By Mo Hussein

4 min read

Business process automation is using software to carry out the repetitive steps in how your business runs, so people don't have to. A form that creates a job record by itself, an invoice that goes out when the work is marked done, a reminder that sends itself the day before an appointment: each of those is business process automation.

It isn't about replacing people. It's about taking the copying, chasing and retyping off their plate so they spend their time on work that needs a person.

What is business process automation in a small business?

You don't need a big system to start. Small business automation usually begins with something modest:

  • Enquiries from your website landing in one list, with an acknowledgement sent straight away.
  • Quotes and invoices created from the job details you already hold.
  • Booking confirmations and reminders sent without anyone typing them.
  • Data moving between your tools, for example from a job system into your accounts in Xero.
  • A weekly report built from live numbers instead of a spreadsheet someone updates by hand.

Our list of five admin jobs service businesses automate first goes into these in more detail, and what a business dashboard should track covers the reporting side.

How to pick what to automate first

Look for a task that is:

  1. Frequent. It happens every day or every week, not once a quarter.
  2. Rule-based. The same inputs lead to the same steps, without much judgement.
  3. Annoying or risky. It eats time, or mistakes in it cost money or customers.

A quick way to find one: for a week, ask everyone to note each time they copy information from one place to another. The longest list is usually your first project. It's rarely the glamorous one. Often it's a clinic receptionist retyping appointment details, or an agency copying a signed-off quote into the invoice.

Three ways to automate

Not every task needs custom work, and we'd rather you didn't pay for it when it doesn't.

  • Built-in features. Many tools you already pay for can send reminders or create records by themselves. Check those first; they're free.
  • Connector tools such as Zapier or Make. Good for simple "when this happens, do that" links between popular apps.
  • Custom automation. Worth it when the steps are specific to you, involve several systems, or the connector costs and workarounds keep growing.

We compare the last two in Zapier, Make or custom code: how to tell which one you need. If Xero is the system on the other end, connecting your tools to Xero is the place to look.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Automating a messy process. Tidy the steps first, or you'll just make the mess faster.
  • Starting too big. One workflow done well beats ten half-finished ones.
  • No owner. Someone should know what each automation does and notice when it stops.
  • No way to see what happened. Good automations keep a simple log, so a missing invoice can be traced.

Start small, then build on it

The best first automation pays for itself quickly and teaches you what to do next. Once one workflow runs by itself, the next one is usually obvious.

Common questions

What is business process automation?

It's using software to do the repetitive steps in a process, such as creating records, sending reminders or moving data between tools, so people don't have to do them by hand.

What should a small business automate first?

A task that is frequent, rule-based and either annoying or risky. Ask your team to note each time they copy information between places for a week, and start with the longest list.

Do I need custom software to automate?

Not always. Built-in features and connector tools such as Zapier or Make cover a lot. Custom automation is worth it when the steps are specific to you, involve several systems, or the workarounds keep growing.

Does automation replace staff?

No. It takes the copying, chasing and retyping off people's plates so they can spend their time on work that needs a person.

See what we build under business process automation and Xero integrations, try the project estimate for a price range, or book a free discovery call and bring the task that annoys you most.