Impact Associates
Case Study: Automating Sales & Operations
“Working with Tessera Frameworks completely changed the way we think about running our business. We knew we had inefficiencies, but we didn’t realize just how much of our work could be automated until Jess and her team stepped in. They built systems that cut out hours of admin each week, streamlined everything from client intake to invoicing, and gave us the confidence to scale without adding unnecessary overhead. In our first year, we hit profitability far sooner than expected — and we now have an operational foundation that will grow with us. Tessera didn’t just save us time and money; they gave us the clarity and structure to focus on what we do best.”
— Dave Mora,
Senior Partner, Impact Associates
Overview
Impact Associates offers comprehensive 360° conflict management services that enable organizations, leaders, and individuals to bridge the gap between their intended actions and actual impact. Our name, Impact Associates, reflects our focus on the root causes of conflict and creating lasting resolutions. Our mission is to empower people to have the breakthrough conversations that lead to meaningful changes. With clarity, respect, and connection, they empower people to approach differences as drivers of better decisions and opportunities for transformation.
The Challenge.
Manual note-taking and inconsistent intake made client data unreliable.
Proposal writing and RFP responses were time-consuming and repetitive.
Project management varied by engagement, creating inefficiencies across the team.
Contract finalization, invoicing, and financial tracking required heavy admin lift.
As mediations often involve sensitive information, systems needed to balance efficiency with confidentiality.
Our Approach.
We introduced a fully integrated, automated workflow that connected Impact Associates’ tools into one cohesive system:
AI Notetakers to capture and summarize client calls, reducing manual note entry.
Google Forms for standardized client intake, ensuring consistent data capture across all engagements.
Zapier Automations to trigger proposals, project boards, client folders, and invoices automatically.
GPT + Better Proposals to draft proposals and RFP responses within minutes, including e-signature functionality.
DocuSign Integration for more advanced contract requirements.
Updated software for project and task management, with boards auto-generated from intake forms.
QuickBooks Integration to automatically generate invoices post-contract and track payments.
Google Drive Automation to create structured client folders (notes, invoices, outcomes) the moment a contract is signed.
The Solution in Action
Pre-call prep and intake forms ensured every new lead or referral was logged and tracked.
Proposals were drafted automatically after calls using GPT and populated in Better Proposals, ready for review and approval.
Once signed, Zapier workflows created client folders, launched project boards, and triggered invoices.
Ongoing contracts generated recurring tasks in Trello/Monday, while one-off mediations followed a lighter workflow.
Confidentiality was safeguarded through controlled access in Google Drive and compliant e-signature processes.
Internal notifications and client welcome emails kept everyone aligned on next steps.
Results.
Time Saved – Manual admin reduced by 60% through automation of proposals, invoicing, and project setup.
Increased Professionalism – Standardized, branded proposals and consistent client intake elevated the firm’s client experience.
Scalable Growth – The system supported both one-off mediations and multi-year contracts, allowing the team to handle more cases without hiring additional staff.
Improved Confidentiality Controls – Sensitive mediation data was securely managed in structured, access-controlled systems.
Clear Financial Tracking – Automated invoicing ensured faster payments and simplified end-of-year reporting.