6 Ways to Create a Culture of Automation

When it comes to IT, automation is the way forward. Automation tools help you discover and implement fixes faster than manual efforts, reduce downtime, ensure that your staff only focuses on tasks that require human intervention, and much more. The benefits of automation are clear, but how can you instill a culture of automation in your organization? We have six thoughts to consider as you plan to implement automation tools. 

1. Committing to IT automation is a top-down effort 

While getting buy-in from your team, keep in mind that senior leadership is an essential part of the process. It's up to the executive team—and their trust in your ability to execute this initiative—to ensure that every machine learning model or automated tool has a clearly defined purpose. 

To get buy-in from senior leaders, remember: 

• The end goal should always be clear. If there's no clear sense of company benefits or what success looks like, then there won't be much support for it either. 
• Be transparent with your successes and failures along the way (when appropriate). People are more willing to support something they can see working. 

2. Constantly look for opportunities for task automation  

It's essential to consistently look for opportunities to automate manual tasks throughout your organization and be prepared to highlight the benefits of making your recommended changes. It sets the tone for how you approach your work and helps inspire a positive outlook on automation. 

Look for repetitive remote monitoring tasks that AI-powered software can replace 

Automation can be applied to anything that requires repetitive manual effort. Identify tasks that take time away from other activities or require a lot of repetition—these might be good places to start! 

Automation tools can simplify or solve some remote monitoring activities. Here are a few to consider: 

• Delegate administrative tasks such as emailing scheduled reports, generating random passwords, updating custom data fields, and running direct SQL queries. 
• Automate the process of scheduling and approving patches, simplifying deployment, and adhering to compliance requirements.  
• Streamline desktop and server management with out-of-the-box script functions and automated time entries. 
   

Look for cloud billing and reconciliation task automation opportunities   

You may discover tasks that can't easily be broken down into smaller pieces. For example, as more complex billing systems move to the cloud, you can be ready to support your partners' applications most. Leveraging automation tools to help can save time and money.   

To prepare, you can: 

• Automate scheduling and billable-time tracking to ensure your teams are productive and profitable while creating hyper-efficient processes. 
• Strengthen and simplify your sales process with the ability to create and track marketing campaigns and automate quotes and proposals. 
• Speed up your cash flow by getting accurate invoices out the door faster than ever before. 

3. Prioritize training and problem-solving over efficiency 

Successful automation cultures focus on solving business problems, not the technology. Automation tools are only as good as the people who know how to use them. 

Automation is not a silver bullet. If you want true transformation, invest in your people and empower them with new skills that will make them more effective at solving problems. Automation isn't a replacement for good communication, which includes everything from explaining why you're automating tasks in your organization to setting clear expectations for results (including how long something will take). This kind of transparency goes hand-in-hand with building trust within your team and helps ensure that everyone has a clear direction when using an automated solution or toolset. 

4. Empower employees to get creative with automation tools 

As a manager or executive, you likely have the most knowledge about how your company works and what it needs. But employees at all levels are generally more aware of their workflows and tasks than you are since they're on the front lines daily. As a result, they're often able to identify areas where automation could make a big difference in their productivity and efficiency—and might even suggest new ways to use AI-powered software that you hadn't considered before. 

5. Train employees on the importance of automation, its value, and how to do it 

Installing and managing automation solutions is not a job for the faint of heart. For example, automating server maintenance is just one piece of the puzzle; you also need to develop scripts and tools to automate other tasks. But task automation can deliver many benefits to your business, including: 

• Saving time and allowing employees to work on high-level tasks 
• Decreasing labor costs by automating manual, repetitive tasks 
• Improving customer satisfaction by eliminating error-prone processes 

6. Professional service automation tools are key to delivering fast, reliable IT that keeps your customers happy

With the right tools and a little training, automation is key to delivering fast, reliable IT that keeps your customers happy. It can be accomplished by anyone in the company—not just the IT department. 

Real-time, automated ticket routing is the only way to ensure you're resolving issues quickly, assigning the right people to the right jobs, and customers' critical issues are bubbling up to the top. Implementing effective routing automation can relieve a considerable burden from your service desk and lead to more satisfied clients. 

How ConnectWise Can Help 

Quote and Proposal Automation 
Break free from time-consuming quote and proposal creation with ConnectWise CPQ™ (formerly Sell).  

"ConnectWise CPQ has been a game-changer for us. I'm almost embarrassed to talk about how we did it before ConnectWise CPQ. It has allowed us to automate so many functions within the quoting, the pricing, and the sale of things we offer to our clients." 

- Chad Paalman, CEO, NuWave Technology Partners  

Professional Services Automation 
ConnectWise PSA™ (formerly Manage) eliminates billing disputes that lead to revenue loss, increases finance teams' productivity by 25%, and saves an average of $238,798 over three years. 

"Thanks to ConnectWise PSA, we saw a significant improvement in productivity for the entire tech team."  

- Dan King, President, K2 Technologies  

Intelligent RMM that Combines Human and Automation Elements 
ConnectWise RMM includes a RMM automation, customization, and NOC services to take your business to new heights. We have found at least ten reasons to leverage an Intelligent RMM! 

"A fully integrated solution frees us from day-to-day robotic duties and allows us to focus on operational and strategic planning and execution, as well as growing our business."  

- James Ritter, Pulse Business Solutions 

Conclusion

On the surface, it's not hard to see why automation is so powerful. But when implemented correctly, automation does much more than save money. It can completely transform how we approach our day-to-day tasks, how we interact with customers and partners, and how we engage and motivate employees. In short, automation isn't just about doing things faster—it's about doing things better.