Automation has become an essential tool for businesses looking to streamline their operations and improve their efficiency. Thanks to the latest technological advances, there are now more opportunities than ever to automate your processes and save time and effort — and that means a lot less time spent doing mundane, manual tasks.
From automation to AI, these advancements are increasingly taking over — with the benefit being a large weight off your shoulders so you can concentrate on more important areas of your business. Whether you’re looking to automate billing or schedule social media posts, by embracing automation you can free up valuable resources and focus on what really matters: growing your business and delivering the best possible experience to your customers.
Here’s all you need to know about using automation for business growth.
What is Automation?
Automation is no longer just a luxury for larger businesses; rather, it’s rapidly becoming a necessity for businesses of all sizes to ensure continued success. In fact, you’re probably already using at least one automated system in your business — most likely several.
In simple terms, automation is the creation and application of technologies that work without human intervention, so ‘automating’ a task effectively means the system will run by itself. Manufacturing was one of the first industries to utilise automation, while today there are many digital software tools available that can cut down on manual tasks such as billing, reporting, customer service, and more.
Research has shown that 94% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) perform repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Not only is this an instant mood killer, but it’s not the best use of your employee’s time — and that’s where automation comes in.
How does automation help with Business Growth?
A study has found that office workers in the accountancy, banking, and finance sectors spend on average over three hours a day on manual, repetitive tasks which are not part of their primary job. So, what does this mean for business growth?
If your employees can’t complete their primary role to the fullest (and this applies to all sectors) this will have a direct impact on the quality of their work. Tasks that are completed to a low standard, not on time, or with little engagement aren’t going to produce the best results, which will ultimately hold your business back from reaching its full potential.
Automation, on the other hand, provides accurate support in areas that can be outsourced and can still be completed to a high standard without your employees monitoring every step. Once automation is set up, you’re pretty much ready to go. Here are just a few examples of how automation can help fuel your business growth:
- Customer service: Automated chatbot software can handle routine customer inquiries, freeing up human representatives to focus on complex issues and providing a better overall customer experience.
- Marketing: Automation tools can help businesses streamline their marketing campaigns by automating email marketing, social media posting, and other repetitive tasks. They can also segment customers to provide a more personalized experience.
- Sales: Automation can help sales teams generate and manage leads, follow up with prospects, and track performance metrics more efficiently.
- Accounting and finance: Automation can help businesses manage their finances more effectively by automating tasks like invoicing, accounts payable, and payroll.
- Manufacturing: Automation can help manufacturers increase production efficiency and reduce errors by automating assembly line processes.
- Inventory management: Automation tools can help businesses manage inventory levels, track sales trends, and optimize their supply chain.
How to incorporate automation into your business
Table of Contents
Automate your billing
Implementing a subscription-based business model can be a smart way to drive repeat revenue, but manual processing of recurring payments quickly becomes a headache as your customer base grows. Fortunately, Chargebee’s recurring payment services can take the burden off your team, generating invoices and reports in seconds, and retrying failed payments automatically.
Schedule social media posts
The world of social media moves at a lightning-fast pace. For maximum impact, your social media strategy must be proactive, and this is where automation can come in handy. Tools such as Flick allow you to schedule posts in advance and will create helpful reports so you can analyze your performance. Even getting slightly ahead by scheduling posts for the following week can free up time for your social media team to work on other things.
Set up email auto-responses
There are a few ways to set up auto-responses from your email. If your business has a contact or customer service email, you might want to create an auto-response to provide instant solutions to commonly-asked questions, or to assure customers that their query is being dealt with. For example, if someone is emailing you for a quote, set up an auto-response that asks for their name, contact information, and a short overview of the service they’re looking for.
Use a chatbot
We’re likely all familiar with chatbots now, and most of us have probably interacted with one without even realizing it. By incorporating chatbot software into your business, you can amplify the efficiency of your customer support staff by enabling them to spend their time dealing with complex or delicate queries, while the chatbot handles the more routine tasks and queries. It also means you can offer customer support around the clock, as the chatbot will be able to field basic questions even when your support staff are unavailable.
Automation should be viewed as a long-term plan, not a quick fix that attempts to overhaul everything. Review what needs improving and make gradual changes to help your business growing in the right direction.