You’ve read our post about the benefits of investing in automation in your business. You’re ready to reap the rewards of automation. The challenge is: where do you start?
When we consult with a client focused on automation, we typically identify 7 different processes that, if automation were applied to, would result in a positive ROI within 90 days and 24 additional processes that would result in a positive ROI within one year.
Clearly, it would be challenging to implement automation on 31+ different processes within a single business in a short period of time. This is true even if we are the ones handling the implementation for a client. But we have to start somewhere.
Not every business owner is in the position to hire experts like us, so we wanted to share with you an action plan you can adopt.
Deciding which area of your business to start working on automation will depend on several factors, including the nature of your business, the specific pain points you’re experiencing, bottlenecks to growth, and the potential return on investment (ROI) of automating a particular task or process.
Here Are The 6 Steps To Choosing Which Area to Start Automating
- Conduct a Process Audit
It’s a good idea to bring in your business partner(s), any managers and even team leaders you may have into this.Start by conducting a thorough audit of your business processes to identify areas that could benefit from automation. Look for tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming, and prone to errors.
- Identify Pain Points
Talk to your employees and customers to identify pain points that could be addressed through automation. For example, you may find that your customers are frustrated with long wait times on the phone, or your employees are spending too much time manually entering data into a spreadsheet. These pain points can help you prioritize which areas to focus on. - Identify Bottlenecks
You also want to consider what areas are bottlenecks to growth. Are any areas breaking down now as you’re growing your business? What could break if your customer volume were to increase by 50% in the next 90 days? What if it doubled? What if you 10x your volume? - Assess potential ROI
Consider the potential ROI of automating a particular task or process. This can help you determine whether the benefits of automation justify the cost and effort of implementation. Look at factors such as time saved, reduced labor costs, improved accuracy, and increased revenue. - Start Small
If you’re new to automation, it’s a good idea to start with a small project to test the waters. This can help you gain experience and build confidence in the benefits of automation. You can then use this experience to tackle larger and more complex projects. - Choose the Right Automation Tool
Once you’ve identified the area of your business you want to automate, research and choose the right automation tool for the job. Look for tools that are easy to use, cost-effective, and offer the functionality you need to achieve your automation goals.
You’ll want to make sure that a specific individual is assigned ownership of the actual implementation. This may or may not be the same person who supports the automation process on an ongoing basis.
You’ll also want to ensure that this is an iterative process. Once you’ve gotten one automation in place and integrated within your business, it will be time to choose the next automation to implement.
By following these steps, you can make an informed decision on which area of your business to start working on automation, and begin to reap the benefits of increased productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
If you’d like our help in automating your business processes so you can scale your company faster please reach out to us to schedule a free consultation.