Even if you don’t currently have automation built into your business, you most likely see evidence of these simplifications every day:

• The reminder from your favorite retailer via email that you “still have items in your shopping cart”
• A birthday coupon from your favorite restaurant
• A series of “welcome” emails when you sign up for a new e-newsletter

That’s what automation is—a simplification. Automation “automatically” accomplishes tasks that you—or someone on your team—would otherwise have to do manually. 

It’s a simplification that’s often easier said than done, though. Some of us are so used to doing all the things that automation can be a little overwhelming. For that reason, we’ve rounded up our four favorite tools (and how we use them at CBI) that are easy to use and save you hours a month:

• Zapier: Zapier is a web automation tool that’s often described as the “glue” that connects hundreds of other web apps and services, allowing them to work together seamlessly. The tool offers integrations with over 5,000 different applications. If you want to see some examples of integrations you could program, this HubSpot article is a must-read.
• Make: Workflows are a blessing and a curse—you know you need them, but who has the time to build them manually? Make lets you visually build workflows through a drag-and-drop builder and then schedule that workflow to run whenever you need it. Operations, marketing, IT…this tool works for every area of your business.
• Keap: This combined marketing/sales/CRM automation platform is pure gold. You can follow up with new networking connections from events, respond immediately to email requests, set a framework for your sales pipeline, stay engaged with potential customers who aren’t quite ready to buy, send automated emails that are triggered by specific events or behaviors, and so much more.
• Calendly: We can confidently say that we’ve saved several hours a month with Calendly, a meeting scheduling tool. No more back-and-forth for several emails trying to find a time that works to meet with clients. One feature we love is the ability to ask questions of the person scheduling the call with you so that you’re never going into a call without knowing what the person wants to chat about!

The best piece of advice we have when it comes to automation? Start small, and do one thing at a time. As you get the hang of the automation (and let’s be honest, start to appreciate how much time it saves you), you’ll want to do even more.