The power of automation: streamline your business processes and save yourself time
I love a good automation. I use automations for my own business, I’ve set up so many for clients that I’ve lost count and I really hope that after reading this post, you’ll set some up for yourself too! I know for a lot of people automations can seem a bit scary so here’s the low down on what they are, what to automate and how to do it without getting overwhelmed.
What is automation?
Defined as “the process of using technology, software, or systems to perform tasks with minimal human intervention,” automation is exactly what it says on the tin - having things happen automatically without you doing them. Automation can be used for a range of tasks within your business, but we will touch more on those shortly, and there’s so many different systems that offer automation/workflow processes. The goal of automation is usually to save time, increase accuracy, improve the client experience and to ensure that your business can still run (in parts) without you even being there.
what are the benefits of automation for small businesses?
As I eluded to above, there’s so many benefits of automation and some beyond what you might expect. The big one and the one we all probably immediately think of is to save you time. If there’s a task that you do over and over, you can set up an automation once and then never have to do it again. What you might not have considered is that automation is also a great tool for reducing the risk of human error. As long as you’re focused and don’t make mistakes when you’re setting it up, your tasks will happen correctly each time with no chance for you to make a mistake because you’re still working at 10pm while you’re falling asleep! Automation helps to improve your client experience by ensuring they get all the right information at the right times, no more emails starting with ‘sorry for the delay…’ or clients chasing you because you forgot to share a questionnaire or invoice with them, A huge win for automation is that even when you’re not working, your automations will still be doing their thing. This means that if you take a few days off because you're ill or you have a holiday coming up and you want to switch off, anything you’ve automated will still be happening - amazing! As a small business, including automation processes can also help you to scale as it means you have time to focus on the bigger impact tasks rather than the mundane every day things that eat up your time. It’s also easier, and cheaper, to set up an automation once and let it do it’s thing than to teach a VA or employee a task and pay them every time they do it (although there are still plenty of tasks that are better to outsource to a VA than technology!)
what tasks should I be automating?
If you’ve read this far already, chances are you’re chomping at the bit to get started with automating all of your tasks. Before you do though, have a proper think about what you can and should automate in your business. It’s important to remember that as a small business, people buy from people so you don’t want to automate everything and lose the personality of your business but there’s a lot you can automate to save yourself time and still have a personal touch with your clients. Here’s five tasks that I’d recommend automating first:
Invoices: If you send the same invoices to your clients each month, get those automated and take the pain out of getting paid. This includes setting up payment reminders for any late payments!
New client follow ups: If you’ve got a service based business and you’re getting new enquiries in regularly, it can be challenging to keep on top of who to follow up with and you could end up missing out on sales. Having a simple automation in place to chase prospective clients for you after however many days (you can set up more than one follow up) takes the pressure off you to remember to send the email and might get those clients coming back to you after they forgot to reply to your previous email.
Social media scheduling: I’ve more than covered this in a recent blog post (here) but get your content scheduled! It will change your life (maybe over dramatic but I believe in it!)
Client onboarding & off boarding: As a service based business, I have a lot of information to share and requests of things I need from a client when they start working with me. By having an automated process, I can share all of the information needed (without forgetting anything) and anything I need from them such as getting contracts signed and sharing questionnaires for them to complete. It makes it really simple for me and for the client because there’s less back and forth and I get an email notifying me once it’s all done and we are ready to work together. This also goes for off boarding too though - I like to ask for feedback when a client finishes working with me and also have some follow up contact so that if they have any other tasks or projects that they might need support with, I can remind them that I’m still here to help. By having a workflow set up to automate the process, I can make sure that I don’t forget to send those emails and hopefully get some positive feedback (or constructive criticism) and some repeat work.
Client check ins: If you have a business where you need to check in with clients, for example I’ve worked with a few people in the wedding industry or photographers who need to check in and arrange a planning meeting prior to the wedding or photoshoot date, setting up automations to make sure that those emails go out in enough time to set up the meeting is a huge weight off for you. It saves you constantly saying ‘oh I need to send that email,’ saves the actual time of sending the email and saves the client wondering why you haven’t been in touch yet.
what systems can I use to automate tasks?
There are so many systems that offer an automation option that I literally can’t name them all. If you’re using a CRM for your business, chances are it has a built in automation process. I personally use Dubsado, I’ve set up a lot of automations for clients through Studio Ninja, MailerLite, FloDesk, Calendly and Squarespace. You can also use Zapier to connect different systems (e.g. when someone books a call with me through dubsado, I can connect through Zapier to send out the Google meet link. Most accounting tools such as Xero or Quickbooks also offer an automation process for your invoicing. There are really so many options that you just need to find the one that works for you. I’d recommend looking at what systems and software you already use and see what you can utilise there, partly because you’re already paying for it but partly because you’ll be familiar with the system already. Once you’ve set some up and got used to them, you can start looking at what other things you could automate and you may find that you need to do your research and find a new system for a specific task.
What are the first steps to implementing automation without feeling overwhelmed?
As I’ve said above, start with the systems you’re already using so you don’t have to learn a whole new system at the same time. Most automations give you an option to approve the action before it goes ahead so if you’re really nervous you can use that option, although I’d recommend turning it off as soon as you’re comfortable to make your automations most effective. If you have no idea where to start, getting in touch with a virtual assistant or online business manager is often a good option to get things set up to save you the time and stress of figuring it out.
My Final Thoughts…
If it didn’t come across in this post, I’m really passionate about automation and the benefits for your business! Start small with one task on a familiar system and then, chances are you’ll fall in love too and start automating everything. Just remember to ensure that although your tasks are automated, they still sound like you and don’t take away from your businesses personality. If you need help getting started and setting up your automations, get in touch and I’d love to chat with you!
