Reclaim your time: Mastering small business automation

Running a small business often feels like juggling flaming torches — just when you think you’ve got everything under control, another task lands in your lap. From managing appointments to following up with leads, these daily tasks can quickly pile up, leaving you with little time to focus on the bigger picture. But what if you could automate these repetitive tasks and reclaim your time?

In this article, we’ll get into practical ways to automate your daily operations, from scheduling meetings to managing documents. Whether you’re new to automation or looking to refine your existing processes, you’ll find actionable tips to help you save time, create memorable customer experiences, and grow your business.

How automation works

Automation might sound like a complex term, but at its core, it’s quite simple. Think of it as giving your tools a set of instructions: “When this happens, do that.” It’s like having a reliable assistant who never forgets to follow up with a lead or double-check a meeting schedule.

The beauty of automation is it takes care of the repetitive tasks that eat up your time, so you can focus on the parts of your business that require a human touch.

10 key daily operations to automate

Running a small business means juggling countless tasks every day, but not all of them require a personal touch. In fact, many of the most time-consuming jobs can be automated, freeing you up to focus on what truly drives your business forward. Let’s get into some of the daily operations you can start automating right now.

1. Appointment scheduling

Scheduling appointments can be a constant back-and-forth, especially when trying to find a time that works for you and your client. Fortunately, tools like Calendly (a free option) and Acuity (a paid option) can handle this for you. 

Apps like these allow you to set your availability and preferred meeting locations and then share a link with your customers. They simply pick a time that suits them in their timezone, while your availability is shown in yours — and voila, the appointment is booked without the hassle.

2. Appointment confirmations

Once an appointment is booked, the next step is confirming it. If you’re using a dedicated business number for all your work-related conversations, OpenPhone’s Zapier integration can take care of this. 

By setting up an automation in Zapier, you can automatically send a confirmation text as soon as a customer schedules an appointment. You’ll need a Calendly professional plan to integrate with Zapier, but once it’s set up, it’s a seamless process. 

Here’s how to set it up in Zapier:

• Trigger: An invitee schedules an event via Calendly (or another scheduling tool).
• Action: Sends an SMS through OpenPhone using the phone number the customer provided when making the booking.

It’s a simple yet effective way to keep your customers informed and reduce no-shows. Just be sure to include opt-in language in a contact form that requests a phone number, saying that if someone submits information, they consent to being contacted.

Try this workflow today.

3. Appointment reminders

Ever missed a meeting because it slipped your mind? Don’t worry, now you can set up OpenPhone and Zapier to automatically remind you of upcoming over-the-phone meetings. This helps you stay on top of your schedule and gives you time to reschedule if something unexpected comes up. 

Here’s how to set it up in Zapier:

• Trigger: A specified time before an event starts in Google Calendar.
• Search Term: Add in a keyword like “OpenPhone.” This way, the Zap only runs for over-the-phone meetings.
• Action: Sends an SMS through OpenPhone using your own phone number.

You can choose how long before the event you want the reminder and filter it for over-the-phone meetings. It’s like having a personal assistant who never forgets to nudge you about important calls. 

Try this workflow today. 

4. Instant email responses to lead forms

Every lead is a potential customer, and responding to inquiries quickly can make all the difference. But manually replying to every contact form submission? That’s a time sink you don’t need. Instead, you can automate this process to ensure every lead gets an immediate response, showing you’re on top of things — even when you’re not at your desk.

If you’re using a customer relationship management (CRM) system, you can often set this up within the platform. But if you’re not, Zapier makes it easy to connect your contact form software with your email provider. 

Here’s how to set this up in Zapier:

• Trigger: A new form is submitted through a tool like Typeform.
• Delay: Add a delay for a certain amount of time before the email sends.
• Action: Automatically sends an email using Gmail (or another email provider).

This way, as soon as someone fills out your contact form, they receive a personalized “Thank you for contacting us” email, making them feel valued and ensuring they know you’ll be in touch soon.

Try this workflow today. 

5. Canned email responses

Responding to common queries doesn’t have to be a repetitive chore. By setting up canned responses in your email provider, you can quickly reply to frequently asked questions with a click. This is particularly useful for queries like pricing, service availability, or FAQs you often receive.

Here’s how to do this in Gmail:

• Turn on templates by going to Settings ⚙️ > See all settings > Advanced. Then under Templates, click Enable. Finally, click Save Changes.
• Click Compose to start a new email, and enter your template text.
• At the bottom of the compose window, click ⋮ More options > Templates.
• To create a new template, click Save draft as template > Save as new template. Add a label and click Save. 
• To access the template, click Compose >  ⋮ More options > Templates and find the labeled template.

Here’s how to do this in Microsoft Outlook: 

• Click on New Email and enter your template text.
• Go to the File menu > Save As > Save as type > Outlook Template.
• Enter a label for your template in the File name field, then click Save.

The next time you get a question you’ve answered a dozen times before, you can simply select the appropriate template, add any personalized touches, and hit send. 

6. Canned text responses

Just like with email, you can streamline your text communication by using templates in VoIP software like OpenPhone. Whether it’s a quick reply to a common question or a confirmation message, these pre-written responses can be sent in seconds.

Here’s how to set this up in OpenPhone:

• Click into any inbox message thread and type /snippets into the message box.
• You’ll be prompted to insert a snippet or create a new snippet. To create a snippet, click + Create snippet.
• Input the name of the snippet as well as the message you want to send.
• Click Share to share your snippet with users or other numbers on your account.
• Once completed, click Save, and your snippet is ready to use.

