Automation: not just for robots
Find yourself stuck with what seems like endless small tasks for your clients? My friend, it’s time to automate those small jobs!
The best way to do it? Spend the time (or have a professional do it for you), and set up a process that takes all those repetitive little tasks, and has them happen automatically. It’s like magic, but you know, real.
There’s lots of little things we get sucked into every day, so I’ve outlined a few categories and examples to look into when automating your tasks.
Email communication
Set up an auto-email with directions to your office when meeting with a client for the first time, including parking instructions and public transportation details.
Create drafts of ‘welcome to the neighbourhood’ emails for your most popular locations, and keep them regularly updated. Set up a reminder to send to your clients on their move-in date with some great spots in their ‘hood to try.
Share a quarterly newsletter of household maintenance tips with the changing seasons. This works out to only four emails each year, but keeps you connected to your clients and top of mind, rather than individually checking in with all of them throughout the year.
Administrative tasks
Utilize a Google Sheet for tracking your mileage and have it set to offline status so you can always check it from your phone. Get in the habit of updating it as soon as you enter/leave your vehicle, and say goodbye to forgetting to enter your info or losing important scraps of paper.
Keep your client list with full details on your Google Drive (again, to offline status), so it’s always accessible from your phone, laptop, or desktop. Double-check a client’s name and list of what they’re looking for before meeting with them – everything you need, all at your fingertips whenever you need it. You can even take it to the next level with a database program that automates some of your daily tasks for you.
Track your expenses – for real. Stop relying on paper receipts and get everything digital whenever possible, from using apps on your phone for your favourite coffee shop or restaurant, to ordering your office supplies. As soon as you get any paper receipts, use an app to scan them into your cloud and keep it updated – a little each day saves you hours at month-end. And whatever you do – don’t leave paper receipts until the end of the year.
Whether the above list seems overwhelming, or you’re hungry for more ways to save you time during your day, give me a call and let’s evaluate how to make your business run more smoothly.