Automation saves businesses time and money while boosting efficiency. Offloading or streamlining redundant tasks allows you and your staff to focus on what’s most important: running your business and catering to your customers.
Here are five processes that your business should start automating today.
1. Social Media Posts
Every business should have an account on at least one social media platform, but it can be a challenge to find the time to post regularly on these channels. Hiring a social media manager is one option, but for small businesses with small budgets, scheduling posts ahead of time is a great time-saver.
Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to re-write posts, and the choose when to publish these posts. Instead of interrupting the day to post on social media, you can set aside time once a week to create and schedule your content.
Just make sure that your posts are genuine and valuable to your readers. And remember that it’s okay to supplement these posts with in-the-moment content when inspiration strikes.
2. Office Supply Ordering
It may sound simple, but ordering office supplies is a redundant, time-consuming task. If you’re manually ordering supplies or making trips to the store, it may be time to start taking advantage of automated ordering.
Businesses can now take advantage of Amazon Subscribe and Save or Office Depot subscriptions to get the supplies they need when they need them. These automated delivery supplies make it easy to get exactly what your office needs – whether it’s paper items or break room snacks – right to your doorstep.
3. Payroll
Doing payroll the old-fashioned way takes a great deal of time, and there are potential legal ramifications if the calculations are off.
Payroll software and online payroll services like OnPay streamline the process while minimizing the risk of errors and legal issues. Employees know that they are being paid accurately, and you know that you’re complying with the law.
Payroll services also ensure that you’re paying your taxes correctly, which eliminates yet another headache for business owners.
4. Expense Tracking
Tracking business expenses can be a chore, and it can also result in a number of errors. Tracking software makes it easier to stay on top of your expenses while minimizing the risk of an error.
Expense tracking solutions, like Fetch, allow you to upload photos of receipts and record expenses. Reports are automatically generated for your convenience.
These solutions streamline the expense tracking process, but they also allow you to monitor your spending and find opportunities to cut back on costs.
5. Invoicing
Generating and sending out invoices can be a tedious, time-consuming task, and there’s a much greater risk of errors when invoices are manually prepared.
Invoicing solutions, like Freshbooks, allows you to create and send professional-looking invoices with the click of a button. Many of these solutions will even calculate tax and charge the client’s credit card. They may also connect to your accounting platform, which makes it easy for you to keep track of business income and confirm invoices have been paid.
