How much time do you spend each week on tasks that feel like they should just... happen automatically? Copying information from one app to another. Sending follow-up emails. Updating spreadsheets. Creating invoices.
The good news: most of this can be automated. Here are five workflows that almost every small business should set up.
1. New Enquiry → Instant Notification + CRM
The problem: Someone fills out your website contact form. You don't see it until hours later – maybe the next day. By then, they've gone cold or contacted a competitor.
The automation: When a form is submitted → instantly send you a WhatsApp/SMS alert → add the lead to your CRM or spreadsheet → send the customer an automatic confirmation email.
Time saved: Not just time, but leads. Speed of response is one of the biggest factors in winning business.
2. Appointment Booked → Calendar + Reminders
The problem: You book an appointment, manually add it to your calendar, then have to remember to send a reminder to the customer the day before.
The automation: When appointment booked → add to Google Calendar → send confirmation email to customer → send reminder 24 hours before → send follow-up request for review after.
Time saved: 5-10 minutes per appointment, plus fewer no-shows.
3. Invoice Follow-Up
The problem: You send an invoice, then have to manually check if it's been paid and chase if it hasn't.
The automation: Invoice sent → check if paid after 7 days → if not, send gentle reminder → check again at 14 days → send firmer reminder → notify you for personal follow-up at 21 days.
Time saved: Hours of awkward chasing, plus improved cash flow.
4. Job Completed → Review Request
The problem: You finish a job, mean to ask for a Google review, but forget. Or it feels awkward to ask in person.
The automation: Mark job as complete → wait 24 hours → send friendly email asking for review with direct link to your Google page.
Time saved: Minimal, but reviews gained? Significant.
5. Weekly Summary Report
The problem: You don't have a clear picture of your leads, jobs completed, and revenue without manually pulling numbers from different places.
The automation: Every Monday morning → pull data from your systems → generate a summary → email it to yourself.
Time saved: An hour of spreadsheet wrangling, plus better business visibility.
How to Set This Up
These automations can be built using tools like n8n, Zapier, or Make (formerly Integromat). They work by connecting your existing apps – Gmail, Google Calendar, your CRM, accounting software – and creating "if this, then that" rules.
You don't need to be technical to use them, but there is a learning curve. If you'd rather have someone handle it for you, we can help.
Start Small
You don't need to automate everything at once. Pick the one workflow that would save you the most time or frustration, get that working, then add more.
The goal isn't to become a robot – it's to free up your time for the work that actually needs a human touch.