Ever get the feeling that you’re wasting most of your working day on tedious, repetitive tasks – filling out the same forms or sending duplicate emails in a loop? You’re not alone. But because these tasks still need to get done, many companies struggle to find ways to save time, let alone reduce human error and increase productivity. The answer? Automation.
Think of Automation as your “secret weapon” against those repetitive tasks.
In this article, we’ll explain what business process automation is, what types of automation there are, and how you can win back your time (and your sanity) with Planfix.
What Is Business Process Automation?
When you hear the term “process automation“, you might imagine complicated software, endless lines of code, and mind-boggling algorithms. This can make the whole concept seem really overwhelming. Fortunately, the reality is rarely that dramatic.
At its core, business process automation simply means handing over repetitive tasks to bots and scripts so you and your team can focus on the things that matter. Imagine no more manually tracking deadlines, creating reports, or calculating costs. Automation can take these tedious tasks off your plate, giving you more room for creative, strategic projects.
The key lies in determining which tasks are worth automating (hint: they’re the ones you don’t want to do repeatedly) and then finding the right tools for the job.
Main Benefits of Business Process Automation
Sure, automation makes things easier, but what’s in it for you? Well, as you can see, the benefits can really stack up fast.
- Cost reduction. Less manual work + fewer errors = lower labor costs.
- Faster decision-making. Automated reports mean faster insights and more innovative decisions.
- Better customer service. With faster response times and fewer errors, you’ll enjoy happier customers and more five-star reviews.
- Streamlined document workflow. By automating document creation, sharing, and filing, you can save time and ensure things stay organized.
- Improved team collaboration. Imagine having tasks automatically assigned so everyone is on the same page without endless back and forth.
- Flexible systems to maximize adaptability. With the right amount of flexibility, you can easily adjust processes as your business evolves.
- Easier control and monitoring. Visual dashboards make it easy to track task progress and ensure you don’t overlook anything.
- Standardized processes. Automation helps enforce consistent procedures, so your business runs like a well-oiled machine.
The result of all this? Less grunt work, more growth potential, and more hours in the day to put towards more important tasks. Sounds like a win-win situation, doesn’t it?
Business Processes You Can Automate with Planfix
You might be asking yourself, “Okay, but what can I automate?” Good question. Thanks to Planfix’s flexible settings, you can tailor automation to almost any business, structure, or sector. Let’s take a quick look at where automation can have an impact:
- IT processes – From managing software development to keeping servers and networks running smoothly, automation can handle all kinds of IT-related tasks.
- Sales and logistics – Lead management, invoicing, delivery tracking – Planfix can streamline everything.
- HR processes – When it comes to HR, Planfix can simplify onboarding, track employee performance, and even generate resource utilization reports.
- Marketing campaigns – Imagine being able to automate customer segmentation, manage mailing lists, and track campaign results – all without breaking a sweat.
- Customer service – With automated workflows, you can speed up the processing of requests, manage service desks, and ensure quick problem resolution.
- Accounting and finance – Accounting is full of repetitive tasks, but Planfix allows you to create financial reports, track time spent on projects, and analyze key performance metrics.
- Production and sales – Plan production tasks, calculate resource requirements, and monitor progress at every stage – all with minimal effort.
- Corporate event management – Yes, really! Whether you’re planning a team-building retreat or a client conference, Planfix makes it easy to plan and execute events.
With so many options to choose from, you may feel spoiled for choice. But don’t worry. Start small, and you’ll see how quickly automation can transform your workflow.
Business Process Automation Use Cases
Planfix is the versatile tool you didn’t know you needed until you tried it. Because it’s designed for customization, you can change and adapt it to fit almost any workflow in your business. Here are some practical examples of how you can make your life easier (and your team happier) by automating key processes.
Planfix Reports Automation
How often do you have to rush to assemble a report just before a meeting? To make matters worse, it’s one of those tasks that always comes up when you’re already drowning in work. That’s where Planfix automated reports come in handy.
With it, managers can receive regular updates on task progress without lifting a finger. Want to know which tasks are on schedule and which are slipping through the cracks? No problem. Plus, reports can be saved, exported, filtered, and shared with team members in seconds – and you control who has access. This way, you aren’t just reacting to problems but proactively improving your processes.
Curious how you can set it up? Check out the guide: Efficiently Manage Task Completion.
Planfix Scripts Automation
Scripts might sound technical and intimidating, but in Planfix, they’re basically magic buttons that allow you to automate almost anything. Put simply, scripts are sequences of actions triggered by specific events. If X happens, Y happens in response. That’s why they’re so perfect for completing routine tasks.
