Last week, I watched a finance manager manually copy invoice data from PDFs into Excel. Twenty minutes per invoice. She processes about 30 invoices weekly.
That's 10 hours a week of mind-numbing data entry that software could handle in seconds.
She's not alone. Most UK businesses have teams doing repetitive tasks that automation solved years ago. The problem isn't awareness - everyone knows automation exists. The problem is knowing where to start.
Here are five boring tasks you can automate this week, with real examples from businesses we've helped.
Invoice Processing & Approval
Someone receives invoices via email, downloads PDFs, extracts vendor details and amounts, enters data into your accounts system, then sends for approval. This process typically takes 15-20 minutes per invoice.
How to automate it:
- Email rules automatically save invoices to designated folder
- OCR software extracts vendor, amount, and invoice details
- Data automatically populates in your accounting system
- Approval workflow triggers based on amount thresholds
- Approved invoices automatically schedule for payment
New Employee IT Setup
HR notifies IT about new starters. IT manually creates accounts, assigns licenses, sets up email, adds to groups, orders equipment, and sends welcome information. Usually takes 2-3 hours of IT time per new starter.
How to automate it:
- HR system triggers automation when new employee added
- Active Directory account created with appropriate permissions
- Microsoft 365 licenses automatically assigned
- Equipment order automatically placed with supplier
- Welcome email with login details sent automatically
- Manager receives notification when setup complete
Monthly Reporting
Someone manually pulls data from your CRM, accounting system, and other tools, formats it in Excel, creates charts, and distributes reports to stakeholders. This usually consumes 4-6 hours monthly.
How to automate it:
- Data automatically pulled from multiple systems
- Power BI or similar tool creates live dashboards
- Monthly summary reports generated automatically
- Reports emailed to stakeholders on schedule
- Exception alerts sent when metrics exceed thresholds
Customer Onboarding Documents
When you win new business, someone manually creates welcome packs, contracts, and setup documents with customer-specific details. Often involves copying information across multiple templates and systems.
How to automate it:
- CRM triggers onboarding workflow when deal closed
- Customer data automatically populates document templates
- Contracts, welcome packs, and setup guides generated
- Documents automatically emailed to customer and internal team
- Project management tasks created for implementation team
Follow-up Reminders & Scheduling
Your team manually tracks when to follow up with prospects, schedule review meetings, or send renewal reminders. Usually involves calendar notifications, spreadsheet tracking, or hoping someone remembers.
How to automate it:
- CRM automatically schedules follow-ups based on prospect stage
- Email sequences triggered by customer actions or timeframes
- Meeting reminders sent to both parties automatically
- Renewal notifications sent 90, 60, and 30 days before expiry
- Tasks automatically assigned to appropriate team members
Average weekly time savings from automating these five tasks
That's 520-780 hours annually. At £25/hour, you're looking at £13k-£19.5k in reclaimed productivity.
The Reality of Implementation
Here's what most articles don't tell you: the hard part isn't the automation itself. It's mapping your current process and identifying the decision points.
Take invoice processing. The automation is straightforward, but first you need to answer:
- Who approves invoices over £500? Over £5,000?
- What happens when OCR can't read an invoice clearly?
- How do you handle invoices without purchase orders?
- Where do disputed invoices go?
This is why most automation projects stall. Businesses jump into tools before documenting their actual process.
Start Small, Think Big
Pick one task from the list above. Map out exactly how it works today - who does what, when, and what decisions they make. Then automate that specific workflow.
Don't try to perfect the process while automating it. Automate what you do now, then improve it later.
Tools That Actually Work
You don't need expensive enterprise software for any of these automations. Most can be built using:
- Microsoft Power Automate - If you're using Office 365, this handles most business workflows
- Zapier - Connects different applications without technical knowledge
- DocuWare or similar - For document processing and OCR
- Your existing CRM - Most modern CRMs include automation features
The key is starting with tools you already have. Most businesses are using about 20% of their software's automation capabilities.
What Stops Most Businesses
Fear of breaking something. We get it. But here's the thing: you're not replacing your entire system. You're adding automation alongside your current process.
Start with read-only automations first. Let the system generate reports, send reminders, or create summaries without changing your core data. Once you trust it, expand to actions that modify information.
Your Automation Journey
Start small and build momentum. Here's a practical approach to implementing automation in your business:
- Choose one repetitive task that causes frustration
- Document the current process step-by-step
- Identify decision points and exception handling
- Start with partial automation, then expand
- Measure time savings and error reduction