{"id":19275,"date":"2017-11-02T19:35:33","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T14:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.resellerclub.com\/?p=19275"},"modified":"2026-02-13T12:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:39:24","slug":"how-smbs-can-use-automation-to-simplify-business-and-boost-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.resellerclub.com\/blog\/how-smbs-can-use-automation-to-simplify-business-and-boost-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"How SMBs can use automation to simplify business and boost productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

The need for automation is a given for large enterprises, but, it\u2019s more than an option now for small and medium businesses (SMBs), it\u2019s a growing need. Entrepreneurs for such businesses wear many hats in the process, from marketing to accounting to web design. However to enable business to grow one needs to step back, it\u2019s a good idea to put routine tasks and processes on auto-pilot so focus can be shifted to the bigger picture i.e decision making. If you own an SMB, I hope to provide you with ideas to identify administrative tasks that should be left for technology to handle so you can make the best use of your resources and  at the same time focus on what really matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are 3 important reasons for SMBs to automate their’s workflows:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Resource optimization<\/b>: As an SMB you may have fewer human resources and yes, you want to get the most out of them by helping them focus on productive tasks rather than cumbersome manual processes. <\/span>For example<\/b>, automating your finance processes would save your developer’s time as he doesn\u2019t need to build elaborate scripts and can employ efforts in client-facing areas.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Customer satisfaction<\/b>: Support queries and inquiries these days are increasing more than ever before. Your clients expect the best service and giving them just that is a sureshot way of increasing business. Automating your support process gives your customer the satisfaction and reassurance that his issue has been heard and this prompt acknowledgement gives him good reason to continue business with you.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Better productivity<\/b>: A well-organised data system can help skyrocket process efficiency, accuracy and thereby productivity. Putting off or neglecting the need to automate can make processes inherently monotonous and erroneous, that ultimately stifle your business goals. The cost of automating workflows has become customized and is being tailored to organisations of all sizes. Cost isn\u2019t a hindrance anymore and there are a plethora of workflow automation tools that align with your company needs and goals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This is how a simple Javascript can save hours of your time<\/b><\/p>\n

    A retail company built a training interface for its employees to learn about its products and customer-service case studies. This system awarded points to employees for learning a new topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The training head was assigned a new task of creating a weekly report that showed the login times of the employees and the total points they have earned so far. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Though the task seems very simple, performing it manually takes up two hours of the training manager’s time. <\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Login to the training interface<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Download employee activity reports as a CSV file<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Clean-up unwanted columns<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Filter data by respective manager<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Create and save individual files manager-wise<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Attach the file and send to each manager<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Breathe <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The company decided to invest a few hours of their developer’s time into writing a simple Javascript that helped get this task done in five-minutes.This script automatically creates individual files and sends these as emails using Gmail APIs. The new process now looks something like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Login to the training interface<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Download employee activity reports as a CSV file<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Upload this CSV to the automation tool<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Confirm email send<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        This automated the most tedious chunk of the task – parsing of information. The training head can now use more to of his time to design training courses for the company and help its employees learn. <\/span><\/p>\n

        Some easy to use online tools that you can start using today<\/b><\/p>\n

        IFTTT: <\/b>You can streamline all your automation efforts in one place. It helps you connect various web application by using \u201cIf this then that rules\u201d called recipes. For example, to maintain a record of what people are saying about your business, create a recipe that adds an entry to google spreadsheets whenever somebody uses #yourbusinessname. Though IFTTT is mainly known for home automation, it lets you create more than 240 app connections – channels –  for business automation.<\/span><\/p>\n