Struggling to Find Time? Automate These Time-Sucking Tasks Right Now!
Struggling to Find Time? Automate These Time-Sucking Tasks Right Now!
As a small business owner, you wear many hats. From marketing and sales to customer service and keeping the books, your to-do list can feel never-ending. But what if you could reclaim some precious time by automating those repetitive, time-consuming tasks?
Here's the good news: there's a whole world of automation tools waiting to be your secret weapon and as a business coach we get this question a lot when it comes to time management tactics. So, let's explore some common tasks you can automate right now:
1. Social Media Management
Constantly updating various social media platforms can be a drain. Utilize scheduling tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to plan and publish content in advance. These tools can also help you monitor conversations and respond to comments efficiently.
2. Email Marketing
Email blasts and personalized campaigns can be automated with tools like Mailchimp. Set up templates for common messages, schedule email sequences based on customer behaviour, and automate welcome emails for new subscribers.
3. Data Entry and Reporting
Manual data entry is error-prone and tedious. Explore tools like Zapier or Integromat to automate data transfer between different platforms, streamlining your workflow and ensuring accuracy.
4. Customer Service
Chatbots powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can answer basic customer questions, freeing you up to handle more complex issues. Chatbots can also be programmed to collect customer information and route inquiries to the appropriate team member. Make sure this method has been rigorously tested before you go live though, as it’s important to maintain brand voice and that personal touch.
5. Invoice and Bill Generation
Ditch the manual process! Tools like FreshBooks or Xero can automate the creation and sending of invoices and bills, saving you time and effort. Additionally, these tools can track payments and send automated reminders to overdue clients.
6. Appointment Scheduling
Scheduling tools like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling allow clients to book appointments directly on your calendar, eliminating the need for back-and-forth emails.
Automating tasks can seem daunting, but many of these tools offer free trials and user-friendly platforms. Start by identifying the tasks that consume the most time and research the automation options available.
Start automating your way to a more productive and efficient business today!
20 tasks you could automate - free list
Need even more ideas on what tasks to automate? We’ve listed 20 of them here! Simply fill out the form to get the full list
