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Employees and owners of small software shops often struggle with juggling many hats and making the most of the time they have available. If you are looking for ways to increase productivity and streamline operations, consider what routine and recurring tasks and processes might be automated. Automation, which in some cases can be time-consuming to implement, can usually save significant amounts of time in the long run.

Here is a look at different areas that might be automated in a standard software business...

Automate Common Replies

Automate common email replies by using a macro tool. If you frequently receive the same questions, draft a response using a macro program. A lengthy response can then be inserted with just a few key strokes each time you receive that same query. Similarly, email and forum signatures can be stored in macros, so that you can quickly insert the appropriate one.

TypePilot - Macro tool for inserting replies.

Automate Sales Order Processing

The sales order processing system is another likely candidate for automation. When an order comes in, a license key can automatically be generated and emailed to the customer without any manual manipulation. A number of ecommerce providers (Digital River included) have very flexible systems that allow for integration and automation of software key generation and delivery.

Automated Email Marketing

Automate the creation and distribution of email messages. For example, if you have subscription renewals, you can easily automate the process of creating and sending email renewal reminders at various times throughout the billing cycle.

Technical Automation

Not only can many administrative tasks in a business be automated, but some technical tasks can also be automated. This will free up valuable technical and development staff time. Even software builds and software testing can be automated.

Example: Automated Testing

Automate Backups

Automate your file and system backups. Nothing lasts forever, and hard drives do fail. Backing up important and critical data on a regular basis is an important task, and one that can often slip your mind. An alternative to needing to remember to perform manual backups is to automate the backup process. There are a number of applications that will automatically run a backup at specific times, and they can then take place during down times or non-business hours.

Automate Spam Filtering

Stop spending hours sifting through useless spam and other unsolicited email messages. Implement a spam solution that works. There are number of different options for effectively filtering email messages.

MessageLabs
Postini

Office and technical automation can be a critical component to business success, and can drastically impact and improve productivity, especially in a small software house.

Tools For Technical Automation: Macro Scheduler

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