According to recent studies, 30% of our workflows could be automated…
What would you do with 30% of your time and effort back?
Using software to minimise manual tasks isn’t anything new, however with so many tools on the market now, as well as better pricing and ease of implementation, automation has never been more accessible for small businesses. But what should we automate, we hear you shout? Well, as much as possible!
To give you an idea of what tasks you could automate within your business, let’s start a the first level…
Task Automation
Task automation includes anything from generating templates and telephone scripts to updating statuses. Some tasks feel as though they were created for automation, especially those that are repetitive and happen the same way each time.
We like to work with the rule of five; turn five of your most used emails into templates, such as…
- The ‘onboarding’ email
- The ‘follow up’ email
- The ‘asking for a referral’ email
- The ‘asking for feedback’ email
- The ‘setting up a meeting’ email
Save them in either a word document or an online doc, then simply copy and paste the content for each email, making sure to personalise the important bits. Or, if you’d like to eliminate the copy and pasting step altogether, sign up to a free HubSpot account here to install the HubSpot extension into your browser and simply populate your draft emails with the saved template with just one click. Isn’t automation the best?!
Workflow automation
Workflow automation focuses on a series of interlinked tasks and activities, with the goal of making them faster and easier to complete.
There are a number of workflows in which every step can potentially be automated, while other workflows need points of critical thinking and decision making (which is why the machines aren’t taking over just yet!).
When we think of workflow automation, we are looking at the micro-level, like collecting a document signature. The key takeaway is that a workflow is automated because of an existing process – however if there is no process, then you can’t automate a workflow.
One of our favourite workflows to automate is the CRM workflow housed in the sales and marketing process. Imagine a well-oiled lead capturing machine, which logs everyone you meet and creates follow-ups and deals in the background… Well, you don’t need to imagine because most CRM’s already do that for you!
There is always a level of work involved in the initial setup, but once it’s up and running you’ll wonder how you managed in the old days of writing notes on bits of scrap paper to follow up leads.
Process automation
Process automation can be a little more complex, as it takes things one step further than workflow automation, and focuses on end-to-end business processes. The end goal is to automate not only the tasks and the workflows, but the entire process. We can look at process automation on the macro-level, with top-level goals such as improving customer service.
Ultimately, automating processes makes your business activities more efficient, and frees up your time so that your energy can be redirected onto tasks that have a higher value. Not only that, but consistency is improved, reporting is simplified, errors are reduced and you have an increase in predictability.
How to implement automation
Are you sold on automation yet? Well, now for the how! For small businesses, all you need is a ‘low code automation’ software, like Monday.com or Clickup, plus a team member or VA that loves all things logic and process driven.
Getting started is easy – automation software for small businesses is designed to be implemented with ease and at a low cost. If you’re looking for support with identifying, optimising and automating your workflows so that you can increase productivity, we’re here to help.
To see how VA Assistance could benefit your business, simply get in touch today – we’d love to walk you through your options.
