7 Tools to Automate Your Workload and Boost Productivity

In a world bursting with tons of information, it’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. During the working day, many people have several tabs open on their computers, thus, they may struggle to complete their to-do-lists efficiently.

But successful business owners harness technology to automate daily tasks and boost productivity. Workload automation may seem like a dream come true, but it’s essential to understand that not every automation tool is right for you. The world of automation is more complicated now than ever, and there are an abundance of tools out there competing for the chance to handle your workload. So which one(s) are perfect for you and which one(s) can help you increase your daily productivity? 

What Is Workload Automation?

Workload automation entails using software tools to trigger, schedule, run and manage workload comprising repetitive business and IT processes. Workloads require a digital or manual effort that takes place during the daily operations of a business.

You can digitize manual workloads, and you can also automate digital workloads to eliminate manual intervention, reduce errors, and improve the overall efficiency of your business and IT operations.

Workload automation is closely related to Job Scheduling, which entails triggering, scheduling, and running resource-intensive workloads overnight, also referred to as Batch Windows. However, the need to schedule overnight batch windows has reduced with the continued computer processing advancements. Today, workload automation is based on event-driven executions instead of the scheduled date and time-based execution.

Event-driven workload automation is more efficient because it eliminates the slack time between the two methods, i.e. when a process can kick-off, and when it begins running.

Here is a list of the seven best automation tools and software:

1.  Buffer or Hootsuite

Social media is an essential part of any business in today’s world. However, it’s a major pain to run, and managing marketing campaigns across multiple platforms can be challenging. Fortunately, platforms, such as Hootsuite and Buffer, make it easy to automate as much of your social media marketing efforts as you need to.

While the two platforms are very similar, Buffer is a better option because it’s a more intuitive software and it offers better scheduling options.

2.  Zapier

Zapier is a simple automation platform that allows you to save time while boosting productivity. With Zapier, you to create automated actions across essential applications. 

Do you want to save attachments in Gmail to Google Drive automatically? Or do you want to tweet all of your blog posts to Twitter as soon as you hit the publish button? Maybe you want to save all new Google Docs files to OneDrive and back them up in Dropbox.

Zapier allows you to set up thousands of automation actions like these and reduce repetitive manual tasks. This allows you to spend your time on more profitable tasks.

3.  IFTTT

IFTTT helps to create basic automation between different apps. This helps you avoid bouncing between different platforms to repeat the same menial tasks.

IFTTT is quite similar to Zapier, but the major difference is that it offers a better free version. The major drawback is that you can only have one account, which means it’s not suitable for teams. Another difference is that IFTTT automations run immediately as soon as the trigger action ensues. Meanwhile, Zapier automations run every five minutes or 15 minutes depending on the version you’re using.

With Zapier, you can set up Multi-Step Zaps with any of the paid versions, which allows you to set multiple automations from the same trigger action: something you can’t do with any version of IFTTT.

4.  Wunderlist

Wunderlist helps you keep your life in sync by offering customized lists and reminders that you can create based on your needs and goals. You can access it on your computer, tablet, or phone no matter where you’re. This makes it easier to track all your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.

Also, you can share your lists with your friends, family, and coworkers to collaborate on your tasks. This is quite helpful for a business. Instead of one person slaving away on a list, they can collaborate with their colleagues so the work gets done more efficiently.

5.  ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is more than a marketing automation platform. It combines advanced email marketing features and an enterprise standard CRM into effective business software. It’s one of the best all-in-one marketing automation tools in the market. And it’s reasonably priced for every version of its software.

ActiveCampaign allows autoresponders, based on multiple conditions. Also, it allows you to automate your contacts and list management, as well as automation within its CRM system known as ‘Deals’. The ‘Deals’ system lets you set up appointments, add notes to contacts, or send direct messages.

Its customer messages features allow you to send targeted messages straight to your website visitors, thus providing an optimized customer experience.

6.  Leadformly

As a small business owner, you’ll need to automate your sales process to handle a higher volume of leads and convert more of them into customers—without building a whole sales team.

Leadformly helps you to increase your form conversion rates. Also, it helps segment your leads directly on your website pages. It does this by harnessing conditional logic to ask leads questions based on the info they type in. With so many integrations, Leadformly connects seamlessly with any workflow and is compatible with all marketing tools.

7.  Xero

The more your business grows, the more accounting it requires, and this always a problem, especially when the budget is tight. Xero helps minimize your accounting workloads with features, such as automated invoices, scheduled payments, and cash flow management.

With Xero, you’ll get a lot of features crammed together into this piece of software and they’re designed to make managing money easier for small business owners.

Final Thoughts

Successful workload automation helps businesses combine customer expectations with their business practices, resulting in happy customers and a successful business model. Incorporate one or more of the tools above, and you’re guaranteed to boost your productivity, more free time, and happier employees. Which tools do you use to automate your tasks in the office? Leave your comments!