Automation is a hot topic in business productivity talks, but it’s something that has been around for a long time and many people actually have the wrong idea about it.

Automation may conjure up thoughts of robot arms and walking machines doing things for you, but the reality is that automation is very subtle and mostly based on software.

For instance, automation can do things like repeat tedious tasks for you, calculate things in the background while spitting out results, or even collecting data from multiple different sources as it’s recorded.

Automation is an umbrella term that covers a wide number of different things, so here is a couple of do’s and don’ts of automation that you should keep in mind.

Do: Write a list of things you want to automate

Understanding what you want to automate is important because there are different tools for different jobs. A great example is mergeos.com, a tool that can be used to automatically create office documents and enter information.

Don’t: Try to automate complex tasks at first

Complex tasks are difficult to automate and require a lot of troubleshooting and fixing before it’s 100% reliable. Wait until you have more experience with the system before you try to automate a complex task.

Do: Automate things you do every day

If there’s a repeatable task that you do every day, make sure you use 

Don’t: Try to set up automated processes with your own resources

Leave automation setup to professionals instead of struggling to establish processes yourself.

Do: Automate repetitive tasks

The best candidate for automation is any repetitive task that takes a lot of manual dexterity or focus.

Don’t: Forget to set up fail-safes and emergency stops

Make sure you have controls that put a stop to all of your automation in the event that it’s causing errors or bugs in your workflow.

Do: Consider automation an investment

Automation is an investment much like any service, freelancer or machine that you might purchase to make your workflow more efficient.

Don’t: Automate processes that you don’t perform often

Even if a process is complex and tedious, don’t spend too much time trying to automate it if it’s something that you only perform occasionally.

Do: Train your employees to use your automated processes

Automation changes the way your employees work, so don’t neglect to train them to use your automated tools.

Don’t: Assume that automation can help you straight away

If you think that automation is a silver bullet for all of your problems you probably have more worrying things to think about. Don’t think that automation will suddenly help your business. Think of it as a way to supplement an existing business that is running well.

Automation is one of the key components of a small business that needs to be considered when calculating the overall cost of running it. Much like anything else in business, automation is an investment with risk and reward.

While it takes a while for you to start noticing the benefits of automation (considering the time it takes to set it up and adjust your workflow to it) it’s ultimately a benefit that can reduce operating costs and speed up your work processes.