Business process automation: where to start

Business process automation means work currently done by hand is done by software: data moves between systems, documents are generated from templates, notifications fire on events.

The key word is process — you do not automate a department or a tool, you automate a chain of steps from "a lead arrives" to "the deal is closed".

Where to start

Not with the most complex or the most visible process, but with the most expensive one:

operations per month × minutes per operation × hourly cost

The answer is often unglamorous: 40 hours a month spent copying data between a spreadsheet and the CRM. That is what to automate first.

The order of work

1. Document the process as it is, including "Marina forwards the file to the group chat".
2. Quantify the loss: time, lost leads, data entry errors.
3. Delete the useless steps. Half of them exist for historical reasons — automating them cements the mess.
4. Build the chain: trigger, conditions, owners, error handling.
5. Run it in parallel until the new path is clean.
6. Measure the same numbers you started with.

Three budget-burning mistakes

• Automating chaos. An undocumented process automated just makes errors faster.
• Starting with the hardest case. The first project must show a result in two to three weeks or the team stops believing.
• Ignoring failures. A workflow without error alerts stops silently, and you learn about it from missing leads.

FAQ

What does it cost?

A simple chain from €380, a full project from €1,200. An audit with a payback calculation is €290 and is deducted from the project.

Do we need a CRM first?

No. Spreadsheets are a fine starting point; the CRM can come later.

Not sure where to start? An automation audit answers exactly that — or write to us.