Imagine a workday where all those repetitive tasks that drain your energy take care of themselves. That is the awesomeness of automation. By automating repetitive processes, you can free yourself to focus on creative, strategic aspects of your work. So, what exactly is automation and what can it do?

Automation uses technology (think computers, maybe some AI…) to streamline workflows, eliminate errors, and boost efficiency across various tasks. What type of things could it possibly do, here are some samples of ways automation can transform your work:

• Auto-generate that report which usually takes an hour every week.
• Automatically respond to emails that ask common questions. Or just have it send follow-up emails if someone still needs to respond.
• Implement email filters to sort and categorize incoming messages to prioritize important emails automatically.
• Automate file downloads from specific websites or email attachments to have the latest version of the file.
• Automatically transfer dates from a spreadsheet from one system to a different system.
• Auto schedule and post social media posts.
• Automatically pull in data from various sources like databases, spreadsheets, and CRMs, streamlining data collection and reducing manual effort.
• Set up automated alerts to notify you of anomalies or changes in your data, allowing for proactive troubleshooting.

Using a computer you should get increased accuracy without the typical human error. Automation should give you higher customer satisfaction and faster turnaround time.

Another way automation can be used is to streamline complex workflows by automating multi-step processes. Imagine automatically generating real-time reports when there is a change in data or triggering actions in one app based on events in another. Here are a few examples:

• An automated order fulfillment system can receive orders, check inventory levels, trigger picking and packing processes, and generate shipping labels.
• Streamline the process of onboarding new customers by adding them to your systems, adding notes to their accounts, and sending welcome emails.
• Route content for review and approval by different stakeholders. This can involve setting deadlines, sending notifications, and tracking revisions.

Setting it up:

While many methods can be used for automating, user-friendly automation software is among the simplest. Common examples are: Zapier: A user-friendly tool with a vast library of pre-built integrations, ideal for beginners. IFTTT: Perfect for simple automation involving social media and smart home devices. Make.com: Offers robust features and flexibility, allowing you to connect various applications and design complex workflows. Think of these tools as building your custom domino train. Instead of physically moving things around, you're connecting different apps and services. You will choose a trigger that starts the automation that you want the automation to “react” to, or just run it on a schedule. Then you choose the "actions" you want each app to perform, represented by modules within the automation tool. These modules can then be visually linked together to create your desired workflow. For example, create a task in Trello when you receive an email. You could connect a "New Email" trigger in Gmail to a "Create Task" action in Trello. You can define which email folder to monitor in Gmail or filter it to create a task for select items only. Then you can pull information from the email about which fields to fill in the Trello task. That's it, turn on the automation and the next time you get an email, viola, the information you need is in Trello without lifting a finger.

Conclusion

By incorporating automation tools you can reclaim your time, reduce errors, and achieve a whole new level of productivity. These tools can streamline repetitive tasks, orchestrate complex workflows, and empower you to focus on the strategic aspects of your work. Explore your options, discover the possibilities, and watch your workday transform into a haven of efficiency. The future of work is automated – are you ready to join the revolution?