An automation guide for companies looking to increase efficiency and reduce operational costs.
An accountant spends 3 hours daily copying invoices from emails to the system. A salesperson manually updates 5 Excel sheets after each order. HR sends 47 identical emails to each new employee. Sound familiar?
This isn't "just work" - it's a waste of time and money that can be eliminated. Here's how to start automation without burning your budget.
The 4-question test: is it worth automating?
Is the process repetitive?
If you do the same thing more than 10 times a week - automation candidate. One-time tasks don't make sense.
Are there clear rules?
"If X then do Y" - great. "Use intuition and experience" - don't automate (yet).
Are errors costly?
Wrong amount on invoice, wrong shipping date, forgotten follow-up - how much does it cost?
Is data digital?
Automation works on digital data. If you have paper invoices - digitization first.
5 processes we automate most often
From email to accounting in 30 seconds
Invoice arrives by email → OCR extracts data → validation with order → save in system → notification for approval. Savings: 2-4h daily.
47 emails, 0 manual work
New employee → automatic accounts (email, Slack, systems) → welcome pack → training schedule → reminder to manager. Savings: 6-8h per person.
Reports at 7:00 AM without human involvement
Data from CRM + ERP + Google Analytics → automatic aggregation → send to management → alert if KPI below threshold. Savings: 5-10h weekly.
Automation pyramid: from simple to advanced
Level 1: No-code (Zapier, Make)
- Cost: $20-100/month
- Implementation time: 1-2 days
- For: simple integrations between SaaS apps
Level 2: RPA (UiPath, Power Automate)
- Cost: $500-2000/month
- Implementation time: 2-4 weeks
- For: legacy systems without API
Want to know how much you can save?
Free process audit - we'll measure time, calculate potential savings, and propose a solution.