Workflow Automation: What to Automate First

The Automation Trap

When business owners discover automation tools like Zapier or Make, the instinct is to automate everything. But automating a broken or inefficient process just means you'll do the wrong things faster.

The ROI Framework for Automation

Before automating a task, run it through this framework:

1. Frequency: How often does this task happen? (Daily? Weekly?)
2. Duration: How long does it take a human to do it each time?
3. Error Rate: How often do humans make mistakes doing this, and what is the cost of those mistakes?
4. Complexity: How hard is it to build the automation?

High-Impact Starting Points

If you are looking for quick wins, start here:

• Lead Routing: Automatically sending lead information from your website to your CRM and notifying the sales team via Slack.
• Client Onboarding: Generating folders, sending welcome emails, and creating project templates when a contract is signed.
• Invoice Generation: Creating and sending invoices automatically based on time-tracking data or completed project milestones.

Start small, prove the ROI, and build from there.