Automation should be your SMB's next smart move

Tired of those everyday tasks that feel like they're slowing your business down? Ever wonder what it would be like if you could wave a magic wand and make them disappear? You're not alone.

Many SMB owners and teams grapple with similar time-drains. Let's be honest, some tasks are just necessary but tedious, consuming valuable hours without adding much true value. Think of:

• Data processing: Collecting and moving information between systems, a task that often feels like digital déjà vu.
• Invoices: The journey of an invoice from creation to payment, often filled with manual steps and potential delays.
• Administrative: The endless cycle of handling admin processes and documents, from data entry to review, and hoping nothing gets lost in the process.
• Estimating facts: Relying on manual records or counts of just about anything from inventory to accounts can sometimes feel more like an estimation game than an exact science.

The real cost? It adds up faster than you think

These routine manual tasks carry hidden costs that can significantly impact your business:

Time is valuable

Employees spending hours on repetitive tasks means less time for activities that drive growth and revenue. This lost productivity translates directly into higher labor costs. Research indicates that employees can spend an average of 3 to 4 hours each day on tasks ripe for automation. For a mid-sized company, this could mean over 77,000 hours of potentially wasted productivity annually.

Errors happen

Manual processes are inherently susceptible to human error, leading to inaccuracies in data, invoices, and more, which can result in financial losses and unhappy customers. Mistakes in manual bookkeeping can even lead to compliance issues and penalties.

Digital frustrations

When employees are constantly bogged down with tedious, repetitive work, it can lead to decreased morale and job satisfaction. Many employees seek work that offers growth and purpose, which can be hard to find in endless manual tasks.

Growth challenges 

As your business grows, manual processes become increasingly difficult and costly to scale, limiting your ability to handle more work or adapt to market changes.

Innovation interruption

When your team is focused on routine tasks, there's less time and energy for brainstorming new ideas and developing innovative solutions to drive value for your business.

Reach any destination when you start with automation

Imagine those tedious tasks are handled automatically, freeing up your team to focus on what they do best. Automation offers a smarter way to work:

Unleash efficiency

Automation streamlines operations, reduces manual effort, boosts productivity, and allows you to allocate resources more strategically, leading to significant cost savings.

Eliminate error

By minimizing human error, automation ensures greater accuracy in your processes and data.

Boost customer satisfaction

Automation can lead to faster response times, consistent service, and ultimately, happier customers.

Optimize resources

Automation allows you to redeploy your team to focus on higher-value activities and strategic initiatives.

Automation is the answer to some very important questions:

• How can you get more done without hiring more people?
• Is there a way to free-up time to focus on higher value work?
• Can you meaningfully add to the productivity of your team?
• Is there a way to optimize and reduce costs without losing productivity?

Quantifying potential gains: A simple model for ROI

The financial benefits of automation are clear across any field, in any industry, and for any-sized business. 

Here's a glimpse at potential weekly costs and estimated annual savings for common manual tasks with some fairly standard numbers to provide a more intuitive feel:

Beyond these examples, other data show that employees engaged in manual processes can spend up to 22% of their time on repetitive tasks and a staggering 60% of their time on unproductive duplication of efforts. For accounts payable, professionals can spend up to 30% of their working hours on manual data collection, a process that can be almost entirely automated.

There are probably dozens of cases inside your business right now, waiting to be automated.

The best way forward: Put the basics on autopilot

The costs of sticking with manual processes are significant and can hinder your SMB's growth and profitability. Automation offers a clear path to greater efficiency, accuracy, and employee satisfaction. Don't let your systems hold you back. It's time to make the smart move and embrace the power of automation.

For the next week, try to keep a simple question at the front of your mind: “What if I can automate the work I’m doing right now?” 

Then think about the impacts and benefits of what you can do with that extra time: “How much more value can I bring to the table if I was truly unshackled and all my systems are working full-time for me?”

Talk to us for a free professional opinion and you might be shocked at how much an automation transformation can do for you and your team.

Don’t take our word for it, learn from other resources about what automation can provide for your SMB:

• See how workflow automation can simplify operations: Workflow Automation for Small Businesses
• Understand the impact of AI on small businesses: Empowering Small Businesses: The Impact of AI on Leveling the Playing Field
• Explore automation solutions for SMEs: Automation for SMEs: Efficiency, Growth, Success
• Find affordable automation options for small businesses: How Business Automation Can Be Affordable for Small Businesses