Freelancer · Melbourne, Australia
One specialist designs, builds, tests and documents it.
Books that reconcile in Xero, QuickBooks Online or Odoo, spreadsheets you can trust, and automations that carry work from signed deal to invoice to payment without copy-paste.
CH.01SYS://BACK-OFFICE/PROBLEM
The problem
Most small businesses don't have a software problem. They have a back office held together by spreadsheets, copy-paste and memory. Invoices typed up after the fact. Bank lines matched by eye. The same customer in three lists, spelled three ways. It works, until someone is away or the month won't close.
The problem
Problems that come up again and again in small-business back offices. Each line links to a sample build that tackles it.
None of this is unusual. It is fixable, and fixing it is my job.
CH.02SYS://BACK-OFFICE/SERVICES
What I do about it
I don't sell software. I fix the process, then build it into the tools you already pay for. Four broad areas, one way of doing it: scoped in writing, built with checks, handed over documented.
Services
Four broad areas, one way of working. Each job starts with a bounded scope, so you know what you're getting before work begins.
01
When the books don't tie out
Books that tie out each month, with every bank line matched or explained and a reconciliation a bookkeeper can sign off.
ToolsXero, QuickBooks Online, Odoo, FreshBooks, Excel and similar systems
See examples02
When the same data is typed in twice
Repeat admin passed between the apps you already use, so records are entered once and every run is logged.
ToolsMake, Zapier, Airtable, Glide, Google Sheets and similar systems
See examples03
When everyone does the job differently
Jobs, tickets and customer records that follow one documented process, from first enquiry to the final invoice.
ToolsJobber, Zendesk, Airtable, Glide, Google Sheets and similar systems
See examples04
When nobody trusts the spreadsheet
Clean, checked data and reports people can rely on, with totals that reconcile back to the source.
ToolsExcel, Google Sheets, Qualtrics, Airtable, Odoo and similar systems
See examplesNot listed? If it has an API or an export, I can usually work with it.
Tools
Accounting, field-service, helpdesk and automation platforms, plus spreadsheets and code where they fit better.
CH.03SYS://BACK-OFFICE/SAMPLE-BUILDS
Worked examples
Anyone can say they fix back offices, so here are worked examples. These are sample builds with realistic data, made to show how I work. They are demonstrations, not client work. Every figure is computed from the files included.
Featured work
Snippets of how I handle this work, with the files included.
Every system ships with a Checks tab: control checks that show PASS or FAIL, and go-live gates that stay BLOCKED until a risk is fixed, so you can see the numbers tie out.
FLAGSHIP 01Bookkeeping & Reconciliation
Sample buildWork sample
1,636 bank lines across four accounts reconciled to Odoo for a quarter, with 0.00 left unexplained on every statement
FLAGSHIP 02Bookkeeping & Reconciliation
Sample buildWork sample
2,524 Xero invoice lines re-coded for a year, and 60,258.70 of unbilled hire found by rebuilding the asset log
FLAGSHIP 03CRM, Field Service & Support
Sample buildWork sample
9 locations reconciled before cutover, with 2 go-live gates held until fixed
FLAGSHIP 04CRM, Field Service & Support
Sample buildWork sample
A 10-step request-to-paid workflow mapped into Jobber and written up as 3 SOPs
FLAGSHIP 05Data, Reporting & Dashboards
Sample buildWork sample
15 survey questions scored into Google Sheets, with incomplete responses caught before they count
FLAGSHIP 06Bookkeeping & Reconciliation
Sample buildWork sample
8 of 11 billing steps automated from signed contract to paid invoice, 5/5 checks pass
Every sample build, filterable by area: bookkeeping, automation, CRM and field service, and data and reporting.
CH.04SYS://BACK-OFFICE/METHOD
How I work
Every project runs the same three steps. I map how the work moves and agree a written scope first. I build in your tools, with a Checks tab that shows PASS or FAIL. Then I hand it over with SOPs, so you're never dependent on me.
How it works
Careful where it counts, and delivered as early as possible.
I map how your work moves, find the gaps and agree the architecture and a written scope before building anything.
Built in your own tools, with checks built in, and run end to end on real cases (a pilot group where there is one).
SOPs, a walkthrough and a handover, so you're never dependent on me.
