Blog | Digital Tools, Automation & Business Systems

The UK E-Invoicing Mandate Is Confirmed. Start With Where Your Invoices Live Today

July 27, 2026July 22, 2026 by Tom Burke

Digilyse graphic about the UK e-invoicing mandate showing a VAT invoice card marked PDF not accepted and a Peppol ready button

Last month the government confirmed the UK e-invoicing mandate will run on the Peppol network, with the rule taking effect in April 2029. Two thoughts usually follow. First, 2029 is miles away. Second, this is the accountant’s problem. Both are wrong in a way that quietly costs you if you leave it. The firms that … Read more

AI Meeting Notes Are in Your Client Calls. Microsoft Just Added an Off Switch

July 27, 2026July 13, 2026 by Tom Burke

Digilyse graphic about AI meeting notes showing a meeting card with an AI notetaker joining and a set the rules button

AI meeting notes have quietly become standard in business calls, and this month Microsoft Teams is rolling out a toggle that lets meeting organisers turn its AI features off mid-meeting. Copilot, the Facilitator agent, automatic notes, recap: one switch. Microsoft added it after sustained pushback from customers who found AI switched on in meetings by … Read more

How to Reduce No-Shows: The Fix Is Usually a Setting You Never Switched On

July 27, 2026July 6, 2026 by Tom Burke

Digilyse blog graphic showing an appointment card with a no-show risk label and a send reminder button

If you run an appointment business, a no-show is one of the quietest ways you lose money. A slot booked and not filled is money you cannot get back, because you rarely have time to resell it. Most owners treat this as a customer problem, something people just do. It is closer to a workflow … Read more

The Average Invoice Waits 27 Days. Most of That Delay Starts Before the Customer Ever Sees It

July 27, 2026June 22, 2026 by Tom Burke

Digilyse blog graphic showing an unpaid invoice waiting 27 days with a pay now button

UK small firms now wait an average of 27 days to be paid after sending an invoice, and nearly half of all SME invoices are overdue. In construction and trades it is worse, with real payment times running closer to 61 days against 30-day terms. The government’s new late payment bill, announced in March, will … Read more

Day-One Sick Pay Is Live. Your Rota and Hours Records Now Decide What You Owe

July 27, 2026June 15, 2026 by Tom Burke

Digilyse graphic on statutory sick pay changes: sick pay from day one and what your rota records now decide

Since 6 April 2026, statutory sick pay starts on the first day of absence, not the fourth. The lower earnings threshold has gone too, so part-time, casual and variable-hours staff now qualify. For pubs, cafes, shops and care homes running on a mix of contracted and flexible hours, that means more people are owed SSP, … Read more

The AI Agent You Should Try First Is Probably Already in Software You Pay For

July 27, 2026June 9, 2026 by Tom Burke

A wave of “AI agents” landed in mainstream business software this spring. In May, ClickUp shipped Super Agents, which sit inside your workspace as if they were staff: you can assign them tasks, put them on a schedule, and let them draft, summarise or chase. Sage has built its Copilot into Sage 50. Most of … Read more

Google Business Profile 2026: Your UK Listing Is Now Penalised for Standing Still

July 27, 2026June 1, 2026 by Tom Burke

The Google Business Profile UK rules changed this spring and most SMEs have not noticed. The 2026 update treats profile freshness as a ranking signal in its own right. Going 30 days without a new photo, post or update now causes measurable drops in impressions, even for businesses with strong review histories. That matters because … Read more

Invoice Fraud Prevention: Your Approval Process Was Built Before AI Could Write Emails

July 27, 2026May 26, 2026 by Tom Burke

Invoice fraud prevention UK graphic showing a fake invoice with new bank details flagged as a fraud attempt

Invoice fraud prevention in the UK has quietly become one of the most important process gaps in small businesses. UK Finance has tracked a 75% rise in invoice and payment request fraud over the last three years. Most of that growth is not down to more criminals. It is down to better tools. The phishing … Read more

Why Most Small Businesses Miss Out on Grants (and What Actually Helps)

July 27, 2026May 19, 2026 by Tom Burke

There is roughly £2 billion in grant funding available to UK small businesses each year across government schemes, devolved programmes, and sector-specific funds. Most of it goes unclaimed, not because businesses do not qualify, but because they never found out in time, or submitted an application that was never going to get through.

Microsoft Wants You to Lock In Copilot Pricing Before 30 June. Six Questions to Ask Before You Do.

July 27, 2026May 18, 2026 by Tom Burke

Microsoft Copilot pricing deadline 30 June 2026 graphic

Microsoft has been pushing a clear message at small business customers over the past two weeks. Buy Microsoft 365 Copilot Business seats before 30 June 2026 and you lock in the promotional rate for a year. After that date the standard price kicks in, around 17% higher per user per month. For a ten-person team, … Read more