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The new year always brings a swathe of good intentions. Whether you’re focused on health or wealth, it’s always a good time to start forming better habits. For business owners, the new year is a perfect time to take a step back and decide what you want to accomplish in the next year. You probably feel busier than ever – there are just too many things to do and not enough time to do them. That’s why one of the best ways you can improve your business this year is by automating tasks and increasing efficiencies. By helping your staff save time on repetitive tasks, you’ll increase their effectiveness at their jobs (not to mention lessen their annoyances). Also, many tasks that you’re still doing manually will actually improve customer satisfaction when you modernize your processes. Here are just a few ways you can streamline your business with automation. Meeting and Appointment Setting If you find that it takes multiple phone calls and emails to nail down appointment times, try investing in meeting scheduling software. You’ll be able to set your availability and in a couple of clicks, your client can choose the time that works for them for a call, conference, or meeting. Plus, you can integrate the calendars with text message and email reminders, making it easy for your client to find meeting information. If you run a sales or installation team, you know how important it is that appointments are kept – this is a surefire way to cut down on no-call no-shows. Updated Telephone Systems For office managers who struggle with having their productivity interrupted by routine phone calls, set up an automated system. You’ll be able to use business calling features like IVR (Interactive Voice Response) to get calls routed straight to where they need to go instead of having to have your staff answer then forward them. Plus, with pre-recorded menu items, you can offer location information, hours, and answers to other common questions before sending the call to a person. You can also integrate your phone systems into a mobile app, allowing you to answer calls to your business number from anywhere. It’s 2020 – there's no reason for you or your staff to be tied to your desk. Go where your work takes you and handle calls with ease. Collaborative Teamwork Whether you have 2 employees or 200, chances are that job roles overlap and job functions are shared. By using a team collaboration tool like Trello or Basecamp, you’ll be able to build essentially smarter to-do lists. Assign tasks, set deadlines, and integrate into other software. When used correctly, these tools will help everyone to be able to see at a glance who is doing what and the status of the task. This will help to cut down on redundant meetings and disjointed email chains. One of office workers’ top complaints about meetings is that they are unnecessary and could have been handled over email. Try implementing a task management software and cutting a meeting you would usually have on a project in half – we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Discover Your Own Needs Today, automation is easier than ever. You can save time and cut down on frustrations of repetitive tasks for you and your team by using technology to streamline your to-do list. Take a moment to observe which tasks happen many times over the course of the month or which ones bring you and your staff the most frustration. Chances are, a tool has been created to help ease your issue. Even if there is a monetary investment, you’ll earn it back in employee and customer satisfaction. Images courtesy Christina @ wocintechchat.com / Brooke Cagle / Matthew Guay on Unsplash

4 Simple Ways that Automation Can Boost Your Business

4 Simple Ways that Automation Can Boost Your Business