Key points
- Score each process on how often it happens and what it costs when it slips.
- Repetitive, rule-based chasing is the best place to start.
- Start where the money is easiest to measure.
- Leave judgement calls with people.
- One process at a time beats a big programme.
A simple test: three questions
For each process you’re thinking about, ask:
- How often does it happen? Daily beats monthly.
- Does it follow a rule? “Two days after the quote, send a reminder” is a rule. “Decide whether this customer gets credit” isn’t.
- What does it cost when it slips? A lost sale, a late payment or an unhappy customer.
The processes that score well on all three are where automation pays for itself fastest.
The usual first five
| Process | Why it’s a good start |
|---|---|
| Quote and proposal follow-up | Happens every day, simple rules, and the value of quotes never chased is often the biggest number in the business. |
| Invoice chasing and credit control | Rule-based, easy to measure (days to pay, money overdue), and nobody enjoys doing it by hand. |
| Missed calls | Every unanswered call is a customer who might ring someone else. A text back in 60 seconds is easy to automate. |
| Customers gone quiet | Order history already tells you who has stopped buying. Automation just makes sure someone notices. |
| Reporting | If someone spends days building the same report every month, it’s a candidate. |
Then the hand-offs
Once the obvious chasing is automated, look at the gaps between teams: sales to operations, operations to finance, head office to branches. That’s where information gets copied, jobs stall and nobody quite owns the next step. See workflow and business process automation.
Start with one
A big automation programme is hard to measure and easy to stall. One process, automated properly and shown to work, builds the case for the next. That’s how we work: one system, proven, then the next.
Questions people ask
What processes can be automated?
Any step that follows a clear rule: sending reminders, chasing quotes and invoices, updating records, passing work between teams, sending notifications and producing reports.
What should not be automated?
Decisions that need judgement, like pricing, credit decisions or handling a complaint. Automation should bring those to the right person quickly.
How long does it take to automate a process?
It depends on the process and the systems involved. Most single processes are live within weeks, not months.
