Automation 101 - Getting Started

Great news! Automation doesn't have to be daunting or difficult... Automation - simply put - is a system for doing an activity with minimal or no interaction from you or your team. Automation saves time, reduces errors, reduces costs and scales work without the need for more staff. Contemporary tools make integration and automation accessible and affordable to the average business. There are loads of impressive, complex automation possibilities that could be developed, but that's not where you need to - or should - start...

Where do I even begin!?

Great news! Automation doesn't have to be daunting or difficult...

Automation - simply put - is a system for doing an activity with minimal or no interaction from you or your team. Automation saves time, reduces errors, reduces costs and scales work without the need for more staff.

Contemporary tools make integration and automation accessible and affordable to the average business. There are loads of impressive, complex automation possibilities that could be developed, but that's not where you need to - or should - start...

As you take your business down the automation path, start with something small. Even something seemingly trivial. Your goal is to slowly and gradually begin to eliminate the mundane tedious activities you and your team does each day, and replace them with more valuable ones. The ones that drive real business value for your customers, and improves your bottom line.

That means chipping away at first. Tackle something simple and low risk so you can find your feet and get comfortable. These first few automations will begin to relieve you of some of the 'mandraulic' effort, allowing you to feel a difference, and give you a glimpse into what's possible. A few simple automations provides a solid foundation that you can build upon.

You also don't need to be technical to benefit from automation. If you can describe what you'd like to see done differently in simple business terms, it can almost certainly be automated.

Automations are comprised of 2 or 3 parts:

1. Trigger - what causes the automation to run?
2. Conditions (optional) - logic to test whether the automation should run.
3. Action(s) - one or more steps that should be performed

6 Steps for getting started with Automation

Here are some steps you can follow to begin your automation journey:

1. Start with Your Time-Draining Tasks

Action: Make a list of tasks you do repeatedly every day/week/month - including how much time you spend on them

Examples:

• Copying customer data from emails into a spreadsheet
• Manually sending booking confirmations
• Posting the same content across multiple platforms

Use a simple time log for one week to find repetitive tasks

2. Map Your Tools and Systems

Tip: Identify what tools you already use and group them together

• Email: Gmail, Outlook
• Project management: ClickUp, Trello
• CRM: HubSpot, Airtable
• Forms: Google Forms, Typeform, Tally
• File Storage: Google Drive, Dropbox

You don't need new tools. You just need better connections between them.

3. Choose one workflow to automate first

Tip: Start small to see results fast

• e.g. "When a form is submitted → send a confirmation email + log it in a spreadsheet"

4. Don't automate a broken process

Tip: If a task is messy or unclear, fix the process first

• Ask: "Is this process working manually?"
• Clean it, then automate it

Automation is like a megaphone—it amplifies what's already there (good or bad)

5. Review, Tweak, and Continuously Improve

Tip: Automation isn't "set and forget"

• Check your automations regularly and evaluate whether it's still serving you
• Explore ways to optimise it further
• Ask your team where they still feel friction

Automation improves most with feedback from real usage

6. Consider AI for Smarter Automation

Tip: Tools like ChatGPT can augment and enrich your existing processes, like helping write emails, perform research, summarise text, or classify content

• Combine programmatic AI with automation: e.g., "Summarise feedback from a form submission using GPT, then email it to the team"

Follow the steps above to start to surface some of the tasks you wish were done more effectively. We're here for a chat when you're ready to take the next steps...

Ready to Get Started?

What's the one task you wish you never had to do again?

That's probably your perfect first automation candidate. Start there, keep it simple, and build from success.

Book a free consultation to discuss how automation can transform your specific business processes.