Which admin tasks should your small business automate first? Our experts weigh in

Fleur Allen's contribution below. Full article here: https://dynamicbusiness.com/leadership-2/lets-talk-business/which-admin-tasks-should-your-small-business-automate-first-our-experts-weigh-in.html

For SMEs without a big IT budget, the trick isn’t automating everything, it’s prioritising, for example a place to start I’d recommend is what protects revenue.

Starting with the client journey:

• map your ideal client personas, then

• automate lead tracking through a simple pipeline (a free CRM that scales with you, or a spreadsheet if you’re just starting out) so no enquiry falls through the cracks, and set up follow-up reminders or sequences so nobody has to remember to chase.

Cost effective CRMs that provide automation and can scale when your business does include Systeme.io, HubSpot’s free tier, and Salesforce Essentials.

For service-based businesses, this matters even more when you’re upgrading or nurturing existing clients, because that relationship needs a human touch, not just automation for automation’s sake.

My biggest tip: become your own client.

Sign up for your own membership or subscription and see what actually lands in your inbox. Are ten emails firing at once, or are they staggered into a proper onboarding sequence? If it feels overwhelming to you, it will feel overwhelming to them too.

Automate the tasks. Keep the connection human.