If there’s one thing businesses can never do too much of, it’s increasing productivity. Productivity, or the measure of how easily inputs can be turned into outputs, is something every manager wants more of – but simply adding more apps, more software, more meetings, and SOPs isn’t always the best approach. In fact, having too many tools in a kit can sometimes make a team’s workday even more complicated.
This is where business automation can make a real difference. By using technology to handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks, managers can give their teams more time to focus on more meaningful work that requires human input. From automated reminders and document management to customer communications and reporting, there are plenty of opportunities to make everyday business processes run more smoothly. The trick is knowing where to start.
Here are some practical productivity tech tips for managers looking to introduce automation without overwhelming their teams and souring people’s moods on AI.
Automate the Office Supply Run
When automating, start with the small stuff. Think about all the little jobs that keep an office running; namely, office supplies. Everyone uses pens, paper, and printables, but someone needs to notice when office supplies are running low, order their replacements, approve invoices, and ensure everything arrives when it’s needed.
These tasks might only take a few minutes at a time, but they can quickly add up.
One simple form of logistics automation is setting up subscriptions or recurring orders with your regular suppliers. If your business uses a predictable number of printer cartridges, you may be able to arrange automatic recurring deliveries rather than relying on someone to remember when the next order is due.
The same principle can apply to stationery, cleaning products, packaging materials and other regularly purchased supplies. It’s a small change, but it removes another recurring task from your team’s to-do list. This is a good first step to introducing automation in your workplace because, at the end of the day, these small tasks might not actually fall under anyone’s responsibility anyway.
Spend Less Time On Billing & Ordering
Billing is an area where automation can make everyone’s life considerably easier. If your business sends regular invoices or receives recurring payments, accounting and invoicing platforms can often automate much of these processes. Recurring invoices can be scheduled, payment reminders can be sent automatically, and transactions can be recorded without requiring someone from the Accounts team to handle every step manually.
The same applies to ordering, too. Does someone actually need to remember to do this every time? If the answer is no, there may be an opportunity to introduce a recurring order, subscription, or automated purchasing workflow to relieve the burden on managers.
Automating billing and ordering works well for large teams because it’s a task many people rarely miss, and it can free up a lot of extra time during the workday. And the great thing is that this kind of change doesn’t necessarily require an expensive business automation platform; sometimes, the solution is simply to make better use of features already available in your accounting software, supplier portals, or other everyday business tools.
Put Payroll on Autopilot
Payroll is another obvious candidate for automation because it follows a relatively predictable process. Modern payroll software can help automate calculations, pay runs, tax-related processes, employee records, and payslips, all depending on the kind of platform your business requires. This can significantly reduce the amount of repetitive administrative work managers and payroll staff need to handle manually.
It can also help create a more consistent process, reducing the likelihood that someone will forget a routine step or that someone won’t get paid on time. Of course, payroll still requires oversight, and your team’s expertise will be invaluable no matter what kind of system you adopt. Remember, automation doesn’t mean managers can completely switch off; instead, it allows your team to spend less time processing routine information and more time dealing with exceptions, employee questions, and the parts of payroll that actually require human judgement.
By automating payroll, your Finance team can dedicate more time and attention to the bigger issues at hand.
Let AI Handle Scheduling & Booking Admin
If your business takes appointments, bookings, or consultations, then an AI-powered booking portal can take a surprising amount of administrative work off your team’s hands. Instead of asking customers to call or email to find an available time or to call a dedicated phone number for inquiries, you can cut out the middle step entirely. An online booking system can show available appointments and allow customers to select a suitable time themselves.
From there, automation can handle many of the follow-up tasks, such as sending booking confirmations and reminder messages, updating calendars, and managing cancellations and rescheduling. That means your team spends less time going back and forth over calendars and more time actually serving customers. Even reception can now focus on greeting guests in the waiting area and providing a pleasant experience, rather than wasting time on bookkeeping.
For managers, this is a good example of how automation can improve both productivity and the customer experience — a win-win in our book!
Make Productivity Gains One Workflow at a Time
A good automation strategy is ultimately one that makes working easier. You don’t need to invest thousands of dollars every month or overhaul your entire technology stack to start seeing these kinds of benefits. Start with one annoying, repetitive task, set it up to handle itself, and then see what happens!
Set up recurring orders
Schedule reminders and comms.
Automate a routine email.
Introduce an online booking system.
Let a payroll software handle repetitive processing.
Once your team has fewer small jobs competing for their attention, you’ll have a much clearer idea of where the next automation opportunity lies. And before long, those small improvements can add up to a business that runs more efficiently, with managers and employees spending more of their working day on the tasks that genuinely need them.
You’ll wonder why you waited so long to embrace technology and automate in the first place!
