88% of small business owners say that automation helps them compete with larger companies.
If you run a small business, it’s our guess that you’re not swimming in free time. Being a business owner involves juggling hundreds of tasks and wearing multiple hats, from accountancy, to strategizing, to people management. But what if you could reclaim some of your time?
Utilising technology for task automation is a great way to streamline your workflow and boost productivity. Consider those unavoidable, repetitive and time-consuming tasks that need to be done to keep the wheels turning. Implementing a few workflows to automate those jobs will allow you and your team to redirect your focus toward strategic thinking, problem-solving, and innovation.
This guide will walk you through the essentials of small business task automation, from identifying tasks to automate, to successfully implementing your changes.
What is Task Automation?
Task automation means using technology and software to automate repetitive, manual tasks such as data entry, report generation, and customer support. Many organisations have embraced digital transformation to automate processes that have streamlined their operations, improved decision-making, accelerated growth and elevated overall business performance.
Why Use Automation in Your Small Business?
Boost Efficiency
A huge advantage of automation is eliminating time-consuming, manual tasks that use up resource. A lot of administrative tasks can be automated, freeing up your team’s time for more value-add work. Removing mundane tasks from your employees’ workload enables them to contribute their skills and expertise to tasks that require human judgement and creativity, as well as boosting their morale.
Reduce Errors
Humans make mistakes, especially when performing monotonous and repetitive tasks. These errors can lead to delays, repeated work, and decreased productivity. Automation minimises errors in data entry and calculations, ensuring higher accuracy and consistency, which will improve the overall quality of service delivered to your customers.
Save Money
Manual processes often require a significant amount of employee time and effort. Process automation reduces the manpower required for the same output, enabling your business to decrease its reliance on manual labour and save on overheads.
Improve Customer Service
Task automation can significantly increase quality and consistency, translating to better products and services for your clients. Through standardisation, improved quality control, and increased productivity, you’ll be able to enhance the client experience.
Furthermore, elements of client support can be automated. Chatbots can be used to reduce wait times by answering client requests instantly, and customer experience can be personalised by using technology to analyse customer data and predict behaviour and preferences, enabling you to tailor services to individual customers.
Enhance Scalability
Investing in automation provides significant opportunity for growth and scalability. As your business grows, automated systems can efficiently handle increased work volumes without a proportionate increase in resources. These systems also offer flexibility, allowing you to scale up and down depending on business requirements.
Increase Data Accuracy
Automated systems can process and analyse data in huge quantities, efficiently and accurately, providing clear and actionable insights. Real-time data capture and reporting allows for efficient risk management and decision making.
Adhere to Regulations
Automation can also be used to increase an organisation’s adherence to regulations and standards. Software can be used to track regulatory changes and update internal processes accordingly, as well as generating the reports required for regulatory submissions. The reduction in human error also ensures risks and errors don’t get missed.
What Tasks Can You Automate?
Marketing
Schedule social media posts and send automated email campaigns.
Sales
Generate quotes and send automated follow-up emails. Track sales performance through automated reports.
Customer Service
Set up chatbots to answer frequently asked questions. Automate email responses for order confirmations. Have automation manage appointment scheduling.
Human Resources
Automate payroll processing and manage employee onboarding tasks. Send out automated reminders for performance reviews.
Finance
Automate data entry for invoices and receipts. Schedule recurring payments and generate automated financial reports.
Getting Started with Task Automation
Successfully implementing automation requires careful planning and execution. Here’s how to get started.
Identify Repetitive Tasks
Analyse your daily workflows and pinpoint repetitive and time-consuming tasks. You can examine timesheets and ask employees which manual tasks take them the most time.
Choose the Right Tools
There’s a huge library of automation tools available, covering everything from simple scheduling apps to complex workflow management platforms. Research and choose tools that integrate seamlessly and are compatible with your existing software. IT companies can provide guidance on what tools would suit your specific needs.
Start Small
Don’t try to automate everything at once, otherwise your team will get overwhelmed and the transition can be disruptive. Begin by automating a few key tasks and gradually expand as you get comfortable with the technology.
Invest in Training
Provide your team with proper training on any new technology to ensure they can embrace it and use it effectively. You want to ensure your team are comfortable with any new tools.
Conclusion
Automation isn’t about replacing the workforce but empowering them. Utilising automation to free up your team’s time and talent to focus on strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and building strong customer relationships, will help your business evolve and grow.
To learn more about which of your business processes could be improved through automation, view our website or contact our Business Solutions team.
