6 Small Businesses Automation Tips

In their infancy, small businesses can often handle their tasks effectively and meet customer needs and expectations. With increased growth, staying on top of all tasks becomes much trickier, which often results in physical and mental burnout. 

The most feasible way to combat this is to automate certain business areas, freeing time for employees to focus on other essential tasks. 

This article will walk you through vital tips for seamless and effective automation.

What Is Business Automation?

Business automation( business process automation) is the use of technology to complete repetitive business processes and tasks with minimal human intervention. This ultimately frees time for employees to work on higher-value tasks. 

Contrary to popular opinion, automation is not helpful for just large enterprises. Small businesses, too, can benefit from the increased efficiency business automation brings. However, the specifics of optimisation often differ between small and large companies.

Below are some key aspects for small businesses to consider optimising, depending on their needs.

1.  Inventory 

Managing inventory is usually easy for start-ups. However, as the business grows, the order volume increases, and the process becomes more complex. This is a critical area for small businesses since prospective customers will not hesitate to visit another store if unsatisfied, for example, if the store is constantly out of stock.

2.  Marketing

We are in the digital age, and marketing by businesses is predominantly online. That involves social media and email marketing, often targeted toward a specific audience.

 For example, with emails, companies often personalise messages and offer discounts on customers’ birthdays. Marketers can often manually send emails when there are only a few clients, but efficiency and effectiveness drop significantly with hundreds of clients.

3.  Customer Service

Good customer service is vital for all businesses, particularly small businesses that cannot afford to lose customers. Nowadays, customers communicate with companies online. And according to research, 90% of customers rate immediate response as necessary, with many defining “quick” as ten minutes or less. 

Speedy and effective communication across multiple channels is possible with automation.

Best Practices for Automation for Small Businesses

While automation is great for small businesses, misapplying it can be counter-productive and result in losses for the company. Below are essential tips on automation for small businesses.

Identify Tasks to Automate

According to Jonathan Merry from BanklessTimes, Small businesses perform multiple activities, and it is impossible to automate all or even most of these tasks. Aside from the impractical cost implications, some processes just require full human attention. 

Many factors go into choosing which tasks to automate. Firstly, the repetitiveness of the job. The more repetitive a task is, the more likely it is to be automated. 

He further suggested automating time-sensitive tasks. A perfect example is customer support. Many customers expect rapid responses to their complaints.

For some businesses, this may mean dedicating more staff members to responding to customer concerns. However, small companies generally do not have this luxury. One solution is to automate responses.

That involves identifying frequently asked questions and generating automated answers. The automation tool sends this answer when it gets the question. This way, employees can focus on the more technical questions that need actual human support.

Define the Task

Automating a task requires programming it into the automation tool. Before you automate an activity, you must understand how to do it manually. 

Some businesses reserve tasks they cannot handle for their automation tools. That is not advisable as the system may break down at a point, and employees need to be able to step up in its place. 

To be sure you understand the task, write out all the involved and recheck to ensure you haven’t missed any. You can also get other employees to crosscheck. If all is good, keep the list safe and readily available, says Graham Grieve from My Voyage Scotland.

Not only does this help in programming the automation tool, but it also makes it possible for others to rectify potential problems with the system should they arise.

Start With Small Tasks

Matt Wooldridge from Invision Roofing said not to jump into automation with the most complex processes, as it may result in suboptimal results. Although the overarching aim of automation is often to save time and energy, it is better to start with smaller tasks. This gives you enough time to get familiar with the system and also allows you to make less costly mistakes. 

After getting acquainted with the system and fully automating these smaller tasks, you can move on to the more complex ones. Also, if you are not getting positive results with the more difficult tasks, do them manually until you figure out the root cause of the issue. 

Devote Time to Tasks You Do Best

Business process automation allows you to save time and energy on specific tasks. However, not all of them can and should be automated. Managers often complain about difficulties in choosing the tasks they want to automate. 

A simple solution is to automate tasks that the system can do better and focus on manually doing those you are best at. By doing this, you can get the maximum reward on both ends.

Choose the Right Automation Software

According to business consultant Vignesh Wadarajan, There are several automation software applications on the market today. What’s more, small businesses can get many of these for free. However, free versions offer fewer features than corresponding premium versions. You will need to pay more to get the best of these tools, but you don’t necessarily have to overpay.

Before getting any automation tool, consider your business finances. If you cannot afford the best ones, opt for cheaper options. The only exception to this rule is if you are reasonably confident the tool will lead to an exponential increase in profits. In that case, you may take loans or explore other money-sourcing routes.

Aside from the cost aspect, some automation tools are suited to specific tasks, and you will be underutilising them if you use them for others. For instance, using a customer support automation tool to manage your payroll may not yield the best results. 

Keep Improving Automation Processes

As per Mark Mcshane from Birmingham First Aid Courses, Programming a task into an automation tool is only the first step. You need to monitor the process and its results continually. This informs you of the tool’s effectiveness and if it provides a good return on investment. Regular monitoring also makes it easier to spot errors in the system. 

Besides examining for errors, you must constantly look for ways to improve the system and workflow. This also applies when you are getting fabulous results. You don’t have to do anything drastic, but even the seemingly minor changes you make can save some more time. 

Final Thoughts

Automation is fast gaining prominence among small businesses because of its ability to minimise costs, save time, and make processes more efficient. However, doing automation wrongly will only result in extra costs for the company and may even be a net negative in terms of results.

The tips in this article will guide you on everything to consider before and after automating a business process. If things get too tricky, always call an automation expert to diagnose and resolve any issues.