Repetitive, productivity sucking tasks can really slow down your business’ growth and progress. Automation is the solution. Here are some ways you can automate your business and streamline your workflow so you can operate more efficiently:
Automate Your Front Desk Tasks
Many small businesses can’t afford to hire full time staff to manage the front desk of their office all day. When you’re running a business, it’s more cost effective to have everyone on your team working on something that can truly add value to your business. New technology has made it possible to automate your front desk tasks, leaving you free to focus on more important tasks. Invest in a reception management software like Greetly.
This app, which is available via greetly.com, acts as a digital receptionist. It can welcome your visitors, notify you of their arrival, print out visitor badges for them to wear, and even receive your packages and delivery! All this is done with just a few simple taps on an iPad. Visitors can sign in and out using the app so you can always keep track of who goes in and out of your office at any given time.
Automate Repetitive Tasks
The best way to introduce automation to your business is by identifying your most repetitive tasks and exploring ways you can automate those. These days, there are automated solutions for almost anything, and new technology has made it possible for machines to perform repetitive tasks just as well or even better than humans.
Menial tasks like sorting and responding to emails can easily be automated, and they leave you free to focus on other aspects of your business where you can add the most value.
Keep it Simple
Automation doesn’t need to be confusing or complicated in order to be effective. Complicated automation systems tend to require more maintenance and are more prone to breaking, which will require troubleshooting you may not be equipped to do.
This is related to the previous tip in that you can choose your most menial, repetitive tasks and have those automated. You’d be surprised at how much time and effort you can save by automating even the simplest tasks like logging in visitors or responding to emails.
Automation Can Mean Delegating
It can be tempting to want to do everything yourself when you’re running a business. Many business owners want full control over every aspect of their business and have a hard time letting go. But realistically, you can’t be excellent at everything. Some tasks are better left to experts who are knowledgeable and experienced in their fields.
Examples of these kinds of tasks including social media marketing, copywriting and managing your email. These tasks can be outsourced to independent contractors who require very little training as they are already well versed in these jobs. This will allow you to focus on other things and to save a lot of money.
Invest in Your People
Training other people to do your work can be time consuming, but it’s well worth the investment because it will eventually allow you to take your hands off certain tasks and focus on the areas of your business where you are needed the most. Take the time to educate your people and empower them to make practical decisions, so you can foster a sense of ownership in them.
Outsourcing jobs and taking the time to hire exactly the right person for a specific task will also save you a lot of money and frustration in the long run. Be patient; sometimes you need to invest more in the beginning so you can reap the benefits long term.
Streamlining your workflow requires a bit of an investment on your part. You’ll have to spend time teaching your people and learning new technologies yourself. But the effort will be well worth it when your business starts running like a lean, mean machine.