CEO of information technology solutions company tTech, Christopher Reckord, says that small and medium-sized businesses can increase their efficiency and organisation by automating some of their processes.

Automation refers to the technique of making a process, or a system operate automatically with little human intervention.

Speaking on MoneyMoves with Kalilah Reynolds, Reckord said that automation can be business owners declutter and keep all relevant information organised.

“There’s a lot of stuff you can automate and sadly, most people are not using a lot of these features,” he said.

The CEO said automation can be divided into three broad categories; email, voice and text.

In regards to email, Reckord noted that most email domains allow for varying levels of automation based on an individual’s needs.

For instance, he said that in Outlook, emails can be colour coded to signify priority or urgency. Similarly, Gmail offers users the option of filters which separate particular emails from the regular inbox and allow quick and easy access.

He also said that with emails, responses can be set up so that the sender knows the email was received or if the recipient is out of the office.

Similarly, Reckord said that many SMEs have been moving towards chat/text automation systems. These allow for prewritten responses to be sent to customers once a message is received.

He pointed to WhatsApp Business as an example. This feature allows business owners to convert the messaging app into a business account with predefined business hours and responses to specific questions.

“So, if someone messages you during open hours they’ll get one message and if they message during closed hours they’ll get another message,” he explained.

This, the CEO said, not only helps business owners set work/life boundaries but also helps with customer service.

Finally, Reckord said that phone systems are a tried and true version of automation that most people are familiar with. It’s the voice that comes on the phone and tells you to press zero for the operator.

However, the CEO noted that processes should be manually tested before they are automated.

“Your processes have to be ready manually first, so, you have to test whatever process you have in the organisation before you automate it,” he said.

He said automation is very helpful, especially for SMEs, in keeping information organised and improving a business’s efficiency.