How to Automate Your Business

Business automation is a bit of a buzz word at the moment, but when used correctly automation software can increase efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, and improve the level of service you deliver.

In this blog post we are going to explore how to automate your business, starting with basic automation that you already have but perhaps aren't using, through to specific automation software.

What does business automation mean

On a basic level we're talking about taking all those daily repetitive tasks that happen in your business, such as client on-boarding, responding to sales emails, managing sales processes, data input etc. When we automate these tasks using specific software they are no longer done by a human - giving you more time to focus on other areas of the business. Growth, for example.

Use what you already have

Many small businesses assume that automation is reserved for the big businesses that can afford fancy software, but this isn't the case. Take a step back and look at what these tasks are and what software you are already using.

If you use a Gmail, Office365 or email platforms like Mailchimp or Mailerlite, you will already have the ability to set up automation processes. Gmail and Outlook provide you with various features such as setting up templates for email replies. Emails can be automatically filed in specific folders. These are called rules in Outlook and filters in Gmail.

The free plan on Mailchimp even allows for basic automation when people sign up to your mailing list. Mailerlite goes one step further and allows for significant email workflow automation on their free plan that guides subscribers through every step of their journey.

If you use Facebook for your business, do you use the chatbot feature?

Invest in automation software to streamline your processes

This is the next step in automation and there is so much software out there for specific activities and functions. For example Asana, Trello and ClickUp are task management apps for teams. Software like ZenDesk, Zoho and Salesforce are CRM apps that can help manage your customer service (if you want to know more about CRM software, read My Blog - 5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs CRM Software). Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign are powerful marketing, email and sales automation software tools that manage and nurture your sales leads. If you don't already use email marketing software, my article on why your business needs a mailing might be useful.

Using software like Zapier and Airtable, you can get apps to ‘talk’ to each other and perform tasks when ‘triggers’ are met. For example, if you have a new customer, you can send them a welcome email, assign them to a specific CRM group and receive a notification about the customer purely through automation.

Think about what task/activity you want to automate, then explore the software to match.

Use chatbots and AI to handle customer service inquiries

Not only do we expect good customer service, we also expect it to be efficient. This can be difficult if you’re a small business operating with a small team (or even on your own). We’ve already mentioned about Facebook’s chatbot, but you can take this a step further by using AI and chatbot software to support your customer service inquiries. This is a great article from HubSpot that explains more about Chatbots and how you can use them in your business.

Create workflows to understand and streamline your processes

If you're thinking about using automation, it's a great opportunity to think about your various processes and workflows and how you could improve. By evaluating or creating workflows you are ensuring that tasks are carried out, managed, and optimized to make sure they are as efficient as they can be.

Automating parts of, or entire, workflows is the next step in this process which will ultimately provide your business with a competitive edge by helping you streamline operations and reduce costs. No matter what size your business is, implementing some form of automation (no matter how small) will ultimately save you time, increase productivity, increase consistency and reduce errors,  leaving you with more time to focus on other areas of your business.