You can take advantage of the following six habits to help you level up your automation so that it will be something that helps you create real value for your business.
Iterate frequently and start small
Many individuals make the mistake of trying to automate too much too quickly when they first start automating. Learning automation is a process that requires time and effort. It is usually better, to begin with a simple yet incredibly useful automated procedure. For example, when someone schedules a meeting using a form on your website, you may send a message to a specific Slack channel or send a message to a specific Slack channel.
Don’t Ask Who, But Ask How
Rather than asking who will complete the work, start thinking about how it will be completed. When you examine the actual work process, you will find a few steps that can be automated. Think about how you can streamline your lead management, for example. To start, consider all the steps involved:
- You can get lead information from your website
- Your CRM (customer relationship management) tool will receive new lead information
- Your marketing email list should be updated with the new lead
- A sales associate should be assigned to the new lead
The secret is to start small. Forms may be simply configured to submit information straight to your CRM, reducing time-consuming activities and the possibility of mistakes. You'll eventually figure out how to combine those processes into a more complicated automated operation.
Spread the Automation Mindset and Educate
Next, you want to become an expert in automation and spread the automation mindset to your team - because automation is most useful when everyone is using it.
It will be far more advantageous if my team automates as much as I do. This effectively triples our output. Furthermore, my staff has insights into everyday duties and routines that I do not always have. By training your employees on automation, you can help them become more productive and, in many circumstances, more pleasant
Automate a Schedule
Make automation a regular topic of conversation. One of my favorite ways to accomplish this is to make 'automation strategy' a recurring topic of discussion in our team meetings. It might assist to ask questions such, "Where do people spend their time?" What errors are made? Which daily, weekly, or monthly responsibilities are you most dreading? Organizations, like individuals, have habits. The organization's purpose is to maintain and promote positive behaviors while removing harmful ones.
On a frequent basis, all members of your team should question, "How?" Automating your new procedures reinforces your excellent habits, ensuring that your processes operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Budget Your Money and Time
The next stage in automation is to set aside some time and money ahead of time. When choosing how much money to spend on automation, consider the cost of an employee completing the task manually, the cost of human mistakes, and the cost of employee turnover.
Because automation is a process, you must set expectations. A beginner in automation will find it difficult to set up, and it may take longer than intended. That's understandable! It's worth the time and effort to set up your own automated routines appropriately.
Keep Winning Anecdotes Handy
Automation has numerous benefits, including the ability to be set up and then forgotten about, as it consistently performs the work in the background. The disadvantage is that this makes automation difficult to justify, particularly when it occurs behind the scenes. Because of this, businesses frequently take automation for granted. Always keep two examples of why automation is advantageous on hand. You may provide one example that focuses on customer-facing automation and another that focuses on back-office automation.
To grow your business without breaking the bank, it is crucial to communicate the value automation brings.
Keep Developing Good Work Habits
If you develop good work habits, such as automating, you'll be more focused, efficient, and productive. You'll probably want to continue automating. Maintain a list of ideas for new automation processes as you come up with them, and schedule time in your calendar to set them up.