4 Ways the Automation of Processes Can Help Your Small Business

In the midst of digital transformation, automation is the most transformative thing happening right now. The automation of processes, such as automating repetitive data entry tasks, is changing the way that every workplace functions. And it’s not just large organisations with big budgets taking advantage of this new technology. 

In fact, almost two-thirds of small businesses (63%) believe that automation has helped them survive the pandemic – and 88% of SMBs say that it has allowed them to compete with larger, more established competitors by enabling them to move faster, reduce errors and offer better customer service. 

If you’re wondering what automation could do for your small business, here are the top four benefits to know about:

1 – Automation will save you time (and money) 

The automation of processes will save your workers time, and as a result, that can save your business money. With fewer manual workloads to deal with, your employees can focus their time and energy on other tasks, reducing your resource requirements. 

In addition to cutting back on manual tasks like data entry and document creation, you can also streamline communications.

A survey by Adobe found people in the workplace spend an average of 3.1 hours per day on admin tasks such as checking and sending emails. This totals over 15 hours per week – or 20 weeks per year!

2 – Reduce admin stress (and improve employee retention)

Not only does admin stress dampen productivity in the workplace, causing you to lose money and suffer performance issues, but it could eventually lead to high staff turnover.

By making your employees’ lives easier, you can help them get more job satisfaction from their work. This means they’re less likely to leave, minimising the cost and hassle of recruitment. 

Admin stress isn’t just something that affects low-level workers either. Research tells us that managers spend less than 30 minutes of their day on what they were actually hired to do – managing people – but instead are completely bogged down by paperwork. 

Did you know that workers spend 54% of their working life searching for documents? That’s pretty soul-destroying stuff if you ask us!

3 – Improve customer experience 

Happy workers are productive workers. So it comes as no surprise that companies with fewer admin duties are able to perform better and provide a better service to their customers.

The automation of processes also helps your teams save time, meaning they can focus on the human elements of their role – such as speaking to customers/clients and ensuring they have everything they need to move down the funnel. 

By automating things such as invoicing, quotations, emails, contracts and other communications, you can create a speedy service with fewer mistakes. This enhances the overall customer experience and makes their buying journey much smoother.

4 – Promote creativity and innovation 

In order to get ahead of competition, your business needs to have a point of difference – and it needs to be able to constantly keep up with industry changes. But it can be hard for teams to come up with new ideas and products when they are stacked with paperwork. 

The automation of repetitive tasks means that the admin burden is removed, giving them more time and freedom to explore creative ideas and brainstorm more effectively. By giving your employees extra breathing space, you’ll be able to foster a culture where creativity comes first. 

Interested in automating the manual processes in your small business?

Seeing businesses hampered by repetitive tasks and paperwork is our pet hate.

Did you know that most of these processes can actually be automated quickly and affordably?

To find out how our app design service could help you make your employees’ lives easier, get in touch with our team of app specialists at Identify Digital.