10 Processes Every Small Business Should Automate

Not sure where to start with automation? These 10 processes deliver the highest ROI for small businesses. Start with one or two and build from there.

1. Lead Capture and Follow-Up

The problem: Leads come from websites, ads, social media, and referrals. Tracking them manually means leads fall through the cracks, and slow follow-up kills conversion rates.

The automation:

• All lead sources feed into one CRM automatically
• Immediate acknowledgment email goes out
• Lead is assigned to appropriate team member
• Follow-up reminders are scheduled
• Nurture sequence starts if lead does not convert immediately

ROI: Speed-to-lead is the #1 factor in conversion. Automating follow-up can increase conversion rates by 20-50%.

2. Appointment Scheduling and Reminders

The problem: Back-and-forth scheduling emails waste time, and no-shows cost money.

The automation:

• Self-service booking from your website
• Calendar sync prevents double-booking
• Confirmation email immediately
• Reminder 24 hours before
• Reminder 1 hour before
• Post-appointment follow-up

ROI: Reduce no-shows by 50-70%, save 5+ hours/week on scheduling.

3. Invoice and Payment Processing

The problem: Creating invoices, tracking payments, and chasing late payers consumes hours.

The automation:

• Auto-generate invoices when work is completed
• Send invoices automatically
• Payment reminders at set intervals
• Log payments when received
• Update accounting software

ROI: Faster payment collection, fewer late payments, hours saved on admin.

4. Customer Onboarding

The problem: New customer setup involves many steps that are easy to forget.

The automation:

• Welcome email with next steps
• Account setup in your systems
• Intake form collection
• Document delivery
• Check-in sequence at key milestones

ROI: Consistent customer experience, nothing falls through the cracks, faster time-to-value.

5. Review and Testimonial Requests

The problem: Happy customers rarely leave reviews unprompted.

The automation:

• Trigger review request after successful delivery/service
• Direct link to Google/Yelp review page
• Follow-up if no review left
• Thank-you for reviews left
• Alert staff to negative sentiment for intervention

ROI: More reviews = more trust = more customers. Each review can be worth hundreds in lifetime value.

6. Social Media Posting

The problem: Consistent posting takes daily attention.

The automation:

• Content calendar with scheduled posts
• Cross-platform publishing
• Hashtag insertion
• Best-time posting optimization
• Performance tracking

ROI: Consistent social presence without daily effort, 5-10 hours/week saved.

7. Report Generation

The problem: Weekly/monthly reports require gathering data from multiple sources.

The automation:

• Pull data from all sources automatically
• Compile into formatted report
• Calculate key metrics
• Send to stakeholders on schedule
• Archive for historical tracking

ROI: Hours saved, more frequent reporting, better data accuracy.

8. Employee Onboarding

The problem: New hires need accounts created, documents signed, training assigned.

The automation:

• Account creation across systems
• Document delivery and signature collection
• Training assignment and tracking
• Manager notifications at milestones
• Check-ins during first 90 days

ROI: Faster new hire productivity, consistent onboarding, compliance ensured.

9. Inventory Monitoring

The problem: Running out of stock loses sales; overstocking ties up cash.

The automation:

• Monitor stock levels in real-time
• Alert when reaching reorder points
• Automatically generate purchase orders
• Track incoming shipments
• Update listings when stock changes

ROI: Fewer stockouts, less overstock, better cash flow.

10. Customer Support Triage

The problem: Support requests come through multiple channels and need routing.

The automation:

• Collect tickets from email, chat, social, phone
• Categorize by type and urgency
• Auto-respond with expected timeframes
• Route to appropriate team member
• Escalate if not resolved in time

ROI: Faster response times, nothing lost, better customer satisfaction.

Getting Started

Do not try to automate everything at once. Pick the 1-2 processes causing the most pain or offering the highest ROI, and start there. Once those are running smoothly, add more.

Related: Automation Services | Automation Pricing Guide