An hour might not seem like much time on the weekend, but in business, it can be the difference between a task getting done or not. Chances are your employees waste at least an hour every day moving between the various Software as a Service tools your business utilizes. It’s this administrative task that’s the silent killer in your budget, and if left unchecked, it can add up.

With modern technology tools, you can make it easier for your software to talk to each other, thereby allowing for “set it and forget it” automations. You’ll be surprised by how much time you can get back in your day with these solutions. Here are five ways you can implement automation as early as this week.

Email + CRM

This automation lets you stop typing name, title, and company information into your CRM. It utilizes an integration between Outlook/Gmail and your CRM that automatically adds new leads to your database. The automation scrapes the signature to create a new contact record automatically.

Instant Messaging + Project Management

If your business uses unified communications, you probably have an instant messaging platform that is abuzz with ideas doomed to getting forgotten in the shuffle. You can use automation to link your communications platform to your project management system. For example, you might use a specific action, like a reaction emoji, to convert a message into a task on the correct project board, including a link to your original chat.

Hands-Free Meeting Recording

If you’re still taking notes during meetings, then sending them out after a call, you’re wasting time. You can automate this by connecting your video conferencing platform to your CRM and document management system. When a meeting ends, an AI-generated summary and action-item list will automatically be added to the client’s record in the CRM, as well as in their associated project folder.

Invoice Alerts

You can set up automatic alerts to make sure your clients have paid—no chasing them down required. Link your accounting software to your instant messaging platform that sends a notification to your sales channel whenever an invoice is marked as “paid.” This means you don’t have to constantly check to see when an invoice has been paid, allowing you to be notified immediately so the work can get started.

The Calendar-to-Log Time Tracker

If you’re a service-based company, you can log billable hours through your calendar by linking it to your time-tracking software. Whenever a calendar event ends, a draft time entry can be created with the client’s name on it and the duration already filled in. You just have to click Confirm.

These automations can save you up to 200 hours of high-value time over the course of the year. How are you going to recycle that time so your business gets more out of it? For assistance with setting up these automations, or for more ideas on how to use AI to great effect, contact Fatech IT Advisors at (703) 719-4000.