Start with repetition, not technology
The best first automation is rarely the most impressive one. It is a frequent, rule-based task with a clear input, a predictable output and a person already responsible for checking the result.
The useful test: if you can explain the task to a new colleague in five steps, it may be ready for automation.
12 strong starting points
- Qualifying inbound enquiries
- Creating CRM records from forms or emails
- Preparing weekly operating reports
- Extracting data from invoices and documents
- Meeting summaries and follow-up actions
- Customer onboarding checklists
- Support ticket classification
- Account research before sales calls
- Renewal risk alerts
- Content repurposing with human approval
- Data reconciliation between tools
- Internal knowledge retrieval
Use a four-part score
Rate each opportunity from 1 to 5 on frequency, time consumed, error cost and data readiness. Start with the highest combined score that carries low reputational or financial risk.
Avoid first: rare tasks, unclear ownership, constantly changing rules and decisions where an error directly affects money, safety or legal commitments.
Your first pilot
Pick one workflow, one owner and one measurable outcome. Run it beside the existing process until the output is consistently reliable. Only then remove the manual step.
Estimate the ROI →