5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Automation (Regardless of the Industry)

If you have any connection to the world of business, you've likely heard the word "automation" thrown around a time or two. Automation is, as defined by Merriam-Webster, "the technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate automatically." Whether you operate a startup, small business, or even a rapidly scaling business operation, automation is perhaps your most valuable ally in increasing efficiency and saving time. Here's why:

1. If you aren’t using automation, you’re wasting money to have someone compile your information

Data about your business is crucial to understanding strengths, weaknesses, and knowing what steps you need to take next. That has always been the case; however, automation is a relatively new concept. In the past, businesses had to allocate time and money to pay someone to categorize data and translate it into a format that provided actionable insights. The worst part is, they had to pay them over and over again to provide updated results and report on newly compiled information. With automation, you essentially hardwire a coding process that is capable of automatically communicating insights to you. This way, you pay once rather than in perpetuity. And the amount is significant too. According to Forbes, "Intelligent Automation typically results in cost savings of 40 percent to 75 percent, with the payback ranging from several months to several years". This statistic alone should be enough to convince you that automation is a necessity, but if not, there are many more benefits to consider.

2. Automation streamlines business practices and makes process synergies effortless

With automation, the sky's the limit in terms of what you can connect within your business. Do you want to compile all your user emails in one place? You can automate a process to do that every time a new user signs up for your service. Do you want to have a notification when important dates are approaching or when a critical component is missing for a contract? Automation can keep you updated, so you don't ever have to worry. Automation allows you to effortlessly fill gaps in your system by making sure everyone is on the same page. You don't have to lift a finger anymore.

3. Looking to market your business more effectively? Automation has your back

Advertisement is a vast industry, especially in the online segment. Billboards on the corner are nice, but how do you show an ad for your business at the perfect moment to the ideal person? Automation has made advertisements more targeted than ever. Google offers automation services that use user data to automatically place your ads in the spot that they are most effective. By automatically compiling browser data, Google's automation does the work for you. No need to look for your target audience, they've already been found. And it doesn't stop there. You can build out automation processes within your own business to market to current customers or find new leads through website traffic data and similar data collection processes.

4. Automation removes human error from the equation

You've already heard of how much time and money automation saves by eliminating unnecessary work, but there's still more to it. If automation isn't performing the job, then people are. And people make errors. It's just our nature. With automation, you go through a coding process and ensure that there are no errors, and as long as that code stays the same, the automated process will be the same. Automation ensures that Susan won't accidentally mess up her spreadsheet again, so you spend less time making up for errors and more time focusing on the hands-on work to keep things running smoothly.

5. If you aren't using automation, your competitors have the upper hand

To put things simply, automation is the ultimate form of synergy. If you don't use automation, there is always an opportunity cost in that you could be focusing on something else. If your competitors use automation, they're working smarter while you're walking harder. While they reduce their margins year by year, you'll be stuck in the stone age losing money and wasting precious time. The leading businesses in the world use automation because they know how effective it is. There's no reason why you can't emulate that success and make the most critical step towards streamlining your business yet.

So if you've been on the fence about adding automation to your business processes, or if you're deciding if you want to start a business with automation from the get-go, hopefully, this blog will give you that final push to do so. I've heard this rumor about a pretty cool service that helps you automate everything from the inception of your business, but I think it might just be an urban legend. It seems too good to be true if you ask me.