🎙 Automation tools, used correctly, can revolutionize parts of your business. It also streamlines your operation. It reduces errors and saves costs in terms of time and wages as well.
However, if used inappropriately or incorrectly, it can be a substantial drain on your time and resources. Steve is here to denote the correct application of these tools. This will help you avoid the pitfalls.
KEY TAKEAWAYS: How to Implement Automation in Business Effectively
- Two or more different apps can talk to each other. Examples of these apps are Zapier and Integromat. For instance, someone submitting a form into your system could trigger various actions in different apps. It could be informing a staff member or disseminating the data into your database. Or sending marketing emails or creating a time slot in your calendar.
- If you have high-frequency repeated tasks such as repeated purchases, they are invaluable. However, these apps also need regular maintenance. And they are not error-free. They also take a long time to set up.
We can only automate those processes and tasks that have already been tried and tested.
- We cannot improve something once it’s already automated. Until you intervene, any intrinsic error present will be repeated ad infinitum.
- Ensure you are not replicating something in an automation tool that we can action elsewhere. You may also spend time setting up an automation that can be completed once a month in five minutes. If the task can be easily done manually, don’t automate your business!
- These apps require a fair amount of IT knowledge and skill to get the most out of them. If you want extensive usage, you will need to be or source someone tech-savvy. Bear in mind that with complicated automations, your specialist staff could leave the company. And you have no information on how the automation works. Zapier has good training backup, so train internally. Then, get your trained staff to document their automation.
BEST MOMENTS: Automation in Business Operations
‘Anything that’s prone to human error or time-consuming. All that sort of thing. Examples are moving files around or creating documents or templates. Anything that’s really repetitive. Those that don’t require a brain to think of subjective things. That’s the sort of stuff that is really good.’
‘I had a client the other day, and we spoke about setting up a Zapier. The idea was simple. Every time somebody booked into accommodation, he would pull that data from the website. Then, put it into a spreadsheet. So he could then total up revenue for all his properties. Then split it out by property, etc.’
‘That is the problem with setting up automation. It’s set and forget, out of sight, out of mind. You’ve got to keep that at the forefront of your mind.’
‘Sometimes automation is just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should. Sense check before you start to automate.’
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Website: www.SystemizeYourSuccess.com
Facebook Group: Facebook.com/groups/systemsandoutsourcing/
LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/company/systemsandoutsourcing/
Instagram: Instagram.com/systems_and_outsourcing/
YouTube: YouTube.com/@drsteveday42
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Avoid the pitfalls; don’t automate your business!
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