Being a small business owner is nothing but challenging. It is a constant battle against time and the never-ending tasks that must be done “now”. As such, it is not a surprise that even family and personal time gets diverted towards running your enterprise. Well, with tasks automation, Toronto small business owners can now reclaim their time.
Task automation is basically using technology to do tasks that are manual, repetitive and does not need close supervision. Statistics show that over 50% of tasks can be automated, which includes data entry, appointment setting, outbound marketing and sending out invoices, among others. And by delegating this to technology, Toronto small business owners are now able to redirect their focus towards customer relations, business growth and even personal improvement. With automation, a Toronto small business can even end up competing well against bigger companies.
Your marketing emails, newsletter and other promotional campaigns can now be done through automation. Once an inquiry is received, an automated system can also send out quotes. Similarly, follow-ups on these can be scheduled ahead of time so you won’t need to think about it. Furthermore, software for marketing and sales generates sales performance reports that you can use for informed decision-making.
Onboarding new employees can also be done via automation. Likewise, repetitive tasks such as office reminders and sending out payroll can be system generated as scheduled.
Make your customers happy with responses and confirmations to their orders or appointments generated by automated email. Similarly, you can deploy chatbots to assist with common questions and customer guidelines.
Data for invoices can now be done automatically. Likewise, recurring payments can be scheduled to avoid being forgotten. More importantly, financial reports are now easier to generate as all information is stored accurately in one system.
Tasks that are repetitive and manual can now be taken off your plate because of automation. This provides you more time to concentrate on tasks which increase personal or business growth such as further education and product or service development.
Errors in tasks such as data entry and computations are inevitable with human intervention. Having a computer software to do this for you will yield more accurate and consistent results.
Automation directly decreases operational costs because there will be less manpower and time spent on these tasks. Similarly, when your Toronto small business grows, automation can take on more tasks, so you don’t have to hire more staff immediately. Therefore, you get more done with less expenditure.
Customers who are asking for common questions or verifications can now be catered by automated service. This makes for faster assistance and feedback. Likewise, your team can redirect their focus to unique inquiries or specialized services.
To begin your task automation, you need to first identify repetitive tasks. You can do this by reviewing workflows and consulting employees. Next, you then need to choose automation tools and software. It would be best to get one that integrates with your existing systems. Get help from your reliable IT service provider for this. As you deploy your technology, start with a few key tasks. This is to avoid overwhelming your team. In the same vein, make sure to provide comprehensive training to ensure effective use of the new tools. Lastly, monitor feedback and results periodically and adjust as needed for better results.
Any change is messy at the beginning; therefore, you must be aware of the common challenges in task automation and how to deal with them. These include resistance to change, technical difficulties, integration issues, cost concerns, and security risks. To address these, you need to communicate the benefits of automation to your team. It is best to involve them in the process to get their feedback on it, after all they would be the end users for this. In line with this, your team also needs to work closely with support teams to resolve technical issues, and thoroughly test tools for seamless integration. On the other hand, the cost can be justified through long term visions and benefits. Lastly, make sure to work with your trusted cybersecurity and IT experts so ensure that your cybersecurity measures are strong, resilient and capable of protecting your company’s sensitive data.
Automation is not about replacing humans but rather focusing human strength on more cerebral tasks rather than manual. Here at EBSolution, our team of cybersecurity and IT professionals is able to assist you get started and maintain your company’s automation needs. Get in touch with us today and let us discuss your needs so we can create custom solutions for you.