Gone are the days of manual processes and paper trails. It is now a digital world, and everything is conducted digitally. This has raised the standards of business.

How so?

Well… not only are business processes these days expected to be conducted quickly and efficiently, but customers these days are also not as patient nor forgiving as they once were. Customers have become accustomed to things being done digitally. Consequently, they are easily frustrated with the slowness of manual processes.

But I don’t blame them. Not only are manual processes impractical, time-consuming, and costly; but once you become accustomed to the efficiency of automated processes, you expect nothing less. So, if customers can’t get that efficiency from you, they will easily go somewhere else. Thus, automation is now a must-have for businesses. Especially if you want your business to survive in this day and age.

But what is automation?

Business process automation automates time-consuming, repeatable, day-to-day tasks by using software technologies. Process automation makes the lives of both customers and employees easier and less stressful. Not to mention it also keeps your business ahead of the game in the digital world.

Additionally, the more you can automate something, the less it is going to cost. This will help you keep your costs under control, while at the same time maintaining your profits. However, just like everything else in business, one must be extremely careful, and smart, about how they go about the automation process.

As Bill Gates said, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency”.

Hence, if automation is done correctly, it will allow your business to run efficiently even without you being there 24/7.

How would you do this?

Set up documented systems and processes within your business so that one task flows into another. These tasks should be clearly set out using the documented system so that you go from one task to the next in an orderly manner, and things do not get missed out.

In addition to the systems and processes, you also need a relatively simple monitoring system that will allow you to monitor exactly what is going on within your business while you’re not there.

This ensures that things that need to be done will happen in your absence and makes sure that employees cannot go from one task to another unless the first task has been completed.

This avoids micromanaging and constantly having to follow up with your employees about whether they’ve completed a task or not. There are also many software tools available (e.g. Infusionsoft) to help you manage and automate what you do within your business processes and/or CRM system.

They are set up so that if a particular action happens it triggers a particular response. Once your business process automation is up and running, be sure to constantly address and re-evaluate the processes you are using on a regular basis with your team.

Why?

To ensure you are always following the best practice that is available to you and thus, maintaining an efficient operation. Maintaining an efficient operation will in turn allow you as a small business owner to get away for decent periods of time and have a much better work-life balance.