More on how we work with IT teams.

Will it work with the software we already use?

That's the starting point. We build inside or alongside the tools you already run on, and only suggest something new when it clearly earns its place.

Where is our data stored, and which AI services see it?

We tell you before anything is built: where the system runs, where its data is stored, and which AI or outside services it uses and what is sent to them. Where AI drafts something, a person reviews it before it goes anywhere.

After it's built

Who hosts and looks after it once it's built?

Your choice. We can host and maintain it for a fixed monthly fee, quoted with the build. Or we hand it over fully to your IT team to manage, with a written note of what was built, where it runs, what access it uses and how to switch it off.

What if we want to stop hosting with you?

You can leave at any time. We hand over the code, the data and the documentation so your IT team or another provider can run it.

Do you work with larger organisations?

Yes. We have built systems used by around 150 staff, and we are used to working alongside in-house IT teams and outside IT providers. See our work.

Get in touch

Book a free discovery call

Grab a free 30-minute call, and we'll talk through where your business is getting stuck. Pick a time that suits below.

William de Lacey

You'll talk with William, our founder. Afterwards you'll get a written recommendation with a fixed price.

Loading available times…

Prefer to write first? Tell us where you're getting stuck and we'll come back to you.

By sending this you agree we'll use your details to respond to you, as described in our Privacy Policy. No marketing without your say-so. Prefer email? Reach us at [email protected].