Do you need help & advice with AI & Automation?
Trying to get a process automated right from the start can actually cause more problems than it solves. It often leads to waste and a bit of chaos, which is the last thing anyone wants when trying to improve things.
Map It Out First
Instead of jumping straight into automation, it’s much better to build out the process manually first. Figure out what steps are involved, who does what, and what key bits of information you absolutely need to record. For instance, if you’re making calls to people, you might want to note down when you plan to speak to them again and what stage you’re at in the overall process. Having maybe five or six clear steps makes a big difference.
Key Takeaways
- Build the process manually before automating.
- Identify essential information to record.
- Understand the language and handoffs involved.
- Be prepared for some rework when using new tools.
Language and Handoffs Matter
When you’ve worked through the process manually, you get the language right. You understand the flow and what the end result should look like. This is super important because when you do decide to automate, you’ll have a much clearer picture of what you’re trying to achieve.
Choosing the Right Tools
Now, obviously, if you’re looking at a big, fancy automation tool, it’s probably going to expect you to work in a specific way. If your team is used to doing things differently, this can cause a bit of a mismatch. You might need to do some rework to get the tool to fit how you actually operate. The main point here is that if you want to do a good job and make things genuinely better for people, you need to understand the manual process first. We see this with AI chatbots too – nobody’s really done the groundwork to figure out what it looks like when a human does the job, and then how to automate that to make it quicker and easier for everyone.
