Small business automation has been gaining more interest in the past few months. With a challenging market, business owners want to improve efficiency and have a competitive advantage with their operations.
The businesses that will thrive in the market are the ones that, besides offering the best value to customers, know how to be more productive and make better use of their resources and time.
It doesn't matter if your business is online or offline - I'm sure you have a manual and repetitive process that consumes a lot of your time and that you wish there could be a better way to do it.
And actually, there is! The answer relies on automation. An automated system working non-stop for your business will give you way more advantage on the market than you can imagine.
While the automations and systems work on the operations of your business, you can use your time on the most strategic process to grow your business, like delivering great results to your clients or going after more.
But don't worry - automation is not very complex for you. There are different ways to start, and in this article, I will show you how to automate your small business.
Related Link: How to Successfully Set Up Project Management Automation
AI Tools To Consider
Eden AI
Eden AI offers a versatile API connected to top AI engines, designed to make AI accessible and empower businesses in problem-solving and innovation.It caters to developers with a focus on integrating various AI services seamlessly, simplifying the adoption of AI in companies.Key features include generative AI for content creation, extensive translation technologies, comprehensive text and image analysis, video content analysis, OCR/document parsing, and advanced speech transcription services.
Placid
Placid is a creative automation toolkit perfect for generating on-brand visuals like images, videos, and PDFs from dynamic templates. It provides APIs and integrations for automating marketing visual production, saving time on repetitive design tasks. The platform offers no-code tools and integrations, including an intuitive template editor for creating custom dynamic designs.
Doclime
Doclime is an AI-powered tool that swiftly extracts information and answers from PDF documents, enhancing research and data retrieval. It offers a user-friendly interface with quick setup, document references, and secure hosting on Amazon Web Services S3. The platform streamlines document search processes, reduces errors, and allows easy access and control over user data.
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Levity
Levity uses AI to sort, summarize, and extract information from text documents, operating like a digital assembly line for various tasks. It integrates with everyday software tools, providing flexibility and simplicity in automating specific tasks and workflows. Levity is designed for a wide range of users, from individuals to large corporations, offering custom AI Blocks and tailored Flows.
Bitskout
Bitskout is a no-code AI platform that allows users to create smart plugins for extracting data from various documents and boosting productivity. It offers over 40 templates for data extraction and provides instant answers about operations, streamlining manual data entry tasks. The platform is integrated with commonly used tools, making it accessible for various business functions.
Runway
Runway offers a unique interface for generating videos and images using simple text prompts, ideal for creative storytelling. Founded by artists, it aims to democratize AI in creativity, providing tools for unlimited creative potential. The platform focuses on building AI systems to support a new era of creativity and storytelling across various mediums.
Bannerbear
Bannerbear is a SaaS service that auto-generates images and videos for social media, e-commerce banners, and more, using dynamic parameters and templates. It is an official Zapier partner, offering no-code automated workflows for repetitive marketing tasks. Developers can leverage the Bannerbear API and official libraries in multiple programming languages for image and video generation.
Murf.AI
Murf AI is an advanced voice generator tool for creating realistic voice overs, suitable for podcasts, videos, and professional presentations. It offers voice editing, voice cloning using custom voices, and an AI voice changer feature for home recordings. The platform uses deep learning algorithms for natural-sounding speech, supporting diverse applications from corporate training to animations.
Related Link: How to Automate Online Business
Getting Started With Automation
1. Analyze & Identify Your Processes
The first step to automate your business is to analyze your current operations and identify which process of your business could be improved or automated with better tools and systems.
Start by looking at which manual and repetitive steps you need to do daily to keep your business running. This includes customer support, invoicing, emailing, marketing activities, etc
2. Start With the Most Time Consuming Tasks
Don't rush into automating all your processes at once. Begin your automation journey by targeting tasks that are notably repetitive, laborious, and time-intensive, identified during your initial evaluation. This approach mitigates errors, ensures smoother automation implementation, and enhances your familiarity with automation technologies, particularly for more intricate tasks later on.
3. Research & Implement the Right Tool
The landscape of automation tools is vast and diverse, making the selection process challenging. Evaluate each tool's ease of use against its ability to meet your specific automation needs. Start with fundamental tools before progressing to more sophisticated ones, ensuring you fully leverage their capabilities within your automation strategy.
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4. Start Setting Up the Automations
Leverage the free plans offered by many automation tools (such as Zapier and Make) for initial setup. This approach is cost-effective for startups or initial phases, with scaling considerations coming into play later. Carefully align your chosen plan with your budget and project requirements to maximize efficiency, whether that means sticking with a free plan or investing in a paid option for advanced features.
5. Run Tests
Thorough testing of each automation step is crucial. This ensures functionality and accuracy, preventing the potential setbacks that malfunctioning automation could cause. Rigorous testing is vital to confirm that the automated processes are reliable and ready for deployment in a live environment.
6. Track & Optimize
Even after you have the automation up and running, keep monitoring it closely - it's essential. Your processes and systems are constantly evolving, and staying on top of this is important. You will need to adjust and optimize the automation from time to time. Making sure that you are regularly checking in on your automation and making any needed updates or tweaks is key to ensure that your processes and systems are staying up-to-date. This ongoing process of monitoring and updating your automation is vital to keeping your processes running smoothly.
Now that you know how to automate your small business, it's time to get started!
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Related Link: How to Automate Your Small Business