According to some of our latest research, automation is a key part of tech companies' plan to survive a recession. Why is automation a powerful tool businesses turn to in hard times? 

Automation allows businesses to: 

1. Get more done (in less time)

2. Build adaptable systems that run in the background

3. Scale processes in a sustainable way

It may seem like getting more done requires more employees and more expenses, but automation allows you to keep your business-critical work running automatically. 

For example, you can create workflows that instantly add leads to your CRM from your specific lead-generation sources. That way, your leads get the right nurture content, and you boost sales—automatically scaling your lead management. 

That's just the start. Here are more ways your company can boost efficiency while keeping costs lean.  

Table of contents: 

• Route data to the right tool 

• Streamline project management

• Create a seamless sales hand-off

• Build a better customer experience

Route data to the correct tool

When your data is up to date, you can send the right communication to leads, pull reports on campaign success, add data to your spreadsheets, and track performance. But sharing that data across teams can be difficult without a lot of communication. And when you need employees to work on more strategic initiatives, necessary tasks like data entry can fall by the wayside. 

Automation makes it easy to get important information to your apps and teams. Use the following Zaps to connect tools across your company so everyone can take action on the most up-to-date data.

Send leads to your CRM or tracking spreadsheet

A steady flow of new leads is critical to business success. But that's just the first step. You also need to make sure you're tracking those leads so you can cultivate them into customers. Use automation to send leads from your forms, ads, and chat box to your tracking tool. 

Easily scale your processes as you get more leads, even if your team stays the same size. Keep every lead accounted for so your marketing and sales teams can take the right action. 

Send leads to your email marketing tool 

When you have leads from multiple sources (like forms or ads), it can be hard to ensure every single lead is getting the right cultivation messages—especially as your lead volume increases.. Create a Zap that automatically sends leads to your email marketing tool with the right tags. This ensures every lead gets put on your email nurtures instantly, keeping your business top of mind. 

Streamline project management 

Smooth project management is the key to turning business ideas into reality. It requires consistent task management, notifications, and progress reports. When projects are poorly managed, you and your team can't get things done efficiently—hurting your bottom line. 

Fortunately, you can use automation to streamline project management, helping you get work done quickly and with better insights. 

Instantly track tasks 

Picture this: Projects are moving fast, and people are getting messages about things they need to do in Slack and Gmail. It's easy for key messages to slip through the cracks—until you bring automation into the mix. Keep track of project tasks from your email and team chat app by setting up a Zap that instantly sends them to your project management tool. 

Build a custom notification bot

Keeping projects on schedule requires frequent notifications to help team members stay on track. And if you're managing multiple projects, it's just not feasible to manually send notifications for every project task. Fortunately, you can set up a Zap to do it for you. Streamline project messages by creating a custom notification bot that sends reminders about tasks, due dates, and more. 

Report on progress

Getting projects done is the end goal—but it's not the only goal. You want projects to get done efficiently because inefficient project management leads to mistakes, wasted time, and delays. Use automation to pull status reports on projects easily to ensure you're getting projects done on time. Create a Zap that instantly adds items to your databases so you can see retrospective analysis in one place throughout your whole project. 

Create a seamless sales hand-off

In sales, there's always a new prospect to pitch, an old customer to re-engage, and a new campaign to develop. Every pitch is important, but when times are tough, every pitch matters that much more. And when you're managing multiple accounts, it can be hard to find time in your day for strategic sales prep. 

Use automation to streamline your sales processes, so you can gain back time to focus on more strategic work—like creating personalized sales pitches. 

Notify your sales reps about new leads

When your team knows about new leads, they can quickly act while the lead is hot.  Send instant notifications about new leads to your chat app, inbox, or wherever your team hangs out. With automatic messages, your team can reach out to leads at the right moment—increasing your sales.

Keep prospect information up to date

Accurate prospect data—like deal information—is critical to a successful sales call. But, when you're using a mix of apps to engage with leads, it can be hard to make sure all the data is up to date. Use Zapier to connect your different tools, so lead information automatically updates when a prospect takes action (like making a payment or signing a contract). 

Route to-dos to the right place

As all sales reps and account managers know, it's hard to keep track of all your tasks when you're dealing with a large portfolio of prospects. Create a Zap that instantly sends your to-do items to whatever app or tool you use for task management. That way, you (and your sales team) can better manage your tasks and get everything done.  

Build a better customer experience

Thoughtful, prompt, and value-added outreach is the key to a positive customer experience. But, when you're working with a lean team, it can be difficult to grow client relationships without overworking your team.

Enter automation. When you add automation to the backbone of your customer experience, you can ensure timely messages and intentional outreach that scales sustainably. 

Send personalized, automated response emails

Timely, purposeful responses let your customers know you care. But when messages pour in left and right, response times might start slipping. Instantly follow up with customers via SMS or email by having Zapier automatically send a message for you. Now, your customers know they've been heard, and they're your top priority. 

Automate customer appreciation 

The lead lifecycle doesn't stop when you make that sale. You still want to turn that customer into a repeat customer with thoughtful post-sale outreach. Use automation to send post-purchase thank yous for a more personal customer experience. 

Spread automation across your business

Automation is the most powerful when all individuals, teams, and departments use it. Because when your whole company is automating work, you can build systems that scale—even during a recession.