Staying Ahead of Digital Manual Labour
- Fred Maude
- Reading time: 5 minutes
As businesses grow online, so does the looming spectre of digital manual labour. More platforms, more data, more reporting, more things to go wrong, more pressure that it doesn’t.
We encourage our customers to stay ahead of it at all costs. Here’s how we’re trying to do it!
1️⃣ Tackle Manual Tasks Head-On
Create a manual task backlog. Have your team document weekly tasks and estimate the potential cost savings of automation. Dedicate at least 10% of your product/tech resources to addressing these tasks each week. Over time, you’ll systematically eliminate inefficiencies and free up your team for higher-value work.
2️⃣ Think Scalability Before Building
Scalability is more than a buzzword—it’s a mindset. Before creating automation, ask yourself: (a) Is it specific to one client or applicable to many? (b) If it benefits all clients, does it also add value to your internal teams? By addressing these questions, you’ll ensure your solutions scale effectively across businesses and teams.
3️⃣ Learn to Say No to Customers and Prospects
Saying “yes” to every request might seal a deal but can lock your team into manual work indefinitely. Protect your team’s efficiency by setting boundaries and ensuring processes align with long-term automation goals.
4️⃣ Say No to Team Members (Sometimes)
Just like with clients, saying “yes” to internal requests can create fragmented systems and repetitive processes. A centralized, streamlined approach is key to sustainable growth.
5️⃣ Empower Through Sandbox Access
Contradictory as it may sound, giving team members access to a sandbox environment allows them to experiment and better communicate needs to product and tech teams. This accelerates innovation and reduces the wait for new features.
We encourage our customers to stay ahead of it at all costs. Here’s how we’re trying to do it!
1️⃣ Tackle Manual Tasks Head-On
Create a manual task backlog. Have your team document weekly tasks and estimate the potential cost savings of automation. Dedicate at least 10% of your product/tech resources to addressing these tasks each week. Over time, you’ll systematically eliminate inefficiencies and free up your team for higher-value work.
2️⃣ Think Scalability Before Building
Scalability is more than a buzzword—it’s a mindset. Before creating automation, ask yourself: (a) Is it specific to one client or applicable to many? (b) If it benefits all clients, does it also add value to your internal teams? By addressing these questions, you’ll ensure your solutions scale effectively across businesses and teams.
3️⃣ Learn to Say No to Customers and Prospects
Saying “yes” to every request might seal a deal but can lock your team into manual work indefinitely. Protect your team’s efficiency by setting boundaries and ensuring processes align with long-term automation goals.
4️⃣ Say No to Team Members (Sometimes)
Just like with clients, saying “yes” to internal requests can create fragmented systems and repetitive processes. A centralized, streamlined approach is key to sustainable growth.
5️⃣ Empower Through Sandbox Access
Contradictory as it may sound, giving team members access to a sandbox environment allows them to experiment and better communicate needs to product and tech teams. This accelerates innovation and reduces the wait for new features.
