In any type of business, whatever industry a company is in, “time” is a valuable asset. However, many businesses fail to realize that there are many tasks that take up so much time. With the advent of technology and the proliferation of online tools, there are many ways to streamline tedious and time-wasting tasks in the company. There are tasks that could be automated.
Here are some reasons why businesses should automate:
- Centralized data accumulation
Digital and physical data that has been accumulated throughout the years can be centralized so that all the information that employees and business owners need are in one central storage or filing system. In this way, processes and information are clearer, misunderstandings are lessened and everything is laid out. Transparency, productivity and collaboration will all be realized.
- Accountability for everyone
Because everyone is looking at one information center, everyone can see the issues and problems that arise from certain business accounts, clients or suppliers. Accountability increases when everyone has a shared knowledge of the company’s current challenges. It tells all the employees that the owner trusts them enough to share information.
When workflow is automated, there is also an owner who is responsible for every step of the process. Everyone in the team can see all the input and all the work that is done, and the person who performed during a certain task. It also tells group members how long the task is finished. This level of transparency will enforce self and group accountability.
- Streamlined communication
Automation allows all team members to communicate in a clear way. If there are certain processes that are followed, lines of communication are laid out. Appropriate ways of communicating concerns are also done, and the right avenues for venting out concerns are followed.
Businesses just need to dig a little deeper and take a look at tools that could help them. These common business tasks, when automated, will greatly help in reducing overhead costs:
- Sending recurring invoices.
Recurring invoices is when businesses send invoices repeatedly and frequently. Online accounting systems have recurring invoicing tools that allow the business owner or employee to choose which invoices are to be mailed out automatically over a specified period. It allows a scheduling system so that an employee need not manually resend the same billing email to customers weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. The company is then assured that they will be paid on time. Systems can also be customized to send follow-up reminders if the invoice is not paid on time. These systems can also automatically store payment information and receipts.
Some online invoicing systems that businesses can use are QuickBooks Online, Sage 50, FreshBooks, Deltek, and many more.
- Responding to emails
There are some email responses that may contain the same general information about the services and products that the company provides. Instead of wasting time manually responding to each and every email, choose to use default responses for inquiries.
- Social Media Posts
For the company’s marketing and information campaigns, social media plays an important role. The company should not waste time manually posting campaigns on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. There are social media scheduling apps such as Hootsuite and Buffer. These apps allow businesses who want to post certain information on their social media accounts to manage it from one dashboard. It allows them to send information to all their social media accounts and it also allows them to schedule when and how frequently information will be posted.
If the company uses blogging platforms such as Etsy and WordPress, they also have options to automatically allow new links to be posted on social media sites. These options allow companies to market their brand and get their message across in a more well-organized way.
- Scheduling Appointments
Gone are the days when scheduling appointments means physically going from one office to another, personally asking each person involved in a meeting to confirm their presence. People do not need to struggle with common dates and times in order to come up with the final schedule. Scheduling appointments can be automated, saving the company a lot of time and energy. Online scheduling apps are available to set appointments, confirm appointments and sync dates. The most popular ones are Revel, MindBody, Appointy and SetMore.
- Backing Up Data
All businesses have important data. These may be one of the most important assets of any business. Backing up data is therefore a crucial task and should not be missed. Employees do not need to manually back up at the end of each day. Dropbox, SugarSync, SpiderOak and Carbonite are just some of the many cloud-based services that are available. Businesses can set up their systems so that they can automatically back up all data generated for a certain period of time. This ensures that all company data are secure.
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Robin Peterson is working as a business analyst at Chekomatic, a one-stop destination for buying a genuine Computer Checks for all accounting software. Robin has a huge experience in defining the business strategies that can lead an organization to the remarkable success.He has a keen interest in sharing the valuable tips on the same with the audience through his blogs as well as articles.