Working from home can get overwhelming without the support of the office at your disposal. But it doesn’t have to be stressful. There are some secrets that one really tells you that can make your life and workday much easier. Remote work automation is your new best friend!
So, what is automation? In tech terms for remote work, automation is the process of systematically completing repetitive tasks, and it is a Godsend for solo or remote work. From using some of the best available apps to streamlined web browser use, here are some tips.
Let’s Begin with AI Chatbots
When you need a little helping hand, automation is one of your best friends for getting things done quicker. You can scale up or down as you please using the right tools. One of the greatest, yet most overlooked, is chatbots. Chatbots are like having your very own assistant who loves doing all the stuff you hate. Check out this handy guide to chatbot maker apps if you need enlightening. Avoid the burnout and get more done with your very own little AI chatbot buddy!
Remote Work Automation with Apps
The average office worker uses around 11 apps per day in relation to work. But with automation apps, you can get more done with fewer distractions. With so many options available, it can be hard to decide which to use. So here are some of the best automation apps for beginners:
- Zapier is an easy-to-use, no-code platform that connects to many other popular apps.
- Automate for Android allows you to create custom automation using visual workflows.
- If you need more complex workflows, you can use Tasker for Android automation.
- ClickUp is an all-in-one project management app that integrates with AI for simplicity.
- Asana is excellent for coordinating with teams using automation tools for streamlining.
Configure Email Filters
Where would we really be without good old email? Emails are vital to pretty much any business, especially for team communication. Depending on what you actually do, you can spend an obscene amount of time using email clients; time you could spend doing something more productive. So, how can you use email better? Filters and rules in tools such as Gmail and Outlook allow you to automatically sort emails, mark them as read, and even determine priority.
Utilize Calendar Scheduling
People have relied on calendars for thousands of years. Calendars help keep some semblance of organization, even when things are hectic. At a glance, you instantly know what the day entails, and this allows you to prepare. However, modern calendars are much more than that! Apps such as Outlook and Google Calendar can be integrated with other apps such as Teams and Zoom. This means you can automatically schedule remote meetings with teams and clients.
Automatic Backups and Syncing
Data backup is one of the most essential parts of running a modern business. Your work could entail dealing with large amounts of data, making changes to vital documents, and creating new ones. You need to know that your hard work is safe and data doesn’t get lost. Auto backup tools are typically included in many of today’s best apps, such as cloud-based office suites. This removes the need to manually transfer data across systems and disks at the end of the day.
Create a List of Canned Responses
You can use a lot of tools throughout the working day, especially working from home or remotely. As useful as tools like Teams, Zoom and even X are, things can get a little repetitive. You might come across the same questions and queries over and over and have to craft individual responses. However, you can use automation to provide the same canned response to common questions and interactions, saving you the trouble of having to write them each time.
Social Media Remote Work Automation
Social media platforms are remarkable tools and necessary for modern business. They are so useful that 94% of small businesses use at least one social media platform. But did you know you can use remote work automation tools that are provided by each platform for streamlining?
Saving time when using social media
You can save a lot of time by using the automation tools available across social media platforms. This frees you and your teams up so you can focus on core initiatives and projects.
More efficient use of social platforms
With automated tools on social media, such as automatic posting schedules, you can create efficient posting routines and responses for improved engagement and time management.
Consistent posting to build authority
Regular and relevant posting is one of the social media marketing keys to building an authoritative brand. Automation ensures brand voice stays the same across multiple channels.
Improved data fidelity for better decisions
Almost all businesses rely on data, and you can use social media automation to provide detailed analytics and data reporting with the metrics and KPIs that matter to your brand and business.
Increased user and audience engagement
With potentially thousands of users to engage with, it makes sense to automate specific, consistent responses to certain comments, questions, and mentions on social media platforms.
The Joy of Document Templates
Your work might involve creating the same type of digital content on a daily basis. This can become tedious and takes a lot of time. However, if the content you must create every day is somewhat similar, consider creating custom templates to save time. You can use templates for content writing for a blog, bookkeeping documents, or even creating consistent and branded YouTube videos. Just by copying and pasting, you can potentially save hours per day!
Integrate Time Logging Tools
Time is pretty much the most valuable thing you have. You can never get it back; it runs out, and you can’t make more! However, aside from being God, the next best thing is to manage the time you do have in a much more efficient way. Time logging tools are useful for beginning and ending the working day. However, you can also use tools such as Memtime and Clockify to log time spent on projects, allocate time for work, and automatically generate time reports.
Get Paid with Invoice Generation
Invoices are critical for businesses. They keep customers informed, provide a record of transactions, and help them when doing taxes! However, you can spend a lot of time generating, filling, and sending invoices by doing them manually. Automatic invoicing through apps such as Quickbooks takes away the hassle of invoices and does everything you need, including sending electronic invoices, so you can get paid promptly and streamline your tasks.
Have an AI Tool Take Notes
Whether it’s meeting minutes or learning something new, note-taking is a skill. Not everyone can do it effectively, and it can take your focus away from more important things. You could record what is being said, but this comes with legal issues, and you have to go back over the recording to find what you need. Of course, AI can step in and automatically take notes for you. Apps like Notion and Evernote can take notes and even automatically upload them to documents.
Browser-Based Remote Work Automation
The average worker doing remote work or at an office spends 85% of the workday using a web browser. As a remote worker, you probably do this too. However, like most computer-based activities, there are tons of things you do repetitively in a web browser, so give these a try:
- Automata for Chrome allows you to automate common tasks like form-filling.
- BrowserFlow automates tasks by recording actions and playing them back.
- Puppeteer is excellent for automating tasks such as web scraping and data collection.
- Bardeen integrates with other apps and suggests automation based on your usage.
- Oslash allows you to create shortcuts for auto-typing into frequently used text strings.
Code Custom Workflow Scripts
Okay, so this isn’t for everyone. However, if you are skilled or experienced in coding or just have an interest, you can get much more from automation. With some practice, you can create automated scripts for almost anything on any platform. JAVA and Python are powerful script languages that allow apps to do what you want. However, even simple batch files in Windows can automate tasks such as opening the apps and browser tabs you use for work each day.
Summary
AI chatbots are an excellent tool for getting acquainted with remote work automation and streamlining your day. You can also automate common social media tasks such as post-scheduling to save time and build a consistent brand. However, you can get much more from an automaton if you are willing to learn to code. JAVA, Python, and Windows batch files are pretty useful for automating repetitive tasks, such as opening the apps and tools you use.
Automation has the potential to make even the toughest workday much more manageable. With the right tools, a willingness to learn, and an understanding of time management, you can benefit from automation in many ways. These include efficiency, greater speed, and accuracy.
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