1. AUTOMATION

 

There was a time when the term "automation" was tightly associated with advanced manufacturing plants full of robotics. While it is true that this is a prime example of workplace automation – the process of replacing human labor with machine labor – it is far from the only example. Automation is present in modern businesses small and large, ranging from subtle features in common software applications to more obvious implementation, like self-driving vehicles.

 

There is much debate about where workplace automation will lead the economy, but observers tend to agree on one thing: The trend is only gaining momentum. Every business process, such as human resource management and customer service departments, is on the table for automation, especially as technology becomes more sophisticated. No matter what the outcome, automation will undoubtedly change the workplace and, indeed, the wider economy. The only question is how much will it drastically transform the workplace?

 

1.1 Automation in the workplace today

 

What does automation look like if it isn't towering robotics? Sometimes it's as simple as a set of tools housed within common business software programs. At its core, automation is about implementing a system to complete repetitive, easily replicated tasks without the need for human labor.

 

"Automation takes a lot of forms," said Fred Townes, co-founder, and COO of real estate tech company Placester. "For small businesses, the most important thing is [repetition]. When you find something you do more than once that adds value you want to look into automation."

 

Historically, automation required expensive servers and employing a team of experts to maintain them. For many small businesses, this was a cost-prohibitive measure that simply put automation out of reach. With the development of cloud-based platforms, however, automation tools are now accessible to even the smallest companies, Townes said.

 

2. E-MAIL AUTOMATION

 

Automated email allows you to send real-time, one-to-one messages that strengthen customer engagement, retention, and loyalty.

Automated email, also referred to as triggered email or behavior-driven email, is any message automatically sent from your email service provider (ESP) like Mailchimp and Automizy in direct response to an individual user’s specific actions made (or not made) on your website or web app. Methods of doing email automation,

 

2.1 E-mail blasting

2.2 E-mail relay

2.3 E-mail newsletter

2.4 E-mail notification and alerts

2.5 E-mail marketing campaigns

 

 

 

 

3. APPS  AUTOMATION

 

3.1 Zapier

 

Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your favorite apps, such as Gmail, Slack, Mailchimp, and more. You can connect two or more apps to automate repetitive tasks without coding or relying on developers to build the integration. So you can focus on your most important work.

 

3.2 IFTTT

 

If This Then That is a web-based service that allows users to create chains of conditional statements triggered by changes that occur within other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, Slack, or Pinterest. The service is offered in freeware, subscription, and enterprise versions.

 

3.3 Pabbly connect

 

One platform to automate all your integrations. With Pabbly Connect, you can create automated workflows and transfer the data between your favorite apps and services without any manual efforts. Pabbly Connect supports all the popular apps for CRM, Marketing, E-Commerce, Helpdesk, Payments, Web forms, Collaboration, and much more.

 

3.4 Whatsapp

 

Connect with millions of customers on WhatsApp chatbot with your verified WhatsApp Business Account. Whether it is to send notifications or to engage in a conversation, WhatsApp has become the ubiquitous conversational tool, accepted by customers and brands alike.

 

10X your advertising spend ROI with the world’s first-ever Conversational Ads – helping brands engage instantaneously with leads and prospects over WhatsApp chatbots.

 

4. PRINT AUTOMATION

 

The print media industry underwent a paradigm-shifting revolution when digital media emerged and absorbed a large number of its market customers. Thankfully, industry leaders assert that nearly all of the ‘hollowing out’ of the industry due to digital replacement of print is behind us.

Print automation is actually highly complex, as it needs to account for the various strengths and weaknesses of individual workers along a given workflow. Automation must strike the perfect balance that varies from print shop to print shop, so no two automation processes will look the same.

Ultimately, this benefits you, the customer, in one of many different ways: by either ensuring consistent product quality, saving you time, saving you money, or preventing unnecessary hang-ups in the ordering process.

 

5. RELATIONSHIP AUTOMATION

 

In order to forge a strong bond between company employees and customers, small businesses need to harness the automated management of their human resources after all emotions matter than algorithms.

 

5.1 CRM Automation

 

Predictive analytics gives valuable information about a customer and their habits, which are of utmost importance for higher customer retention. The future of CRM is in its ability to determine which steps to take. Automating repetitive tasks will give sales reps more time for crucial tasks, like studying the customer data and getting to know their customers, and build a relationship with them. The future of CRM s/w like Zoho, Perfex lies in customer relationship automation.

 

5.2 HR Automation

 

HR automation is the process of enhancing the efficiency of the HR department by freeing employees from tedious manual tasks and allowing them to focus on complex tasks like decision making and strategizing. By automating standard and repetitive HR activities like Employee Onboarding, employee timesheets,  automated leave Management process, Exit interviews, and performance management in an organization can reduce the cost and time they spend on manual HR planning and processing.

 

With strategic automation, HR teams can reduce paper shuffling and focus the attention on more strategic roles of HR like talent forecast, pipeline succession, and more. Through HR automation, organizations can design, streamline, integrate, and deploy necessary services swiftly at a considerably lower cost. If implemented right, HR automation can reap indispensable benefits.

 

 

As technology improves, more tasks will become available for automation as well. we've only seen the beginning of workplace automation. Ultimately Small business can conquer their challenges with a smart weapon called automation launched and monitored by human interference.