Founder of SoftwareWatcher
Auke Westra
Auke Westra is the founder of SoftwareWatcher. He is an experienced data analyst and Power BI consultant.
Background
As a data analyst, Auke works daily with the data from companies' accounting, CRM, HR and scheduling software. There he sees what happens when systems do not connect well: an integration that stops working, a data format that changes or a report that suddenly no longer adds up. He brings that experience to how SoftwareWatcher compares software: besides features and price, we always look at integrations and at what happens to your data.
His starting point with AI is that it begins with good data. Before you have AI answer questions about your business, it must be clear what you mean by revenue, which orders count and which source is leading. Otherwise you get a convincing but wrong answer.
Expertise
- Data analysis and reporting with Power BI, including Power Query, DAX and data models
- Integrations between business systems
- Automation with tools such as Power Automate, Zapier and n8n
- Applying AI to business data, with clear definitions as the basis
Auke is also an expert within the Finanxe Academy.
Role at SoftwareWatcher
Auke writes and reviews knowledge base articles and selection guides, mainly about data, integrations, automation and AI. Each article shows when it was published and when the sources were last checked.
View Auke Westra's LinkedIn profile
Articles by Auke
- Personalisation in your webshop: from customer profile to personalised email
- Email marketing for your webshop: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Reloadify or Mailchimp?
- Accounting with AI: what does the software really automate?
- CRM in Excel: a handy way to start, but when do you switch?
- Invoicing via Peppol: comparing software for sending and receiving
- When do you need a ticketing system? From shared mailbox to helpdesk software
- AFAS Jonas: which AI features do you get in Profit and in SB?
- AFAS vs Exact: which package suits your business?
- Time tracking in Excel or an app: compare convenience, control and costs
- Making a rota with AI: what can ChatGPT do and what can scheduling software do?
- Creating quotations with AI: a standalone assistant or quotation software?
- AI in recruitment: which ATS features really help with hiring?
- CRM or ERP: which system do you need and when both?
- Inventory management in Excel: when is separate software the better choice?
- SharePoint as a document management system: when do you need a separate DMS?
- CRM with AI: which features help with sales and customer follow-up?
- Processing invoices in AFAS: its own Scan & Recognise, Whitevision or Zenvoices?
- Leave tracking in Excel or HR software: what suits your team?
- Free CRM: which package stays usable as your team grows?
- Automatic invoice processing: from incoming invoice to approved posting