When the digitalization era started, it was just answering emails. Later on, we started being responsible for updating spreadsheets. Then, booking appointments. Afterward, we got piled up with pulling reports, sending follow-ups, prepping content, and the like. All these repetitive manual tasks have bombarded us, and whole teams have happened to be in charge of maintaining work rather than actually doing it.
However, things have significantly changed over the past few years. A new type of revolution, that is smart automation, has taken over. It’s been reshaping the way all of us work and communicate. And it’s possible thanks to custom AI assistant development. Let’s discover when and why you need to shift from manual to automated task systems in this article.
Time-Consuming Tasks in Most Workplaces
As we’ve already mentioned, there are numerous repetitive tasks that consume up to 60% of employees’ time (according to some reports). The truth is, such manual assignments can be automated. You might be wondering what tasks we’re talking about. Let’s break them down:
- scheduling meetings,
- answering the same types of emails.
- updating CRMs,
- responding to customers’ queries,
- generating or rewriting content,
- managing invoices,
- sending updates,
- handling logs, etc.
With the evolution of custom AI development, the cost is evaluated in contrast to not just time. It’s broader and more complex, and covers employees’ burnout, low team morale, slower company growth, and a number of missed opportunities.
Small Changes That Make a Big Difference
The most common fear that may stop some people from adopting AI-powered solutions is the fear of being replaced. And we are here to calm everyone down – AI assistants step in not to replace but to help and reduce the work that may hold you back. You can easily free up a lot of hours per week by automating simple yet time-consuming tasks. Make yourself comfortable, and let’s discover where we can already see this rise of AI assistants.
#1 Attending and summarizing meetings
There’s no surprise in saying that status meetings take a lot of work time. If we take a mid-sized company, its team might spend 3 or more hours on such meetings. Good news! There are tools like Otter.ai, Fireflies, or some custom solutions that can, first, reduce the time for meetings, and change the whole workflow. While your conversations are focused on ideas and meetings, AI-driven assistants can handle tasks related to transcribing discussions, flagging action points, and sending summaries.
#2 Customer support assistance 24/7
Virtual AI assistants are taking businesses to a whole new level. How many times have you received repetitive messages like “Where’s my order?”, “How do I reset my password?”, or “What are your working hours?”. These and other queries take up a lot of the precious time of your human agents. At the same time, AI tools can step in and reduce waiting times and response speed. You can integrate those chatbots into your email, WhatsApp, Messenger, and website chatbot, and they can even identify when a human is needed. As a result, you may also improve customer satisfaction.
#3 Generating drafts and content
It’s not a secret for anyone that producing fresh content daily is a must. However, it might be a daunting task or just a time-consuming daily routine. Thanks to AI tools, there is a solution to automate such processes. And it’s not just about generating content, which is also a thing, but also various planning tools for drafts and future posts for your marketing teams. Ads, social media posts, newsletters, etc., can all be automated. Jasper and ChatGPT have already gained traction and reduced the time spent brainstorming and drafting content by almost half.
#4 Onboarding newcomers without old-timers’ burnout
Imagine explaining the same things over and over again. Onboarding is a great and essential step in the hiring process. However, managers may spend hours explaining tools, policies, responsibilities, and workflows. Surprise, surprise! There’s another AI tool that can help you out – AI knowledge bot. You can easily train it on your internal manuals and wikis. This way, new hires can ask questions and get instant answers on all possible topics. Ramp-up times drop, HR teams are less strained, and newcomers have more confidence.
#5 Other advantages that boost automation
It’s not so straightforward to bring forward all existing automation solutions. But we’d like to do our best. Let’s briefly explore some other manual tasks that get elevated through automation.
- Calendar management and appointment scheduling
- Note-taking and generating action items
- Drafting whole documents
- Brainstorming new ideas for various industries
- Optimizing internal communication across departments
And the list can go on and on. What you need to remember – by cutting down the time spent on repetitive things, you can significantly increase ROI and work efficiency.
How Do You Define It’s Time to Automate, And Where to Start?
Using modern slang, let’s find out what “red flags” hint that you should “hire” AI assistants.
#1 You answer the same questions across emails or chat.
#2 Your meetings have become discussions about project updates.
#3 Organizing tasks have become more time-consuming than actually doing them.
#4 Your team is exhausted and demotivated by the work that seems worthless.
#5 Scaling is postponed because admin work eats up your day.
If you’ve answered “yes” to at least one of these questions, you’re not alone. And you’re not stuck. But you should know where to start and make a measurable difference.
#1 Text message assistant
The easiest way to begin – involve AI tools for creating templates for various messages.
#2 Automated reports
A simple formula of Google Sheets+Zapier+AI=daily reports. Dashboards are crucial!
#3 AI calendar management
Auto-email confirmations and automated booking (e.g., Calendly) are like an apple per day.
#4 Knowledge bots
You can sync your internal docs with Notion AI, for example, for quick and efficient FAQs.
#5 CRM automation
There are special automation triggers to connect your website with Notion or HubSpot.
The earlier you start, the more “doctors” you can keep away, if you know what we mean. These are just simple examples of automation. However, AI software experts like the OTAKOYI team can consult you more on the needed solution precisely for your team and type of business. They should first identify your “pain points” to be able to give proper suggestions.
Final Words
Let us bust the myth about AI assistants. The question is no longer whether AI can replace us. The real question we should ask ourselves is, “How long can we afford to do everything manually?” The most valuable assets every business has are humans and focus. That’s exactly what AI assistants bring to the table. So, ready to automate?
Also Read: The Future of Digital Workflows: How Businesses Can Boost Productivity with Smart Automation
