How automation can save small companies
When you work in a smaller (but growing) organization, your resources are always constrained. Every decision is a tradeoff, and every employee is required to wear multiple hats. And while these people are probably deeply passionate about your product—and about the growth of your company—they’re still exhausted and screaming for more resources. In today’s increasingly digitalized and AI-driven world, it is critical for you to step back and think about what you should automate before you look at who you should hire. The trick to staying ahead of your competition is to leave behind the tasks that truly require the human heart, hands, and brain. This article focuses on the top four time-saving automations our Gung B2B e-commerce platform creates. Time and again, they have driven big ROI into the businesses of our customers.
Introducing Gung’s Top Four Automations
Automate the order flow.
How are your customer orders coming in today? Excel sheet? Over email? Even over the phone? What happens next? In many small companies, the next step often is that someone sits down and keys the new orders into an ERP system. An e-commerce order portal like Gung can eliminate this work stream. Customers can go in and place the orders themselves, according to their agreed pricing and contract terms. Not only is this automaton saving you time and money—it’s also often meeting your customers’ preferences.
Collect all product data in one place.
Do you have data everywhere? Many small companies have collected product data over time in silos—for example, images on a server, prices in an Excel, product descriptions in a Dropbox, and item numbers in your ERP system. Gathering all of that data in a PIM (product information management) system has endless benefits. Once it’s there, you can stop paying people to keep it updated in each silo, and you can stop paying other people to piece it together to build proposals or feed your sales channels.
Solve self-service for customers.
Do you get questions such as, What items are on an order?, or Which EAN codes go with which items?, or Can I see my last invoice? Many small companies employ customer service representatives to handle customer questions like these, or they take valuable time away from their sales reps by asking them to handle these administrative—but still important—tasks. With Gung, your customers can log in and download information for themselves in their custom portal—right in their moment of need. It’s a better service experience—and no people need to be involved.
Connect to other order channels.
Do you receive orders from B2C channels like Shopify or via EDI from a select group of customers? We often see small companies struggling to unite disparate sales processes—and everything takes longer than it should. Gung’s platform can be connected as a hub to several other systems where you also receive orders. Imagine how much time our clients save when everything is imported consistently into their ERP system without alot of manual work.
Turn FUD into FUN
Sometimes the idea of automation can spread fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) within your employee base. Don’t let it. Flip the script and let automation be their reward. It’s a way to take away the work that is mindless and time-consuming—while opening up work streams that can really make a difference—not only for the company but also for their professional development.
