Automations can be a huge time saver when it comes to repetitive manual tasks, but they don’t have to be complex to be effective. With the right tools in place, some of the simplest automations can save you several hours per week in the long run. Taking the opportunity to implement these automations early on will allow you to spend more time and energy focusing on big picture priorities and growing your business.
Top Automations for Growing Businesses
- Lead follow-up reminders
- Abandoned cart emails
- Invoice reminders
- Appointment reminders
- Re-purchase low inventory
Lead follow-up reminders
Following up with leads is an essential part of the sales process—without the right communication at the right time, you could jeopardize the sales prospects you worked so hard to get. Automating this follow-up is a key feature of many customer relationship management (CRM) software solutions, and it’s one that can pay off in dividends when configured correctly.
Potential new business opportunities won’t slip through the cracks if you have the right measures in place to catch them.
Abandoned cart emails
Similar to lead follow-ups, abandoned cart emails can be automated to help drive sales for retail businesses. When a customer added something to their online shopping cart but didn’t finish the checkout process, an automated email can be sent at the perfect time to remind them to complete their purchase.
This automation requires CRM software as well as an integrated email marketing tool. It also requires the customer to be logged into their account, so it’s not as simple as some other automations. However, abandoned cart emails earn an average of $5.81 per recipient, according to research from Klaviyo. This return on investment (ROI can make a huge difference for your business’s monthly earnings.
Invoice reminders
For B2B or service-based businesses, automated invoice reminders can simplify the task of tracking down unpaid invoices. These reminders can mean the difference between getting paid on time with minimal effort and being forced to follow up with clients manually about outstanding balances.
The right accounting software will allow you to configure these automatic emails at different intervals before and after a payment is due. Not only does this help minimize the number of overdue invoices you have to contend with, but it also allows you to avoid awkward conversations and strengthen your relationship with your clients.
Appointment reminders
Whether a customer forgets or actively chooses to miss their appointment, no-shows and last-minute cancellations can be detrimental to service-based businesses. Overbooking and waitlisting are common solutions that will help minimize lost revenue in a pinch, but they can often create inefficiencies and frustrated customers over time.
Instead, automating appointment reminders one to two days in advance of an appointment can create a more reliable system for filling cancellations. Scheduling software can help with this automation, and it will also keep track of clients who cancel appointments repeatedly.
Re-purchase low inventory
No matter what kind of business you have, ordering office supplies, product inventory, or raw materials can be automated to ensure you always have what you need on hand. This requires supply chain and/or inventory management software that can detect when your supplies are running low and can place orders for you automatically.
These automations not only give you the ability to meet demand at any given time, but they also help you minimize the impact of supply chain disruptions.
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Successful Automations Require the Right Software
Regardless of what tasks you want to automate for your growing business, the first and most important step is to implement the right software.
You might already be using software that can automate some tasks, but strategizing the right tools can take the most time-consuming tasks off your to-do list entirely. In turn, this will make your business more efficient and give you the extra time and energy you need to grow your business more quickly.
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