Businesses, on average, spend 30% of their revenue on payroll expenses. Much of that payroll, particularly for small businesses, is funneled into paying temps to organize spreadsheets or contractors to manage appointments, accounting, and other unavoidable tasks. What if we told you that you could take a massive portion of the money you’re spending on hiring and put it back in your pocket with nominal effect? Therein lies the promise of automation software which is the subject of this post. There are several freemium automation tools you can gain access to online today. Keep reading and start saving your business thousands of dollars per year!
1. IFTTT
Don’t let its funky name fool you. IFTTT (if this then that) is one of the most robust pieces of automation software on the market. With IFTTT, you can sync data from Outlook to spreadsheets, power on computers with your voice, and do anything else you can imagine. New scripts are being added to IFTTT every day, and several of those automations are 100% free to use.
2. Zapier
Zapier is the most known piece of automation software among business owners. Similar to IFTTT, Zapier offers a host of scripts that allow you to integrate multiple, non-related applications so they can share data. While Zapier isn’t as free as IFTTT, we prefer Zapier because of the ease of its script creation tool which allows novices to quickly set up complex automation. If you find yourself struggling with the program despite its relative ease, you can always bring on automation consultants that know more about this tool and similar products and can coach you through their integration.
3. QuickBooks
QuickBooks powers millions of business’ accounting processes, so there’s a good chance that you’re already using this tool. If you’re not and find yourself spending a lot of time bookkeeping and organizing your numbers around tax season, we recommend giving it a try. Quickbooks tracks all of your company’s revenues, expenditures and lets you export that data into a TurboTax tax return.
4. Calendly
Setting up appointments has never been easier than it is when you arm yourself with Calendly. The conceit of this tool is simple; allow people to make online appointments with your company that sync with your calendar. Calendly will only offer appointments in time slots where it knows you’re free and can take a host of ancillary information into account to further ensure that the appointments people set up online integrate perfectly into when you’re least busy.
5. Grammarly
Who needs to hire a freelance proofreader for your memos and marketing materials when you have a tool like Grammarly? Grammarly fills the void left by word processors in that it takes an advanced look at your writing to make sure what you type reflects the level of professionalism your business thrives on. What’s better is that most of the tool’s functionality is 100% free!
Automation Software Saves Companies Money and Helps Them Run Better
If your business isn’t strategizing where you can integrate automation software into workflows, you’re losing money. Every day, new automation software hits the market that can revolutionize the way companies operate and overhaul their ability to save money. If that sounds good to you, start exploring automation today! You can also check out more of our blog content on the benefits of automation software for additional guidance.