Hootsuite, Quickbooks, Mailchimp, Zendesk… do any of these words ring a bell?
These programs and applications are just a few of the many tools that can be used to automate a small business. The old-school way of doing business (i.e. hiring lots of employees to perform various tasks manually), is no longer a viable option for small businesses that seek to be competitive in this day and age. With limited staff and limited time, small businesses require options that allow them to operate at the same level as bigger businesses; thus, the popularity of automation.
Following is a list of the five biggest advantages of automation for small businesses:
#1 Automation saves time
Time is a crucial element all businesses seem to lack. There are always so many tasks to complete on a daily basis, yet so little time. What consumes a lot of time for most employees are the repetitive, clerical tasks such as answering the phone, managing email and social media accounts, appointment booking, filling out forms, sending of invoices and billing statements, and the like. As important as such tasks are, they can get in the way of more important or urgent projects and leave employees scrambling to make time to complete the projects after work hours. By incorporating automation into these particular areas, small businesses can easily maximize on their valuable time.
#2 Automation saves money
When small businesses utilize automation so that their employees can focus on completing more pertinent tasks rather than the routine ones, the result is less overtime. Team members can perform all of their responsibilities within the allotted time for the work day instead of costing the company money. Many automation resources are free or are available at a very affordable price. The amount of money that a business owner would spend incorporating automation into his or her business greatly pales in comparison to what they would spend paying employees to work overtime.
#3 Automation gives satisfaction to employees
Engaging in mundane, repetitive tasks day after day can be tiresome and boring for employees. After all, who would want to be stuck doing clerical tasks every working day? Today’s typical millennial is known for quitting jobs that don’t satisfy his or her need to feel relevant or that don’t offer a sense of purpose. By having automation in small businesses, owners can make sure that they are helping all their employees to do what they were actually hired to do: be more innovative and receive the satisfaction that a job well done brings.
#4 Automation produces a consistent quality of work
One of the nice things about technology, machines, and automation in general is that they are efficient at demonstrating a consistent method of completing a task. They are built to follow an order or a routine so that they get the same results every time. When certain tasks are automated in small businesses, human errors greatly decrease, as tasks will be automatically done the way management prefers it to be done. Most of the time, computer programs actually have a better way to perform certain tasks than what a human can manually do. As long as business owners make sure that there are no flaws with the automated process, they will be able to offer the best quality that a small business can have.
#5 Automation can give a small business a competitive advantage
Small business automation can positively affect lots of areas like customer satisfaction, sales and marketing, and business efficiency. Customer satisfaction improves when the business regularly attends to customer queries in a timely manner and manages messages in the fastest way possible. Sales may also increase when marketing strategies are automated to reach a wider audience than a small business may be able to reach on its own. Furthermore, business will be more efficient as it will require less time from employees and reduce the chance of errors.
As business demands grow, daily tasks grow; therefore, automating many daily processes can be a big help. Automation is trending and has been for a while. Go with the trend and be open enough to allow technology to help you transform your business.
~ Gem Borja, Team Tuxedo Impressions LLC™
