[social_warfare]
Do you spend hours pulling information from several sources and putting it all together? Do you use a downloaded file like a csv from your web app along with an exported report in xml from some software with notes in excel to create an essential report? You aren’t alone.
We all have to pull together assorted piles of data to make decisions. How often do you find yourself doing this? Is it from the same places every time? Does it take up a lot of your time that could be spent more productively in other areas?
Custom scripts or programs can help you automate your business processes.
Ultimately, these custom solutions should minimize your time spent working on repetitive tasks. There are many different ways that your repetitive tasks can be automated. It depends on your needs.
Your information can be combined and then pushed into a spreadsheet (or database), making it more searchable. It can also be pushed into an web app or made into a text document, or more. There are boundless possibilities. Many people think they need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to make this happen, but the costs can be far more affordable.
Why put information into a database?
Database programs make your information searchable. Databases come in many varieties ranging from commercial software to free software. While I’m not going into the different types of databases and their advantages in this post, just know that you can find one that meets your need.
Most database programs are feature-rich, and reduce the time and complication of generating precise and reliable reports.
Can I have it in a spreadsheet?
Do your formulas change based on information that can change over night or even by the hour? This does happen from time to time. You may have some consistent information, but there are factors that change the calculations.
The worst part is that one day, you could be adding one column to another column, and the next day you have to subtract or even multiply it. Saving your info as a spreadsheet saves you the time of copying and pasting them all together. Also if you are combining the same spreadsheets over and over again there are ways to combine then automatically as well.
What if I only want the final numbers?
If you don’t want to search your information, and you aren’t interested in how the information was combined, but you do want a summary, scripts and programs can deliver that as well.
Generating a simple email or just a text document is possible. You can even have the information sent to you in a text message. I know it is an amazing world we live in, with these devices that not only give us great cat videos, but can also automate tasks for us!
All joking aside, business automation isn’t just for large global companies. Small businesses, micro businesses, and even solo businesses benefit from automating their repetitive tasks.
If you find yourself doing the same tasks over and over, and you could use your time better, business automation scripts or programs might be just what you need. If you’re not sure what you need or where to start, give us a call.
