What is the most precious business resource?
You might think it is your tools, your revenue or your computer. But, the truth is, it’s none of those things.
The most precious resource is time. And there never feels like there is enough of it!
If you are like many of the business owners we know, you’re always looking for easy ways to save time and create efficiencies. One of the best ways to do that is to utilise automation.
So, what low-value tasks can you automate to earn back the time you desperately need? Let’s look at the top 10 tasks now.
The Top 10 Low-Value Tasks you can Automate Now
What is Automation?
Firstly, before we jump into a whole list of tasks you can automate, it’s essential to know exactly what automation is and how it can benefit your business. So, let’s break it down. Automation is utilising technology to undertake specific tasks you would normally have to do manually.
By using software to take care of those repetitive, time-consuming tasks, you can use the time you would have taken completing them to focus on more critical aspects of your business. Not only will you free up hours in your day, but you can minimise your costs, increase your efficiency and transform complex processes into simple ones.
OK, we know what automation is now and how it can be great for biz. So, let’s look at some of the simple things you can automate right now and create a great return on your investment.
Emails
1: Welcome Sequence
Did you know that welcome emails have an open rate of more than 90%? Out of all the marketing emails you send, these are the ones that are most likely to be opened and read. They are an essential tool in your marketing kit.
You miss a huge opportunity to connect with your audience if you aren’t sending them. Luckily, they are one of the easiest things to automate. With email software like Mailchimp, Mailerlite or Active Campaign, you can set up a welcome sequence that can be triggered in several ways.
The result? Effective client communication to nurture your client relationships without taking hours of your time!
2: Abandoned Cart Emails
People are inherently busy. Sometimes they’ll add products to their shopping cart and get distracted before they get the chance to complete the checkout process. Remind them about those great products with an automatically triggered abandoned cart email.
Abandoned cart emails have a 41% open rate compared to the standard open rate of 16%. And, of course, it gives you a chance to recover a sale that could have been lost to the wind otherwise!
3: Customer Service Emails
We don’t have to tell you that staying in touch with your customers is important. You can use automated emails to keep them informed and maintain excellent communication. Here are some of the customer service emails you can automate:
- Order updates
- Delivery details
- Loyalty offers
- Birthday or anniversary emails
- Re-engagement communications
Invoices
1: Repeating Invoices
Got a bunch of recurring monthly charges? Set them up as repeating invoices in Xero. If they are the same charge and detail each time, they can be automatically sent to your customers on a specific date. But, if you’d prefer to edit each invoice before it goes out, you can choose the ‘save to draft’ option and edit the amounts or the invoice detail before sending it.
Depending on the number of invoices you send, this can save you hours. It also ensures no invoices get forgotten and that you stay on top of your finances.
2: E-Invoicing
eInvoicing is designed to make doing business more efficient. It is an exchange of invoices between accounting systems rather than by email. Using the global public network Peppol, invoice information is automatically exchanged between yourself and your clients.
This removes the need to manually enter invoices into an accounting system, reducing errors and delays in getting paid. You can register for eInvoicing within Xero or chat with the Admin Army team if you aren’t sure how to set it up.
Our favourite eInvoicing provider is our sister company, Acume.
3: Debt Collection
Sending invoices efficiently is one thing, but you also need the money to come in with equal efficiency! Automatic invoice reminders can help you to do that. Driven from the assigned due date, Xero will automatically email your clients to remind them that their invoice is due for payment soon or is overdue.
You can set the frequency at which these reminders go out to align with your business practices. You can also edit the text accompanying the reminder to match your tone and branding.
General Admin
1: Booking Appointments
It can sometimes take many emails back and forth to settle on a meeting time that suits multiple parties. But, with calendar software, you can cut all of that out and streamline the process.
You can set your availability by choosing calendar software like Calendly or Acuity. Then, send a shareable link to clients or potential leads, and they can book a time that suits them.
You can take it one step further by embedding the link to your calendar software on your website or in your email signature so that people can use their initiative to book a time to speak with you. Sync it with your existing Google or Outlook calendar, and you’ll have all your information in one place and won’t get double booked.
2: File Backups
Don’t get caught short by misplacing valuable files. Instead, ensure everything is secure and accessible with automatic file backups. The best and easiest way to do this is using cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Not only do these systems automatically back up your work to the cloud, but it also makes sharing information and files so much easier. Give your team or individual people access to specific files or folders. That means everyone will have access to the most current file versions, and no details will get lost.
3: Efficient Communication
Streamline your email communication by setting up ‘canned responses’, templates of emails you always send. Then, instead of writing out the same info multiple times a week, utilise the template and edit the relevant information.
Not a fan of email and want to be in touch with your team easily? Then, use a communication tool like Slack. You can effortlessly search for information with all your conversations in one place. You can also organise conversations into private or public channels so the right people see the correct information.
4: Social Media Posting
Sick of remembering to publish on your socials each day? Then don’t do it! Instead, choose scheduling software like Hootsuite or Later to do the job for you.
These platforms allow you to schedule and automate posts for each social media platform in advance. Batch all your posts for the week or the month into a one-time block, and the software will publish them on the day and time you specify.
Want to automate these business tasks but aren’t sure how to make them happen? Then, chat with the Admin Army team today. We wage war on unnecessary and time-consuming tasks to help your business function with military precision!
Book a time to chat with our team now (you’ll even be directed to use our fancy calendar booking software!)