Efficiency through automation

Anna Stubbs • November 20, 2023

The past few years have forced us to rethink the way we operate our business. The barrier of procrastination has been removed and we’ve had to adopt new technology and automate our processes.

Technology exists to increase efficiency, but it can be a double-edged sword. When you apply automation to an efficient operation, it will magnify the efficiency. However, automating an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. In other words, we must first ensure our systems and processes are efficient before introducing automation.

Start by reviewing all of your existing technology, processes, and systems to determine any that are obsolete. For example, texting for business is now the norm; instead of calling customers to remind them of an appointment, first, send an automated text message asking them to reply ‘yes’ to confirm attendance. This will reduce time spent on follow-ups and no-shows.

There are many benefits of improved systemisation and technology adoption:

1. Leverage. Getting more done with less effort (e.g. automated monthly management reporting systems).
2. Consistency. Guaranteeing output quality (e.g. a templated proposal or pricing tool).
3. Efficiency. Automating manual tasks using technology (e.g. auto-coding of transactions using Xero).
4. Risk management. Removing the risk of human error (e.g. an automated bank reconciliation).
5. Scalability. Systemising processes to enable growth without increasing your workload (e.g. a point of sale cashbook system).
6. Saleability. Increasing the value of your business by automating as much as possible.
7. Induction and training. Minimising hands-on training by having robust systems for new team members to follow.

The cost (and disruption) of any new technology or automation must be clearly outweighed by the benefit or time saving. Don’t adopt shiny new technology for the sake of it.

In order to achieve these benefits and avoid systems or processes which serve no useful purpose, it’s important to complete a full technology review. We can help you review your current ‘app stack’ and identify areas where you can utilise automation and apps to increase efficiency.

“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” - Chinese Proverb

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In 1961, President John F Kennedy famously announced his goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth before the decade was out. As we know, in July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon, and were brought back to Earth safely, achieving JFK’s goal.  At a time when most people hadn’t even been on an aeroplane, landing on the moon would’ve felt unachievable and overwhelming. However, such a massive goal united people with a purpose; the story goes that even a cleaner mopping the floor at the space station said his job was to help put a man on the moon. So, how did they make the goal achievable? They broke it down into milestones, with each one taking them closer and closer to achieving their ultimate goal. The first milestone was to achieve lift off. So, they set about resolving this challenge. The next milestone was to reach orbit, so they had a team working on this milestone. Then, they had to reach the moon’s atmosphere, land safely on the moon, take off from the moon, enter Earth’s atmosphere and land safely back down to Earth. You can see how breaking the goal down into milestones gave everyone a more achievable objective to focus on which was less overwhelming. Those milestones were then broken down into the actions which needed to be completed. Each action was essentially a small step towards reaching the ultimate goal.

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