Imagine you create a new contact, and an entire project of tasks is automatically created based on a pre-determined template. No programming or IT knowledge required. Just a few simple steps to set it up, and you’re good to go.
Want to learn more? Take a look at this: Setting Up and Cases.
Email Automation
Have you ever forgotten to send a super important email until it’s too late? Or, even worse, send the wrong email to the wrong person? Well, automating email communication in Planfix can ensure these embarrassing issues never happen again.
With scripts, you can automate email notifications for upcoming meetings or project updates Even better, you can track whether the email was sent and, if it wasn’t, immediately see what went wrong. You can even find out when the recipient has read the email – which is super handy for those nail-bitter conversations! And don’t worry about your task feed being cluttered – you can turn off logging for automated emails with a snap.
Want the full scoop? See: Email Tracking in Planfix.
Planfix Tools for Business Process Automation
If reports, scripts, and emails aren’t enough, Planfix offers even more tools to help you automate those time-consuming tasks. Let’s look at a few must-haves to help you optimize your workday.
Recurring Tasks
Most of us have “irregular tasks” at work. They could involve weekly team meetings, monthly performance reviews, or even planning the annual holiday party. Sure, you could set reminders on your phone or stick Post-its on your screen, but wouldn’t it be easier if everything was automated?
Why not enter those recurring tasks right into Planfix? This way, they would be simple reminders, but full-fledged task areas where you can chat with your team, share files, set deadlines, and keep everything organized. it’s like having a personal assistant just for that task – and they never forget anything!
Here, you can see how Planfix displays recurring tasks in the calendar:
Pretty simple, right?
Template Actions
We all get tired of repeating ourselves. After all, it can quickly become annoying to send the same instructions, attach duplicate files, or set the same deadlines over and over. Automating repetitive tasks is the key to getting relief!
Planfix allows you to create task templates containing all the essential instructions, files, and deadlines. So, the next time you need to assign a similar task, all you have to do is click it, and it’s done.
Here’s an example of a task template:
Reminders
Maybe you have a task to come back to later. Where do you usually put your reminders? If you’re like most people, it’s probably a sticky note on your monitor, notebook, or cell phone. Or maybe you’ve even tried an app or two. Sure, these methods work until they don’t. Sticky notes disappear, notebooks get buried under a mountain of papers, and phone alarms sometimes always go off at the worst possible times.
With Planfix, you can set automatic reminders directly in the task you’re working on. That way, you no longer have to juggle a dozen different reminder systems. Just choose a date, time, and message, and Planfix will make sure you don’t forget it!
The best part? These reminders pop up quietly in your planner. That way, they don’t interrupt your workflow. Think of it as your assistant whispering to you as opposed to using a megaphone.
Frequently Repeated Actions
You know that feeling of being stuck in a loop? You create identical tasks, generate similar documents, reassigning responsibilities – it’s like being Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, but without the charm of a snowy vacation.
Luckily, Planfix is designed to handle these recurring actions automatically. You only need a button or script that triggers specific actions when a particular event occurs.
Picture this: A request is marked as “Ready for review,” and a button appears that says, “Notify me of order status.” With that one click, Planfix will send a completed email to the customer.
Customizable buttons let you turn a sequence of repetitive steps into a single action, allowing you to focus on the tasks that need your attention (and maybe even squeeze in a coffee break).
Reports
Whether it’s weekly progress reports, monthly performance reviews, or the dreaded annual accounts, reports are part of life. But let’s be honest: creating them is both tedious and time-consuming.
Planfix not only automates data entry, but also report creation. All you need to do is set the format and calculations once and then update the date range to enter new data:
Say goodbye to all those late nights compiling reports by hand and hello to instant, reusable report templates.
Document Generation
If there’s one thing all businesses have in common, it’s the constant need for documents. Whether they’re contracts, invoices, customer agreements, manually creating and filling out these documents is a chore. Not only is it time-consuming, but it’s also a good place to make mistakes.
A better way is to automatically create documents using templates. With Planfix, you can set up templates with variables for things like document numbers, dates, customer names, product descriptions, and so on. Once set, Planfix will fill in the blanks for you. This makes creating any document faster, easier, and less error-prone.
Voilà! Here’s what a completed, template-generated document looks like:
Automate Your Processes with Planfix
As you can see, automation isn’t as scary as it might seem. When you introduce Planfix into your business, you’ll quickly start to notice how routine tasks run smoother and faster, leaving you more time for the things that matter.
When you and your team spend less time on the mundane, you can focus on growing your business and achieving your goals. Start small, maybe automate a few essential tasks, and before you know it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it! And who knows? Maybe you’ll even have enough time to pick up that hobby you’ve been putting off.
