You can’t beat automation software for reducing the expense generated by a work process. A company will use fewer resources of every kind to support and maintain an automated process over time. ROI calculations of automation software value often forget to count the cost of time not spent because, well, staff don’t spend it.
Here are examples of savings from automating a process based on a process I recently automated to manage monthly meeting events.
- I am using process campaigns to standardize how often-repeated tasks are done. New and existing staff will use them to learn tasks and sequence of tasks quickly. Standardized processes will reduce and largely eliminate the costly mistakes that lack of guidance allows.
- I am using email campaigns to standardize communication with contacts regarding events. Automated email campaigns set expectations about when event information will arrive, how to register, and other related topics. Contacts quickly learn the pattern and time-consuming phone inquiries drop off dramatically.
- Automation handles the boring repetitive tasks and so makes interactions between staff and contacts more pleasant. Staff members are happy to talk to contacts because they realize they have ready-to-use tools to answer any need. Customer satisfaction increases and your events gain a reputation for being enjoyable. Happy staff, happy customers – can’t really put a price on that.
- I am setting up e-commerce tools to accept registration fees and handle refunds. This allows contacts to use company or personal credit cards, avoid using expired credit cards, and get an invoice/receipt automatically, without calling. Minimal or no staff time is spent on any of that or on taking money at the door of the meeting. Think of the savings if staff members no longer spend time chasing expired credit cards.
- I set up reports on registration for each event so taking attendance is easy and I can track trends in registration and attendance over time. Decisions based on data have endless economic advantages over decisions based on judgment or feelings.
- Automation software provides a home for all of these things. More importantly, it provides a place to record every interaction by any staff member with any contact. Every staff member has access to the most recent information just by checking the database. Think of the staff time saved not hunting for a missing file.
The ROI of buying automation software is not hard to calculate if you look at the time and resources it will save on work process streamlining in the course of a year. So do as I am doing: save yourself time, money, and hassle every day by automating your work processes.