7 Business Tasks You Can Automate

Automation will play a major role in the future of businesses across the world. Not only does it make accomplishing tasks easier, but machines are less prone to mistakes than humans, ensuring maximum efficiency. Although automation might sound complex or costly, it’s actually fairly straightforward to implement, and you can make a start today.

#1 Updates

Keeping your IT network updated with all the latest software and virus protection is crucial in the ongoing fight against cyber threats. Manually scouring through every computer to check whether it’s fully up to date is an arduous process, though, and nowadays completely unnecessary. Turn automatic updates on and watch as your system updates itself, preferably at night when there’s nobody in the office.

#2 Emails

Email automation software allows you to send out bulk emails to a specific set of contacts on a timeline of your choosing. That might be once every month, or it could be on a set day: it’s your choice. Advanced software can even track bounce back rates, work out how engaged your audience is, and trim your list of contacts accordingly.

#3 Payroll

Payroll is a complex and multifaceted process so it’s difficult to fully automate, but advanced payroll software certainly comes close. Software allows you to seamlessly run unlimited payrolls, manage pay rates, direct deposits, and much more from a unified desktop. Many of the more arduous elements of the process can be automated, speeding payroll up exponentially.

#4 Customer support

Most people have encountered a chatbot at one time or another, but these robots are now so advanced that you might not even have noticed! Chatbots take the form of an online live chat. Users type simple questions and responses, and the chatbot will answer accordingly. While they might not be adept at solving complex customer problems, an automated chatbot will be able to answer simple queries and point people in the right direction for further help.

#5 Encourage repeat sales

Automation is a game-changer in the eCommerce sector. Repeat sales are the lifeblood of a business, and automation software can help. It will record when a customer makes a purchase and then start to count down, estimating when they’ll be low on stock and therefore might need to reorder. The software will then generate an automated email encouraging them to make a repeat purchase. It might not sound like much, but applying this method to your entire customer base can have massive results.

#6 Chase up failed billings

Most businesses waste far too much time and energy chasing people whose billing has failed. Automation can do this for you by tracking subscriptions and orders. It will recognize when a payment hasn’t gone through and then send a reminder to the customer in question. Most people only need a slight nudge.

#7 Measure customer satisfaction

Automation software can not only send out customer satisfaction surveys, but it can crunch through the results too. The right software will draw trends from a set of surveys, highlighting where your business is excelling and areas where it might improve.