Running a small business is like sailing a boat. You have to manage everything from the weather and steering the wheel, to making sure you deal with leaks.
Sometimes, when you are managing your ‘boat’, it feels as though there aren’t enough hours in the day and work is neverending! This is why more businesses are turning to automation.
What exactly is automation?
You hear the word automation and what comes to mind? Robots and machines? How can it help a small business?
One of the main questions we hear is, how can automation make things easier? Simply put, the goal of automation is to handle background processes (like sending booking reminders or messages to convert enquiries to bookings) while you run your business.
Businesses are realising that automation can save costs, eliminate repetitive tasks, and allow staff to focus on higher-value activities.
Five ways automation can help your business save time and money
Invoice reminders
Instead of having to look over a spreadsheet to see what invoices are due then calling or emailing reminders, you can automate the process.
Before the due date, you can send a secure payment link through SMS with the help of an automation system such as LANA and payment processing platforms like Stripe or Google Pay.
Customer service
As an example, whenever a lead sends a message through your web chat for assistance or information, an automated follow-up message is sent to you. Whereas the customer receives a thank you message and a link is provided to your calendar to book a callback time.
This way, your customer is offered the opportunity to further interact with your business. Instead of going to the comeptitor immediately!
Follow ups
30% of surveyed businesses would like to automate follow-up on requests. Consider this, how much time do you spend following up on quotes or bookings?
Automating these follow-ups can mean simply completing a ‘drop and drag’ action that takes a customer from new lead to appointment booked. An automated response would be triggered and the customer would receive an SMS and email confirming the booking details.
Email marketing
With the average person receiving 121 emails each day, it is essential that you create targeted lists and send the right message at the right time.
What does look like? Sending emails to customers who need an annual check up for a health-related business or are due for maintenance for a tradie business.
Request reviews
After a job or service is completed, you can easily send requests for reviews with the help of automation.
Automation for small businesses: LANA
By automating your business processes, you’ll improve the efficiency and ultimate profitability of your company.
Don’t know where to begin? No worries. We’re here to help at LANA. LANA can do everything mentioned in this post (and more!), handling your day-to-day admin tasks and saving your business time and money.
Get in touch with the LANA team today and we’ll transform the way you see automation with our software. See our website or book a live demo for a sneak peek into the LANA platform!
Check out our other blog posts:
- Looking To Make The Most Of Your Marketing Campaigns And Funnels? Read This!
- It’s Tedious But Essential: Let’s Talk About Measuring Marketing Performance
- What Is A CRM System And Why Is It Important?
