How to choose your first business automation

The best first automation is rarely the most impressive one. It is a task that happens often, follows clear rules, and costs you something real when it is slow or done wrong.

1. List the repetitive work

For one week, ask everyone to note tasks they repeat. Typical candidates: copying form submissions into a CRM, replying to the same questions, chasing quotes, preparing a weekly report.

2. Score each task

• Frequency: how many times per week does it happen?
• Time: how many minutes does it take each time?
• Rules: can you explain the steps clearly, including exceptions?
• Cost of delay or error: does a slow response lose a sale, or a mistake create rework?
• Systems: do the tools involved have APIs or integrations?

A simple rule of thumb: frequency × minutes gives weekly hours. Multiply by an hourly cost to estimate what the task costs today. Compare that with the implementation and running costs before committing.

3. Start narrow

Choose one workflow with a clear start and end. 'New web enquiry → CRM record → acknowledgement → sales notification' is a good first project. 'Automate our sales process' is not.

4. Decide how you'll measure it

1. Record a baseline before you start (e.g. median first-response time).
2. Agree what 'working' means (e.g. 95% of leads recorded without manual entry).
3. Review after 30 days and decide whether to extend, adjust or stop.

If you can't measure the before and after, choose a different first project.