Automation is a term that often comes with a negative connotation. Many people may feel that automation will take away from their job and make it less valuable.
But in fact, there are many automation practices that can improve your team’s focus and help them do their job better.
In this post, we’ll share some of the best automation practices you can use to improve your team’s focus and help them be more productive.
1. Set your team up for success
The most successful teams have one thing in common: They have a clear plan for success. This plan includes defining goals, setting expectations, and creating a roadmap for how to get there.
But having a plan isn’t enough. You also need to make sure your team has the resources they need to execute on that plan. That means automating as many of your team’s tasks as possible so they can focus on the work that matters most.
2. Use an automation tool that fits your needs
There are many automation tools out there, and it’s important to pick one that fits your team’s specific needs. For example, if your team is focused on marketing, you might want to use a tool like HubSpot that’s designed specifically for marketing automation; or even use AI for marketing. If you’re a sales team, you might want to use a tool like Outreach.
No matter what tool you choose, make sure it can integrate with your existing systems and that it’s easy for your team to use. The last thing you want is for your team to spend more time trying to figure out how to use the tool than actually using it to automate tasks.
3. Make sure your team is comfortable with the tool
If your team isn’t comfortable with the tool, they won’t use it. You can’t expect your team to adopt a new tool if they’re not comfortable with it. Before you implement a new tool, make sure your team is comfortable with it.
This means you need to take the time to train your team on how to use the tool. You should also make sure they have access to any help or support they need.
When your team is comfortable with the tool, they’ll be more likely to use it. This will help you improve your team’s focus and productivity.
4. Automate what you can, but not everything
Finally, the most important aspect of automation is that you should automate what you can. If you have a process that is repetitive and time-consuming, automate it.
This will free up a lot of time for your team members to focus on more important things. And, it will also help to reduce the number of mistakes that can occur when a process is done manually.
By automating what you can, you will be able to ensure that your team is focused on the most important tasks at hand. This will help you to improve productivity and to get more done in less time.
Automation is a powerful tool that can save your team time and effort, but that doesn’t mean everything should be automated. Some tasks are best handled by humans, and automating them can be a recipe for disaster.
For example, while it may be tempting to automate your social media posts, doing so can lead to a lack of authenticity and engagement. It’s important to have a real person behind your brand’s social media presence to interact with customers and followers.
Similarly, you don’t want to automate your customer service. While chatbots can be a great tool for answering basic questions and providing information, they should never replace real people when it comes to customer service.
The key is to find the right balance between automation and human interaction. Use automation to handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks, but be sure to leave room for your team to add a personal touch where it’s needed.
5. Create a standard operating procedure
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are documents that outline how to perform tasks or processes. They can be used to ensure that all team members are following the same processes, and can also be used to train new team members.
SOPs can help teams to save time and reduce errors, as they can be used to automate repetitive tasks. For example, if you have an SOP for how to respond to customer inquiries, you can use a chatbot to automatically respond to those inquiries according to the SOP.
6. Automate the mundane
Filing expenses, updating contact information, and other repetitive tasks can be automated to save your team time and energy.
Apps like Zapier allow you to connect your favorite apps and automate workflows to reduce time spent on repetitive tasks.
Automating these tasks can also reduce the risk of errors in data entry, which can be costly and time-consuming.
7. Use automation to make better decisions
We’ve all been there: You’re tired, you’re hungry, and you’re trying to make a decision about something you don’t feel particularly passionate about. It’s not a recipe for success.
When you’re feeling fatigued, those small decisions can feel overwhelming. But, when you automate more of your work, you can free up mental space and energy to focus on the decisions that really matter. This is especially valuable for procurement teams, where decision fatigue is common due to vendor evaluations, pricing comparisons, compliance checks, and contract reviews. AI agents for procurement can automate data analysis, surface supplier risks, and highlight cost-saving opportunities, helping teams focus on strategic sourcing and relationship management instead of manual research.
8. Test your automations
Like any other piece of software you use at your company, you need to test your automations to ensure they’re working correctly. The last thing you want is for your cold email automation tool to send a message to the wrong person or with the wrong information.
Before you set up an automation, test it out with a few different scenarios to make sure it’s working the way you want it to. If you find any issues, you can make adjustments before you set it live.
9. Keep your team informed
Last but not least, it’s important to keep your team informed about what’s going on in your business. When your team is in the loop, they’re more likely to stay focused and productive.
Automating your communication can help you keep your team informed without taking up too much of your time. For example, you can use Slack to send automated messages to your team about upcoming meetings, new projects, or any other important updates.
You can also use email automation to send regular updates to your team. This can help you make sure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.
10. Automate referral and advocacy workflows
Referral and advocacy programs are powerful, but managing them manually can quickly become a distraction. Tracking referrals, issuing rewards, answering questions, and reporting results often pulls time away from higher-impact work.
Automating these workflows helps teams stay focused. Tools like ReferralCandy handle referral tracking, reward fulfillment, and reporting automatically, so marketing and customer teams don’t need to manage the process by hand. This keeps referrals running consistently in the background while the team focuses on strategy, messaging, and customer relationships.
When referral programs are automated properly, they stop being an operational burden and become a reliable growth channel that doesn’t compete for your team’s attention.
Conclusion
What are your top automation practices? We’d love to hear from you, so drop a comment below.
