How MSME Business Automation Saves Time Every Day

How MSME Business Automation Saves Time Every Day

Think about having a small business to start with customer messages, then paying bills, updating on orders, emailing payment reminders, checking inventory and there are an endless number of spreadsheets.

When all this work is completed, half the working day is over!

This is a typical problem for Small and Medium enterprises. Customers and good products may be there, but too much business time is lost on doing the same repetitive tasks each day by the owner and employees.

This is where MSME business automation can come into picture.

With business automation, it doesn't necessarily require an expensive program or the complete transformation of the business. For an MSME, it can just be about leveraging technology that will make repetitive, tedious work easier, quicker, and more organized.

A Small Business Owner's Daily Problem

Let's say that Neha is the owner of a small clothing shop.

Her business has begun to have more orders. This is wonderful news!

However, there's an issue.

Neha calls the customers every morning to check on their WhatsApp messages. She types and receives orders, verifies product availability, makes and sends invoices and payment reminders. Afterwards she updates her sales sheet and sends out orders which are ready to her customers.

All they do are not difficult tasks.

The issue is, they're time-consuming.

Sometimes, Neha takes hours to just transfer information from one location to another.

The more customers that are added, the harder it is to work with.

This is the beginning of her engagement with the business automation of MSMEs.

What Is MSME Business Automation?

MSME business automation – refers to the process of using digital tools and software to automate repetitive business activities with minimal manual effort.

For instance, a system can send reminders to remind of payments automatically, rather than manually.

Information can be stored and reused, instead of having to enter in the same customer information into different files.

Instead of manually checking all orders, a business can utilize software to keep track of orders and change their status.

The goal is simple:

Reduce the time allocation for repetitive tasks and allocate more time to productive work that aids the business to grow.

The Government of India has also emphasised on the role of digital tools, automation and digitisation in advancing MSMEs to make their operations and competitiveness better.

MSME Business Automation Saves Time

1. Automating Customer Follow-Ups

It is essential to follow up with customers but manual follow-up can be time-consuming.

This could be a reminder to a customer about an unpaid invoice, a company could call a prospective customer or send an order confirmation.

These messages can be scheduled using automation or reminders can be created.

This leaves the business from having to remember all follow-ups.

This may be the reduction of effort that Neha has to put into identifying which customers she needs to reach out to.

2. Faster Invoicing

Invoices often become repetitive when created by hand, for each order.

By implementing appropriate billing or accounting software, simple customer and product details can be maintained. This will make it simpler to produce invoices and maintain records.

The business can have a more systematic approach in preparing each invoice rather than doing it from the scratch.

This little tweak can help save minutes per invoice.

Those minutes can mount up when dealing with dozens or hundreds of transactions.

3. Easier Order Management

Now just think that you'll get 30 orders in a day.

Notebooks, messages and spreadsheets can all be confusing when it comes to keeping track of all the orders.

Automation tools can be used to manage order information, oversee order status and keep records together.

This can lessen the need to go through various files or messages repeatedly for an MSME.

It can also help your staff to understand what they should be doing next.

4. Minimizing the duplication of data entry

One of the easiest examples of work which can be automated is data entry.

Imagine that one employee gets information from a form from the customer.

The connected tools can transfer the information automatically into several sheets without having to copy the information again manually.

This will save time and help to prevent typing errors.

The employee can then use that time to talk to the customer, review orders or perform other necessary activities.

5. Building Relationships with other People of Interest

Notebooks and spreadsheets are the tools that many small businesses build their business with.

This is a good way to start.

However, as the business expands, it's difficult to manage numerous files.

This can be achieved with the help of automation and digital business tools that maintain the organisation of customer information, sales information, invoices, inventory and other information.

The easier it is to locate information, the less time will be wasted by employees looking for it.

Automation is NOT about replacing People

One of the fears of small business owners is that they're about to lose their jobs to automation.

Not all the time is this true.

From the perspective of most MSMEs, the positive side to automation is to enable them to work better.

An employee that takes two hours to input the information could be used to communicate with the customers.

If a salesperson has an hour to spend preparing reports, it could be better to find new leads.

That same evening a business owner could be spending his evening checking his invoices and should be able to plan the next step of the business.

Repetitive tasks can be automated and humans can concentrate on decisions, relationships and creative work.

Start Small Instead of Automating Everything

Neha doesn't have to automate everything within her business the first day.

She may use 1 problem.

For example:

Step 1: List 1 repetitive task.

Step 2: Determine the weekly time requirement of all.

Step 3: Seek an easy-to-use digital product that might enhance that task.

Step 4: Trial it on a small scale of the business.

Step 5 - Do the numbers add up?

If it is successful, she can use a similar process to automate another process.

This is more advantageous than purchasing multiple tools that are not known to be required by the business.

How Much Can an MSME Save?

There isn't a universal number to suit all businesses.

Every process will be different for a small retailer, manufacturer, service provider and online retailer.

However, the key is to consider the amount of time saved on a task basis.

If a worker takes 10 minutes each day to put together a routine report, how much time does that take over a week?If a worker takes 10 minutes a day to create a repetitive report, how many minutes does he or she spend over a week?

This amounts to over 50 minutes a week or the equivalent of one hour and 40 minutes each week.

Now, try to think of 5 different repetitive tasks that would each take 10-20 minutes to complete.

This can equate to hours per week.

This is why it is important to make small changes in some aspects of automation over time.

The Bigger Benefit: More Time for Growth

Time is the initial step in saving time.

The true advantage of MSME business automation would be how the business utilizes that additional time.

As a business owner you can concentrate on:

• Finding new customers
• Enhancing products/services.
• Building partnerships
• Training employees
• Improving customer experience
• Exploring new markets
• Planning business growth

Where the owner used to ask, "What task do I need to complete next? he/she can change their questioning tactic and ask, "What can I do to grow the business?

This is where automation becomes more than just a technology choice.

It turns into a business developing approach.

Final Thoughts

Being a small or medium enterprise (MSME) owner is challenging enough without having to take on too many new tasks.

Business owners don't have to use up their precious time on performing each repetitive task by hand.

MSME business automation can help streamline the daily tasks like follow-ups, invoicing, order management, data entry and record keeping.

Rather than automating everything at once, the best way is to incrementally automate.

Begin at a simple repetitive task.

Solve one problem.

Save some time.

Next process – improve!

These small enhancements can help contribute to a more streamlined and efficient business, as more and more MSMEs grow.

Businesses should not be automated, they should be made better.

It's about providing more time for people to get their work done that matters most.