How to Automate Your Small Business

Time is valuable and there are certain things you can do in your business that will help you not only save time but money as well. When begin to implement automation processes into your business, your task and goals can still be achieved with less work and less of your time. That extra time that you will have after automating certain tasks will allow you to focus on what really matters and that is achieving your business goals and trying to grow.

In this guide you will learn about how to automate your small business and the different areas you can begin to automate.

Payroll

Payroll can take up a lot of time and can be tedious. From adding new employees, to collecting paperwork and filing them then trying to remember to submit payroll or file tax documents can be stressful.

Luckily, there are software programs that put your payroll on autopilot, such as Gusto that can help.

Managing Social Media Accounts

Managing and posting on social media requires a lot of work. From creating content, to using hashtags, thinking of captions, and responding to comments, it can really take up a lot of time. It is very important to have an active social media presence so hiring a professional experienced social media manager that works for your budget and business will be very helpful. The social media manager can either handle all the social media organically or using a software like Hootsuite or Buffer to simplify the tasks even more.

Scheduling Meetings

Emailing back and forth with someone to try to find a time that works for both of you to schedule a meeting can be time consuming. Using a scheduling program like Calendly will avoid all that back and forth hassle. You simply just a send a link with times that they can select and then you both receive the invite and it is placed on your calendar so you know the date and time of the meeting.

Tracking Expenses

Tracking expenses, tracking of receipts, and entering data can be overwhelming. There are software applications that allow you to scan, sort, and store receipts and track all of your business expenses. It is also easy to keep track of employee expenses too. Expensify is a great program to use and can easily integrate with other expense platforms such as QuickBooks.

Manage Projects & Tasks

Tracking and managing tasks can get messy if not done right. Using tools like Trello can be used to track projects and collaborate with others by making lists and sharing them easily with your team.

Ordering Stock

Many large companies automate stock orders but no matter what the size of your business, it can be extremely helpful. Check with your supplier and see if they can help you set up an automatic way to order stock.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is an essential tool for the success of your business. You can build a relationship with customers, inform them of important sales or events, and much more. MailChimp is a great program that helps you send a regular newsletter to your contacts that can be scheduled ahead of time.

Remind Customers About Abandoned Carts

When people online shop they often put products in their shopping carts and then leave it in there because they were not ready yet to purchase or simply forgot. There is an automation software that detects when a customer leaves items in their carts and you can send email reminders saying that they forgot to purchase the item and it is still available for them. This strategy works very well for retailers and is an easy way to prevent from losing any potential sales.

Benefits of Automation for Your Small Business

Now that you know the many ways you can implement automation for your small business, there are some ways that it can benefit it as well.

• Adapt to Market Demand
• Reduce Labor Costs
• Minimize Human Errors
• Improve Collaboration
• Increase Employee Satisfaction
• Facilitate Customer Support
• Ensure Compliance

The Bottom Line

It is important to have the right tool to help you grow and facilitate your business. You might not find a need to use all the ones listed in this article but with a select few you can save yourself time and money.