There are several reasons why your business should be embracing IT automation.
‘Working smarter’ – if you aren’t using automation to be more productive and efficient, there will be other firms who are getting ahead with it in every way – from providing better customer service to being able to attract and retain the best employees.
‘Doing more with less’ is a requirement for many firms, for a variety of reasons ranging from economic factors to recruitment difficulties. Automation can save a lot of resources (time and staff) and is being used by many businesses already to carry out tasks effectively and reduce errors.
As the traditional holiday season approaches, the need to cover for absent staff makes being able to work smarter even more pressing.
IT automation can be a valuable tool to help you accomplish more with limited resources – and control costs.
Tech automation is actually nothing new. It has been around for many years and you are probably benefiting from elements of it already without thinking about it. We use it ourselves! But you could use it for so much more …
Adding automation into your IT strategy
To optimise the value that automation brings you should be using it as part of a strategic plan. This gives you control and ensures you select the appropriate tools to help meet your business goals and get the right outcomes.
Start with a review of your operations and IT systems to identify potential areas where you need to / could make productivity savings and/or free up staff with automation. You may already have an IT expert to do this with you – and they should certainly at least be reviewing the security of your data (we are happy to help). You should always check regulatory/compliance/data protection requirements when selecting and implementing IT automation solutions.
As part of the review you may discover features or automation in your software that you never knew you had but could start using.
6 ways using IT automation will increase efficiency and productivity
- Everyday tasks: your tech review will have helped you identify everyday tasks that are repetitive and/or time-consuming and could be automated like data entry, report generation and system monitoring. Not only will automation save time and resources but it can help reduce errors. You could, for example, reduce time spent on admin like tracking billable hours, generating invoices and managing client billing.
- Document Management: implement document management systems that automate the creation, organisation and retrieval of documents. Use collaboration tools that enable version control, document sharing to streamline workflows and reduce manual administrative tasks. This ensures that critical documents are easily accessible to staff, even during the holiday season.
- Client Onboarding: Use automated online forms or portals that gather client information and automate compliance checks.
- Compliance and Regulatory Reporting: automation can simplify compliance tasks and streamline regulatory reporting.
- Appointment Scheduling: there are a variety of automated appointment scheduling systems that allow clients to book appointments online based on staff availability and this can save you heaps of time.
- Backup and Disaster Recovery: you should already have automated backup solutions that regularly and securely back up critical data and systems – ensure they comply with specific regulations for your business.
An IT expert will assist in testing and implementing your automated processes and help you review and update them to meet any changing business requirements.
By powering up with IT automation, you can optimise your business operations and face peak times with confidence – perhaps even look forward to holiday seasons!
If you would like more information please contact us on the form below or by calling 0330 124 3599.
