How We Slashed Client Reporting from 15 Hours to 90 Minutes Weekly

How We Slashed Client Reporting from 15 Hours to 90 Minutes Weekly

The Real Cost of Manual Reporting

A 20-client agency burned 15 hours weekly—nearly two workdays—on repetitive reporting:

• 45 minutes per client: copying data, fixing formatting, chasing updates.
• 3-5 revisions per report from typos and mismatched branding.
• Inconsistent fonts, colors, and layouts eroded client trust.
• Reports arrived 3-7 days late, delaying critical budget decisions.
• Ops leads spent Mondays firefighting instead of scaling.

Automated Pipeline: Zero Maintenance, Full Control

We built a serverless system in Google Workspace that pulls data from Google Ads, Meta, and LinkedIn, calculates ROAS and CPC, generates branded Google Slides, and delivers reports automatically on the first business day of the month. No spreadsheets. No copy-paste. No errors.

Build It: Step-by-Step

Prerequisites

OAuth Scopes (add to appsscript.json):

"oauthScopes": [
  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/presentations",
  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive",
  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets",
  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.send"
]

Permissions: Service account needs Editor access to the reporting Sheet, Viewer access to the Slides template folder.

API Keys: Store securely using PropertiesService.getScriptProperties(). Run setProperty('API_KEY', 'your_key') once. Retrieve with getProperty('API_KEY'). Never hardcode.

Core Script: Auto-Generate Branded Reports

Clones template, replaces placeholders, injects live charts—using batch updates to stay under Slides API’s 60 requests/minute limit Google Apps Script release notes.

// Pseudo code for the application 
FUNCTION generateClientReport(clientName, templateId, dataSheetId)
  GET Data Sheet
  IF Not Found THEN THROW Error
  
  TRY
    GET Template File
    COPY Template -> "{Client} Monthly Report"
    GET New Presentation ID
    
    // Batch Update for Replacements
    DEFINE Requests:
      - Replace {{CLIENT_NAME}} with clientName
      - Replace {{MONTH}} with Current Month
      
    EXECUTE BatchUpdate on Presentation
    
    SET Permissions: Anyone with Link (View)
    
    RETURN Edit URL
  CATCH Error
    LOG Error
    THROW Error
END FUNCTION
 
FUNCTION getMonthYear
  RETURN Format Date "MMMM yyyy"
END FUNCTION

Implementation Checklist

1. Pull Ad Data: Use UrlFetchApp with OAuth2 to fetch daily metrics into a master Sheet. Store refresh tokens in PropertiesService. Each platform gets its own tab. Use range.getValues() and range.setValues()—never loop cell-by-cell.

2. Calculate KPIs: Add a Calculations tab. Use formulas: ROAS (=revenue/spend), CPC, CTR, conversion rate. Wrap in ARRAYFORMULA for auto-expansion.

3. Design Template: Build a Slides template with {{CLIENT_NAME}}, {{MONTH}}, and a blank slide for charts. Note the pageObjectId of each slide.

4. Deploy Script: Paste code into Apps Script. Set TEMPLATE_ID and DATA_SHEET_ID to your document IDs.

5. Insert Charts: In the Sheet, create an embedded chart. The script uses chartId: 0 to pull it into Slides. Set linkingMode: 'LINKED' for live sync.

6. Schedule Runs: Create a time-based trigger for the first of the month. For 20+ clients, split the batch—Apps Script times out at 6 minutes (consumer) or 30 minutes (Workspace) Google Apps Script release notes. Chain triggers with ScriptApp.newTrigger().

7. Send Reports: Loop through clients, call generateClientReport(), and email links with GmailApp.sendEmail() (wrap in try-catch). Add PDF fallback: DriveApp.getFileById().getAs('application/pdf').

Fix Common Failures Fast

Authorization Failures: "Slides API not enabled"? Go to Extensions > Apps Script > Services > Add Slides API. Confirm all OAuth scopes in appsscript.json. Force check with Slides.Presentations.get(presentationId).

API Quota Exceeded: Slides API allows 60 requests/minute. Add Utilities.sleep(1000) between batches. For 20+ reports, stagger runs: ScriptApp.newTrigger('generateClientReport').timeBased().after(5 * 60 * 1000).create().

Script Timeout: Hits 6 minutes (consumer) or 30 minutes (Workspace). Split client list across triggers. Track progress with PropertiesService.setProperty('lastClientIndex', i).

Use Case 1: Multi-Channel Digital Marketing Agency

An agency managing 20+ clients across Meta, Google Ads, and GA4 previously spent two full workdays manually exporting CSVs and formatting slide decks. By implementing a centralized API-driven dashboard, they automated data aggregation and narrative templating. ROI: Saves 13.5 hours per week.

Use Case 2: IT Managed Service Provider (MSP)

A technical team was losing hours every Friday morning manually pulling uptime, ticket resolution, and security patch metrics from RMM tools for 15 different client accounts. They transitioned to an automated reporting suite that syncs real-time data into branded client portals. ROI: Reduces reporting time by 90%.

Use Case 3: Boutique Financial Advisory Firm

Advisors were manually consolidating portfolio performance and expense tracking from disparate banking APIs to provide high-touch weekly summaries for high-net-worth clients. The firm deployed a low-code automation workflow to generate and distribute these summaries instantly. ROI: Frees up 50+ hours monthly for strategic client advisory.

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