Let’s talk about the gospel of automation — the holy war cry of every SaaS startup, LinkedIn “thought leader,” and tech bro who’s never reconciled a bank statement.
We’ve been sold a dream: automate everything. Let bots handle your books, your payroll, your inbox, your soul. Plug in a few Zaps, set up a flow, and voilà — no humans required, just passive income and beach Wi-Fi.
Except… it’s complete bollocks.
Where Automation Actually Works
Let’s give credit where it’s due. Automation can be brilliant, in the right places:
- Bank feeds + reconciliations – sure, matching regular payments is efficient.
- Payroll scheduling – recurring pay runs with no variations? Go for gold.
- Document collection – tools like Acume/Xero Fetch save hours of chasing.
- Reporting dashboards – data flows can be automated for real-time views.
When the process is consistent, repeatable, and rules-based, automation shines. It removes human error, speeds delivery, and frees your team for the work that actually needs their brains.
Where It All Goes to Hell
Now, let’s look at where automation becomes a dumpster fire:
- Complex payroll scenarios – different pay rates, leave entitlements, one-off bonuses? Zapier isn’t reading the Employment Relations Act.
- Accounts payable approval flows – nuance and judgment are still very much human territory.
- SOP deviations – clients don’t follow the rules. Real life is messy. Bots don’t improvise.
- AI-based categorisation in Xero – it’s guessing. Don’t @ me.
You end up spending more time fixing what the bot broke than if you’d done it properly in the first place. You know what we call that? Admin whack-a-mole.
The Real Problem: The Illusion of “Set and Forget”
Irene has said it before and will keep saying it until the people in the back can hear her: automation is not expertise. Slapping a bot on a broken process doesn’t make you clever — it makes you reckless with better branding. The worst part is the mindset shift. People stop thinking. They assume the system is smarter than it is, and that someone else is watching it. Spoiler: no one is.
Automation isn’t a replacement for humans. It’s a force multiplier for good systems and trained people.
Without that foundation, you’re not automating.
You’re delegating to a very expensive and very dumb intern.
Strategy First, Then Tech
Before automating anything:
- Is the process stable?
- Are the edge cases accounted for?
- Can the team troubleshoot it confidently?
- Have you tested the “what if this fails” scenario?
If not, step away from the Zap.
Final Thought
Automation is like seasoning. Used sparingly and strategically? Game-changing. Dump it all over your business like a TikTok chef on a bender? You’re going to regret it.
Want a team who actually knows where the lines are between tech magic and total meltdown? That’s where we come in.