Automation is one of the most direct ways to free up time in a company, but not every process justifies the investment. Automating the wrong process can cost more than keeping the work manual. Before choosing tools, it is worth choosing your starting point carefully.
Four criteria for deciding
1. Frequency. A task carried out several times a day offers a better return than a monthly one. Start by noting, over one week, what your team repeats most often.
2. Clear rules. If you can describe the task with instructions along the lines of "when this happens, do that", it is a good candidate. If each case needs a different assessment, it is better to support your team's decision than to replace it.
3. Impact of a failure. A forgotten customer request costs more than a delayed internal report. Prioritise the points where an oversight affects your customers.
4. Stability. Automating a process that changes every month creates maintenance work. If the process is not yet defined, start by organising it.
A good first example
In many companies, a good starting point is the flow of incoming requests:
- the customer fills in a form;
- the request is recorded in a single place;
- the person responsible receives a notification;
- the team tracks the status of each request.
It is a frequent process, with clear rules and a direct impact on customers. It also creates a base of information that can be put to use later.
What should stay with your team
Automation works best when you define the points where a person continues to decide: approving a quote, responding to a complaint or assessing an exception. The aim is to reduce repetitive work, not to remove the judgement of those who know the business.
Where to start
Choose a single process, describe the current steps and identify where most time is lost. Even if you do not move straight to automation, this exercise often reveals simple improvements.