What business automation is
Automation is a decision written once that then runs on its own. An enquiry arrives, a message goes out. Two days pass with no reply, a reminder goes out. It is not magic, and it has a limit: what you did not define will not happen.
What belongs, and what does not
A job with a clear trigger belongs: a form is sent, a time arrives, a status changes. A fixed action comes out: a message, a sheet row, a task. If the decision is different every time, that is not automation. A person still does it.
A website is one place an enquiry can start. Automation also works from an external form, from WhatsApp, or from a file. A business with no website can still take the daily copying off its hands.
| By hand | Automation | |
|---|---|---|
| A new enquiry | Copied onto a note | A WhatsApp message with the details |
| No reply | You remember alone | A reminder by a rule |
| A report | Summarised at the weekend | A row written as it happens |
| Judgement | A person decides | Stays with a person |