We’ve written extensively about business automation and business process improvement in the past. It’s a concept that all business owners should get their head around if they want growth. Today, we want to talk about the flow-on effects of business automation, so here’s a quick recap:
Automating business process is smart because it increases accuracy, productivity, and streamlines your operations. Yep, it’s really that simple. Why make humans perform mundane, repetitive tasks when a machine can do it faster and more accurately? We know, it’s crazy – but that’s exactly what many businesses do.
So, if you want to read more, we’ve got plenty here. But let’s move on to some of the great things your staff could do if you automated those time-consuming, boring tasks.
Business automation frees up staff to make more sales
Not everybody is great at sales. We’ve all had horror stories with bad sales-people. However, it’s a skill that can definitely be taught. If you’ve got admin staff spending hours on data entry and re-work, business automation could unlock a whole new career path for them. Once you’ve automated some of their tasks, start teaching them the sales ropes.
These staff already know your business inside-out. Let them learn how to sell, and you’ve automatically got more chance of increasing revenue. Sales is a very interpersonal role, something that computers aren’t good at. So, let computers do the boring stuff, and let your people do the selling.
More time for learning and development
One thing that many staff crave in a workplace is learning and development opportunities. They may want to climb the ladder or move into different roles. From a business perspective, it’s great for continuity and succession planning too. The problem is, people get bogged down in repetitive, time-consuming tasks and don’t make time to further themselves or their career. Free up some space for job-shadowing, mentorship or even formal training. The more skilled your staff, the better your business performs.
Business automation encourages staff to think bigger-picture
Sometimes, you never know what skill-sets you’ve got at your disposal until you give people a chance to flourish. Admin staff are often tied up with daily tasks and don’t get the chance to contribute on a strategic level. But how crazy is that? You’ve got people sitting in your office who have a deep understanding of the business, and they’re not involved in growing the company? Let computers take care of the repetitive work, and give your admin staff a voice. They might surprise you with their input.
Marketing
Marketing is one of those things that businesses don’t understand or don’t have time for. It’s expensive to hire professionals, and time consuming to do it all yourself. Take a look at some of your staff who perform mundane jobs that a computer could do. Chances are, you often see them tapping away on their phones checking social media. So, make that part of their role. If you’ve got staff interested in marketing or social media, give them time to learn more and promote the business.
All of these things are extremely realistic and achievable if you automate boring business processes and let your humans flourish. It’s not about cutting staff – it’s about letting staff do what they’re good at.