Repetitive tasks are often the bane of productivity. 

When running a managed services business, you are probably still indulging in some labor-intensive and mundane tasks that can be easily automated.

This blog will talk about IT process automation and the benefits of implementing it in your IT service business. We’ll also show you how to automate repetitive tasks to streamline workflows so you can be more dynamic and productive.

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What is IT process automation?

According to Red Hat, IT process automation involves the automation of “IT services, support, and administration into workflows.” The general purpose is to reduce drastically, if not eliminate, the cost and time wasted on manual processes.

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Various forms of IT process automation

There are various forms of IT automation. Below, we list the most common ones that are used for managed IT services.

• Professional service automation (PSA) largely targets operational and administrative tasks such as billing.
• Sales Automation automates tedious sales tasks such as sending emails, making calls, drafting contracts, negotiating deals, initiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and more.
• Remote monitoring and management automation (RMM) focuses on critical IT functions like performance and diagnostic reviews. 
• Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software that runs on top of existing infrastructure, is easy to install, and is primarily pre-built.
• Business process automation (BPA) primarily automates business activities and transactions, especially those involving multiple steps.
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Benefits of IT process automation

These are a couple of the advantages of deploying IT process automation:

• Major cost savings: Manual tasks cost more because they are performed at a slower pace. Automation saves money through reduced costs and increased business metrics.
• Saves time on task completions: Automate tedious sales activities and mundane tasks that need constant reminders. 
• Improved operational efficiency and productivity: Automation realigns processes, streamlining them for better performance while removing unnecessary tasks.
• Frees up personnel and resources: Since automation utilizes fewer resources, it makes them available to be used in other areas. Hence, your employees can focus on strategic and detail-oriented tasks with a higher payoff.
• Improved quality and consistency: Process automation ensures executed tasks and activities are identical. This promotes reliability and quality assurance and provides the same level of service.
• Reduces risk of error: Humans are prone to error. Software-driven automation is more consistently reliable in comparison.
• Reduced turnaround time: By streamlining your business processes, automation results in increased operations optimization. This, in turn, improves compliance and ultimately reduces both downtime and turnaround time.

Also Watch: The Ultimate MSP Sales Process Blueprint: Automation for the Win: Catalyze your business growth with sales process automation.

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Determining when a task is a match for IT process automation 

IT Partners juggle a lot of services on behalf of their clients. Examples include implementing new technologies, monitoring compliance, handling service requests, and so on. 

However, not all IT tasks are suitable for process automation. These are the guidelines to follow when determining if automation is possible for a process:

• A rule-based process should exist
• It should have a pre-defined trigger
• The process should have regular interval repetition
• Clearly defined inputs and outputs should exist
• The process should have sufficient volume
  
  

After the task for automation has been identified, the next step necessary is to create a workflow for the functions under those tasks. You should highlight specific procedures, especially those that can be automatically triggered when conditions are ripe. Or, alternatively, those that can be scheduled in advance. 

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Investing in the right MSP automation tools

Scale is a business imperative. As you grow and the responsibilities of your team become more complex, automation is an absolute necessity if you’re want to stay competitive.

For Technology Partners looking to invest in automation tools for their teams, Zomentum should be at the top of your list. Our platform is an end-to-end solution designed to make it easier for you to earn, manage, and grow your revenue. 

Bringing in more revenue is a breeze with a sales acceleration application that keeps deals moving by automating tedious tasks. We also make assessing client infrastructure and building quotes and proposals lightning fast.

Managing revenue becomes easier with the ability to streamline billing processes by automatically synchronizing customer licensing information into their PSA. Zomentum helps prevent revenue leakage by automating the billing process for monthly services such as Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace. 

Try out Zomentum’s Sales and Billing Automation Platform to put yourself ahead of the competition and make your business a revenue-generating machine. Book a Demo today.