Task automation

If task automation sounds like something you want to explore further, you might be wondering about which of your daily tasks can be automated. The truth is, you could probably incorporate automation into most of your day-to-day workload in some aspect or another. However, that doesn’t mean every task is well suited to automation.

When it comes to deciding which tasks to automate, you should look for ones that are high-volume, repeatable, and rule-based. These types of tasks are typically tedious, time-consuming, and don’t require much thought. Common tasks that are well suited for task automation include data entry, sending emails, scheduling social media posts, and sending payroll, among many others.

When employed effectively, task automation provides you with a range of benefits, from increased productivity to more efficient workflows. Some of the biggest benefits of task automation include:

Increased productivity

When you no longer have to dedicate part of your day to performing time-consuming tasks, you have more time to get higher-value tasks done. In other words, you can use your time more effectively to be as productive as possible on tasks that require human intelligence.

Reduced errors

While people don’t often intentionally commit errors in their work, errors do occur. This is especially true when an employee is tasked with performing boring, routine tasks. With task automation, the same tasks can get done with a far lower likelihood of an error occurring.

Lower operational costs

When more work is getting done in less time and with fewer errors, businesses realize a greater return on investment (ROI) and lower operational costs. Therefore, task automation is a win-win for workers and their organizations.

Greater job satisfaction

If you don’t have to dedicate time to tedious tasks, you can focus your attention on processes that add greater value to your organization. This can help create a greater sense of purpose in your work, leading to increased job satisfaction.

Since task automation is intended for individual employees to leverage, most task automation platforms make automating tasks relatively straightforward. The process for automating tasks is as follows:

Step 1: Identify opportunities

The first step in the process is identifying the daily tasks that are best suited to automation. Review the criteria above to get started. Which of your tasks are high-volume, rules-based, and repeatable? You can also employ technologies like process mining and task mining to help you in the discovery process.

This step is also the time to prioritize the tasks you plan to automate. Which will deliver the greatest return for you? Just because one task might meet certain criteria, doesn’t necessarily mean it is the one you should start with.

Step 2: Develop automations

Once you’ve completed your preliminary research and determined which of your daily tasks are best suited to automation, you can begin creating the automations. The creation process itself depends on the platform you’re using. Many offer user-friendly interfaces, prebuilt automations, and drag-and-drop functionality for easy accessibility.

Step 3: Deploy and review

After your automations have been created, you can begin deploying them into your daily workflows. Then, you can review how the automations are performing. Are they working as intended, or do they need to be tweaked? Additionally, many automation platforms allow you to share your automations across your organization. Therefore, if you’ve created a particularly useful automation, you may find it’s worth sharing with your coworkers.