Over time, we've learned many strategies for getting the most out of automation, and they all stem from one mindset: the automation mindset.
What is automation? It's about setting up systems that run themselves, to free up time that you can spend on activities that add more value to your work.
In MasterBase® automation starts with a specific task that the customer wants to be performed more efficiently and effectively, which then results in one or more actions, all of which are executed in the applications they use to perform the job.
Now, what is the automation mentality? It is one that keeps automation at the core of all activity. Instead of automation being an afterthought, it is an afterthought. thinkWe are constantly and proactively showing how automation can optimize every work process.
For example: someone who lacks this automation mindset will consider automation only when presented with a problem. In contrast, someone with an automation mindset is always thinking about how automation can help them do more and in a better environment. More for less (resources, time, effort).
How to develop an automation mindset
Developing an automation mindset starts by looking at your work processes and evaluating how automation can optimize operations, accelerate growth, increase reliability and more.
There are three main qualities you should look for in a task; if you detect at least one of them, that task should be automated:
RoutineMind-numbing tasks such as copy/paste and data entry. In activities such as these it makes little difference whether they are done by oneself.
Fragile: Work very subject to human error, such as typos or forgotten steps.
NewspaperRecurring tasks, such as reminders and autoresponders.
Once you have detected these qualities in common tasks in your job, you can think about how to use automation to improve the way they are performed.
You can also evaluate your work by the applications you use and how you use them, to determine if these tasks fit into the routine, fragile and periodic framework described above. It's just a different way of looking at your work.
FormsForms: Intended to collect information from customers, prospects or teammates. The automation that starts with these forms can trigger actions such as storing data, sending data or notifying people based on certain conditions.
Spreadsheets: Spreadsheets and databases can take information from a variety of sources, store it for analysis and reference, and provide a starting point for team members to distribute work or validate data before sending the information to another destination.
Notification actions: Automation to notify a team member (or oneself), via a chat application or your preferred task management tool, when something is ready for a next step or an action needs to be taken by the notified party.
Create automation habits
There are six habits that can help you make automation really generate value for your business.
1. Start small (spiral methodology)
Many people make the mistake of trying to automate everything and too soon, when they start their automation journey. Automation is a process and a skill that is learned by doing.
We recommend always starting with a simple but very useful work challenge, and always go from less to more, from simple to complex.
2. Educate your team and spread the automation mentality.
The importance of getting into the habit of educating and spreading this way of thinking lies in the fact that automation is much more valuable when everyone uses it.
Having an entire team, and not just its leader, automating saves three times as much time and energy. In addition, the team has a much better understanding of daily tasks and workflows, which are not always visible to management.
By educating your team and imbuing them with the automation mindset, you are empowering them to make their work more efficient and, in many cases, more enjoyable.
3. Question howno who
Instead of asking who will do the work, focus on how it will be done. Once you dig deeper into the actual work process, you will detect which steps can be automated.
For example, if you want to generate a sales process that assigns leads: First identify all the steps you need to take, then get information from your website, transfer that new lead information to your CRM tool, add the new lead to your mailing list and assign it to a sales rep.
4. Measure time and money savings in advance.
When deciding how much money you want to spend on automation, consider the costs of having a human do the work manually, the costs of human error, and the costs of employee turnover.
You must set expectations, because automation is a process. As a newbie to the subject, this may seem complicated to you and often takes longer than expected. That's okay! It's worth taking the time to properly set up your own automation workflows.
5. Create a culture of automation
Make automation something you talk about regularly. Treat it as a recurring discussion item in your team meetings. It's helpful to ask questions like: What do you each spend the most time on? Where are the errors occurring? What tasks do you dread doing on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?
Be sure to comment on the gains you make by automating. Highlight successes.
6. Always have success stories at hand
One of the main virtues of automation is that you can implement it and then forget about it, because it always does the work in the background. However, if automation ends up being taken for granted because it loses visibility and prominence, you may find it difficult to justify it.
To avoid this problem, you should have success stories, examples that prove how automation brought multiple benefits, ready to share at all times. Have one example that focuses on customer-facing automation and another on back-office automation.
It is critical to communicate the value that automation brings so that it can continue to scale in your business.
