The long-believed notion is that automation will kill jobs, but this narrative is a far cry from the truth. On the contrary, over 63% of small and medium businesses (SMBs) have reported that automating their menial tasks have improved employee efficiency. Automation has increased time availability and improved job satisfaction. Two-thirds of employees have been reported to recommend automation to other businesses.

The Zapier State Business report 2021 indicated that 88% SMBs reported that automation has helped them boost productivity. It also enabled them to compete with larger businesses in terms of sheer production value. Automation shielded SMBs from the full blow of the pandemic and helped them deflect the harm caused.

How SMBs Endured the Pandemic

The thought of automation replacing the need for human intervention has been paramount among small business workers. The report testifies that SMBs were sceptical of the side-effects of automation, but these were nullified when automation provided invaluable support to humans. Knowledge workers have reported that automation has allowed them to give more time to specialized work and reduced the time spent on repetitive tasks.

Increased Worker Productivity and Happiness

The report aptly justifies the shift in perception towards automation with numbers. Currently, 44% of employees say that they are inefficient in their work, and 94% reported they perform repetitive tasks consuming valuable time. These tasks include data entry work, document creation, copy-pasting, etc. Automation is not only used for mundane tasks like data entry but also for lead follow-up (around 28% SMBs) and reducing time wasted on administrative tasks. By recognising these processes and automating them, small business owners can reduce time wasted and increase the time available for creative and strategic tasks. Automation also reduces the chances of premature work burnouts among knowledge workers.

Reduction in data entry errors and better customer service can also be achieved using automation. 66% have reported more time available for creative tasks, and 1 in 5 reporting increased accuracy and efficiency. 2 out of 3 reported increased job satisfaction after automation. Loyalty is one of the most cherished traits for an SMB. Higher levels of job satisfaction improve the probability of retaining an employee. Keeping your workers happy increases their loyalty and creates a positive outlook towards the company.

How is Productivity Increased?

66% of small businesses agree that automation is now necessary to run the shop. They use automation for tasks ranging from email marketing tools to lead capture apps to scheduling software. These apps include but are not limited to Google Workspace, Slack, Mailchimp, Trello, Twitter, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Facebook LeadAds, Airtable and Calendly.

Software is also available that can produce segmented client reports for better supervision. Detailed reports can also be generated with CRM tools that prove invaluable for faster analysis and future campaign optimization. Invoice generation, cash flow management and payment schedule can also be automated. Ad targeting can also be automated with Google AdWords, allowing automated audience targeting. The benefits of automation are mainly centred on the value it brings to the business, but it helps the workers just as much.

We can fairly say that automation for small and medium-sized businesses is here. Automation was proving its worth before the pandemic and more so in the present. It has proven its value and ability in increasing time availability and worker efficiency. Furthermore, total small business output has improved to levels at par with larger firms. Greater levels of job satisfaction are also achieved, which lead to higher employee retention and loyalty. For SMBs completely unaware of this optimization method, we provide automation solutions of the highest quality at the best industry rates.

Source – Smallbiztrends