Digital Tools for Operational Efficiency: Working Smarter, Not Harder in 2026
On Monday 9th of February, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce gathered for its first business-focused meeting of 2026. The atmosphere inside The Pavilions of Harrogate was warm and collaborative as over 60 members and guests arrived to explore the theme of using digital tools to increase business efficiency.
As usual, the evening began with the opportunity for members and guests to connect in a period of open networking; attendees enjoyed hot drinks and delicious cakes and biscuits whilst catching up with their peers.
Just after 6.15pm, Chamber President Phill Holdsworth officially opened the meeting. Phill highlighted the new HDCC leaflets now available designed to help members articulate the value of the Chamber to prospective new members. He also shared updates on the management team’s busy schedule, including ongoing discussions regarding local transportation, the town council and strategic planning with North Yorkshire Council.
The Strategy Behind the Technology
Organiser of the meeting, Andrew Joy of ActionCOACH Harrogate and Chamber Management team member introduced the session, welcoming Niki Estrella and Michael Rippon from Sparro to the stage for the first talk. Niki and Michael brought a strategic perspective to the world of digital transformation; they introduced their “Business Blueprint” - encouraging the audience to view their own businesses as a series of interconnected engines for acquisition, retention and activation.
They warned against the common pitfall of Maslow’s Hammer - the idea that if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. Their message was clear: businesses should never commit to expensive or complex software until they have first identified the specific friction points within their strategy. By leading with strategy rather than the tool itself, owners can ensure their technology actually supports their goals rather than becoming an administrative burden.
Mastering AI and the Power of Prompting
Michael Rippon then led a fascinating exploration into the practical applications of AI. He demonstrated that the secret to high-quality AI output lies in the art of prompt engineering. By defining a specific persona for the AI and using structured frameworks, Michael showed how businesses can generate far more accurate and authentic results for marketing and operations.
The highlight for many was the demonstration of NotebookLM. Michael showed how a business can upload its own internal documents and notes to create a private, searchable knowledge base. The room was captivated as he explained how the tool could even generate a realistic audio podcast summarising a company's own data, offering an accessible way for teams to digest complex information.
Efficiency Across Every Department
The focus then shifted to the practical implementation of these ideas with Fiona Ibbetson from Get Ahead VA. Fiona brought the conversation back to the daily reality of many small businesses, where manual reporting errors and fragmented information can lead to significant time losses. She argued that the era of the cumbersome spreadsheet is coming to an end, replaced by integrated cloud-based systems.
Fiona walked through a logical toolkit for every department. For operations, she highlighted the visibility provided by project management platforms like Asana or Trello. For sales, she advocated for the centralisation of client data through CRMs like HubSpot. She also explored how finance can be automated via Xero and Dext, and how HR platforms like BreathHR can simplify employee management. Her challenge to the room was simple: find one tool that can give you back just one hour of your time each week.
Member News and Local Community
The meeting concluded with a lively session of member announcements.
Marcus Wearmouth and Dan Pywell shared details of the upcoming Harrogate Beer Festival on the 6th and 7th of March at The Crown Hotel, which will support local charities including Time Together, Disability Action Yorkshire and HADCA.
Kate Rogata from Supporting Older People invited members to their Cheltenham Festival Ladies Day at Hotel du Vin on the 11th of March, an event dedicated to alleviating loneliness in our district.
Richard Burleigh (Libertas Professional Services) told the audience of the upcoming Connecting HR event - a networking event for HR professional - taking place at Starling on Wednesday, 11th February from 6pm.
We also heard about Verity Frearson’s generous sales fee discount (£500) for Chamber members.
https://www.harrogatechamber.co.uk/directory#!biz/id/63d39ae8c0a12a3840481eab/Deals!Michelle from Resurrected Bites announced an exciting jazz and wine tasting fundraiser scheduled for March 7th at 7.30pm.
https://www.harrogatechamber.co.uk/business-hub/wine-tasting-amp-jazz-night-7-march-harrogate
We would like to thank our expert speakers, Niki Estrella, Michael Rippon, and Fiona Ibbetson for their invaluable insights.
Our gratitude also goes to the team at The Pavilions of Harrogate for their exceptional hospitality. We look forward to seeing everyone on the 9th of March at The Crown Hotel for our next meeting on marketing.