Every system ships with a Checks tab: control checks that show PASS or FAIL, and go-live gates that stay BLOCKED until a risk is fixed, so you can see the numbers tie out.
Interactive demo
Sample café sales data with placeholder values, cleaned live in your browser with the same steps I run in Excel. Press play, or step through each fix.
| # | Date | Product | Category | Qty | Total (AUD) |
|---|
Demo data uses placeholder values. Revenue is only totalled once amounts are real numbers — just like Excel, text-stored values don't add up.
CH.05SYS://BACK-OFFICE/OPERATOR
Who I am
I'm Manaz Afzal. I work remotely from Melbourne, for businesses in Australia and overseas. Engineering first, then software, then data. The thread is the same: messy, manual work turned into something reliable.
About
Manaz Afzal · Melbourne VIC
I studied Electronics & Communication Engineering, then moved into software development and later into data analysis. Each step was about the same thing: taking a process that is messy or manual and turning it into something reliable that other people can use.
Today I freelance in data cleaning, data automation, business systems and website building, working mostly with spreadsheets, PHP and Python, plus automation tools such as n8n, Make and Google Apps Script. I scope each job in writing, test it against the data, and hand it over with notes so you are never stuck with something only I understand.
CH.06SYS://BACK-OFFICE/CONTACT
Hire me
If your back office runs on copy-paste and memory, send me the job. I reply with questions and a written scope. The prices below are where projects start.
Indicative pricing
Launch pricing: indicative starting prices in USD. Your fixed quote follows once I've seen the files and scope.
Data
from $120 USD
A batch of invoices or PDFs extracted into a checked Excel or Google Sheets workbook, with an exceptions and audit tab.
Reusable extractor for repeat batches from $250 USD
Automation
from $150 USD
One automated step, such as enquiries logged to a sheet with an instant notification, built in the tools you already use.
Multi-step workflows from $350 USD
Spreadsheets
from $50 USD
A broken formula, a messy tab or a small lookup sorted.
Cleanup from $120 · cleanup + dashboard from $250 USD
Websites
from $120 USD
Copy plus one simple responsive HTML page: up to six sections, your brand assets, one enquiry route and two revision rounds.
Copy only from $150 USD
Content
from $150 USD
A short website page or a small batch of product descriptions, written from your facts.
Decks & documents quoted on request
All prices are indicative, not offers. Final price depends on inputs, complexity and deadline. Small paid first phases are available when scope is uncertain.
FAQ
Anything else? Ask in your Upwork message and I'll answer it in the quote.
Every job is scoped, checked and documented. The written scope sets out inputs, outputs and acceptance checks, then I personally review every deliverable before it's sent: formulas tested, totals reconciled, automations run end to end, links clicked and copy read against your facts. Nothing goes out unchecked.
Your files are used only for your project. Share the minimum needed, remove anything sensitive you can, and tell me about any confidentiality requirements before work starts.
For PDF extraction: a few sample PDFs (ideally one of each layout) and the columns you want out. For automation: the steps you do by hand today and which apps they touch. For spreadsheets: the file (or a representative sample) and what "done" looks like. For websites and copy: your logo, key facts, audience and pages you like.
n8n, Make, Zapier or Google Apps Script — usually whichever fits the accounts you already have, so there's nothing new to learn. You keep ownership of the accounts and the finished workflow, plus a short note on how it runs and what to do if something changes.
Every extraction comes with checks: files in vs invoices out, line items vs stated subtotals, and totals recalculated from the source. Anything that doesn't reconcile, such as a mismatched total or a missing date, lands on an Exceptions tab for you to review instead of being silently passed through.
Delivery dates are agreed in the written scope before work starts, and I deliver as early as possible.
Each quote includes two revision rounds within the agreed scope, each sent as one consolidated list of changes. New pages, features or data are quoted separately so there are no surprises.
Yes — the workbook with live formulas, the extraction script or workflow, the website source code, or copy in an editable document, as agreed in your scope.
Yes. If we connected on a marketplace, keep messages, agreement and payment there and paste the job details into that conversation.
I take on work through Upwork, so the scope, messages and payment all stay on the platform. Send the job there and I'll reply with questions and a written scope.
Hire me on Upwork (opens in a new tab)
