5 Game-Changing Benefits of Workflow Automation

What is a Workflow, Anyway?

As a small business owner, you’re juggling approximately 7,156 to-dos on a daily basis. You handle the strategic planning and goal-setting. Make your clients’ and customers’ lives easier, all while showering them with love, care and appreciation. Manage your marketing (including being active on socials – most of the time 😅). Develop new products or services, and improve existing ones. And overall try your best to stay a step or two ahead of the curve in today’s ever-changing business landscape.

It kinda makes sense, then, to look into taking certain things off your plate – so you can focus on doing the things only *you* can do. That’s where workflow systems and automation come in. Workflows are the ultimate solution to streamlining the way your biz works, making your processes more efficient and freeing up your time to spend on the business-related things that require your personal attention. Or to relax with a glass of wine and an episode (or two) of Parks & Recreation.

Benefits of Workflow Automation for Small Businesses

There are about as many benefits of automated workflows as there are tasks on your to-do list, but I’m narrowing it down to the five that resonate with me the most – because who has time to read a blog that’s that long? You’re far too busy for that. Unless, of course, you’re currently stuck in a procrastination loop – in which case you’re definitely too busy for that. But hey, you’re in the right place for some productive procrastination – because sorting out your automations will keep your biz happily buzzing away in the background!

1. Get More Done in Less Time

Speaking of time, we’re all looking to squeeze more tasks into the hours we spend working. You’ve heard that old adage (probably in an Instagram/TikTok voiceover) – “I didn’t want to work 9-5, so I started a business, and now I work 24/7”? Yeah, it tends to be the way for us small business owners. But by automating tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming and – let’s be honest – boring, you can utilise your hours more effectively (and enjoyably) with strategic or revenue-building endeavours. One of the key benefits of process automation, from setting up meetings to onboarding clients, is that it’ll trim both your to-dos and your time spent on them down significantly. This will allow your business to operate more efficiently, and let you either take on more work or recharge your batteries – maybe even both (balance is key)!

2. Eliminate Errors

We’re all human. Which means that mistakes are bound to happen, particularly when the task you’re tackling is a little on the tedious side. Or if you’re hustling to hit a deadline and working late into the night, and no amount of coffee’s going to keep your brain from powering down. Or even a combination of the two! With workflow systems designed to never tire of doing the same thing over and over again – like data entry – you won’t have to waste time redoing tasks (or apologising for mistakes – oops). Bonus: Workflow automation can also perform those tasks lightning fast, meaning that your turnaround times decrease dramatically (and your clients are not only amazed by your accuracy, but also your speed!).

3. Save on Costs

Particularly in this economy, small businesses need to be clever about how they use their financial resources. Smooth workflow design helps reduce operational costs by minimising the need for manual labour and associated overheads, meaning you can spend that extra cash on the essentials, such as marketing, research and development. Automated workflows can’t go to your favourite local café to pick up your coffee, and they’re not much fun at a pizza party, but they can perform the work of several people (or free them up to work on things that need more of a human touch).

4. Improve Visibility

Another of the benefits of automation is that workflow automation software has the capacity to show you where improvements can be made across your business’ processes. With detailed overviews of each stage of a task or project, you’ll be able to monitor how you’re tracking and make tweaks to increase efficiency. Automating certain aspects of your business can also generate data and analytics to help assess how it’s performing, and enable you to make data-driven decisions that are sure to skyrocket its success.

5. Make (and Keep) Customers Happier

The whole idea behind workflow planning is to keep the behind-the-scenes of your business efficient, consistent, and overall running smoothly. This naturally translates to how your clients and customers perceive your services – and as consumers are the most important part of the business success equation, it follows that you’ll want to make their experience with you a happy, stress-free and seamless one. Giving your customers the VIP treatment with automated, personalised communication not only improves engagement and satisfaction, but also speeds up your processes by eliminating the need for constant follow-ups. These automations can include appointment reminders, check-ins to ask for documents or information and requests for feedback (or those all-important Google reviews!).

Tips for Creating and Automating Workflows

Here are my top tips to kickstart your process automation adventure:

Identify What Needs Automating

Have a think about which tasks make your eyes glaze over. They’re your prime candidates for automation – whether it’s data entry, onboarding, invoicing, scheduling appointments, nurturing your leads, sending reminders, or anything in between.

Select Your Automation Sidekicks

There are a whole lot of workflow tools out there – from Dubsado, to Zapier, to Pabbly Connect. Choose workflow automation software that’ll be easy to implement, compatible with your existing systems and suited to your budget. And if you need a hand working out which tools are best for your biz, or have no clue how to create a workflow (or both), I’m here to help!

Start Small

Don’t try to do it all at once. Being a small business owner is overwhelming enough as it is! Start with the little things, then once you’ve gotten into the swing of it, you can unleash the power of workflow automation on the bigger challenges.

Monitor and Make Improvements

While automation can sometimes be a “set and forget” situation, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on how it’s all going and check in with your workflow tools every once in a while. That way, you can see what’s working and what may need a tweak or two.

Setting your Small Business up for Success

Next Steps

Now you know what workflow automation can do for your small business – from increased efficiency and productivity to happier customers and more money to spend elsewhere – it’s time to get automating. Designing and streamlining your workflows to maximise the benefits of automation will help your biz reach its true potential, and inject hours back into your day, so you can spend it doing things that are a heck of a lot more fun than data entry.

Need a hand working out where to start? Luckily for you, optimising biz processes is kinda my thing. Reach out for a chat or have a look at my services guide to see how I can help!

With a little bit of love (and a whole lotta Hart),

Amy x