Now, when you’re typing a reply, you can insert the snippet and send the message without having to retype it each time. 

7. Duplicate contacts and touchpoints between systems

Manually entering contact information and customer interactions into multiple systems is tedious and prone to errors. Automation can ensure your CRM is always up to date without the need for manual data entry.

If you’re using OpenPhone, you can sync contacts and communications with your CRM, like HubSpot or Salesforce. For other CRMs, Zapier or webhooks can bridge the gap.

Here’s how to connect HubSpot with OpenPhone:

1. Go to the OpenPhone web or desktop app.
2. Select Integrations under the Workspace settings.
3. Select HubSpot and click + Connect to HubSpot.
4. HubSpot will ask you to confirm the HubSpot account you want to connect to OpenPhone.
5. After you confirm you wish to connect the apps, you’ll be redirected back to the integration settings in OpenPhone.
6. Scroll down to Phone Numbers. In this section, you can toggle which activity types you’d like to sync and select the phone numbers you’d like to sync call and message data within HubSpot.

Here’s how to connect Salesforce with OpenPhone:

1. Go to the OpenPhone web or desktop app.
2. Select Integrations under the Workspace settings.
3. Select Salesforce and click + Connect to Salesforce.
4. If you haven’t already, log in to your Salesforce account. Salesforce will ask you to confirm the Salesforce account you want to connect to OpenPhone.
5. After you confirm you wish to connect the apps, you’ll be redirected back to the integration settings in OpenPhone. 
6. Scroll down to Phone Numbers. In this section, you can toggle which activity types you’d like to sync and select the phone numbers you’d like to sync call and message data within Salesforce.

Here’s how to connect Zapier with OpenPhone:

1. Log in to your Zapier account or create a new account.
2. Navigate to My Apps from the top menu bar.
3. Click on Add connection.
4. Search for OpenPhone.
5. Use your credentials to connect your OpenPhone account to Zapier.

Here’s how to set up webhooks in OpenPhone:

1. Log into the OpenPhone web or desktop app.
2. Click on Settings in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Click on Webhooks.
4. Click Create webhook.

With these automations, you reduce the risk of data discrepancies and save yourself the hassle of entering the same information multiple times.

8. Simplified document management

If your business deals with a lot of documents, you’re probably familiar with the headache of sifting through email attachments, scrolling through Google Drive, or searching for that one elusive file. By automating the organization of your documents, you can ensure everything is neatly stored and easy to find when you need it.

Here’s how to set this up using Zapier:

• Trigger: A new document is submitted in DocuSign (or another document tool).
• Action: Automatically adds a new row in a Google Sheets spreadsheet with the document details.

This simple automation allows you to track important documents in a centralized location without having to manually update records every time a new file comes in. 

Try this workflow today.

9. Meeting notes and summaries

With automation, you can streamline note-taking or key point summaries and ensure everyone on your team has access to the same information.

OpenPhone can automatically record calls, providing you with transcriptions and summaries stored right in the same conversation thread as your calls and texts. This means anyone on your team can quickly get up to speed on what was discussed without having to dig through notes or replay entire conversations.

Here’s how to set this up in OpenPhone:
1. Go to Phone Numbers in your Workspace settings.

2. Select the phone number where you want all the calls to be recorded (your team’s shared number, for example).

3. Scroll down and hit the Auto-record calls switch.

4. Navigate to the conversation thread with the client to see the call summary, transcript, and next steps. 

10. Asking for reviews

Customer feedback is important for any small business, but manually asking for reviews can be hit or miss. Automation can help you consistently gather feedback without adding to your workload.

If you already sent appointment confirmations or follow-up emails, consider adding a review request to the sequence.

Here’s how to set this up in Zapier:

• Trigger: Order delivered (in Shopify, for example) or appointment completed.
• Delay: Add a delay for a certain amount of time before the email sends.
• Action: Templated email sends with a link to your preferred review platform asking the customer to share their experience.

This approach ensures every customer gets a gentle nudge to leave a review, helping you build a stronger online presence without having to chase down feedback manually. Plus, it gives you valuable insights into what’s working well and where there’s room for improvement.

Try this workflow today.

How to choose the right tools

With so many automation tools available, it can be overwhelming to decide which ones are the best fit for your business. The good news is you don’t need to be a tech expert to make the best choice. By considering a few key factors, you can select tools that streamline your operations and align with your business goals.

First, identify your needs:

• Start by pinpointing the tasks that take up the most time or are prone to human error. Once you’ve identified the bottlenecks in your workflow, you can look for tools specifically designed to automate those tasks.

Then, consider integration capabilities:

• Your automation tools should work seamlessly with the systems you already use. Look for tools that offer integrations with your existing software, whether it’s your CRM, email provider, or communication platforms like OpenPhone. 

Next, evaluate the ease of use:

• As a small business owner, you probably don’t have hours to spend learning how to use new software. That’s why it’s important to choose tools that are intuitive and easy to set up. Look for platforms that offer user-friendly interfaces, clear instructions, and excellent customer support. 

Then, consider scalability:

• Your business is growing, and your tools should be able to grow with you. When choosing automation tools, think about your long-term needs. Will the tool be able to handle increased data, more users, or expanded functionality as your business scales? 

Finally, budget wisely:

• Automation tools come with a wide range of price points, from free options to premium services. While it might be tempting to go for the cheapest option, it’s important to weigh the cost against the potential time savings and efficiency gains. 

Master small business automation with OpenPhone

As a small business owner, your time is one of your most valuable assets. Automating daily tasks isn’t just about saving time — it’s about freeing up your energy to focus on what truly matters: growing your business and creating exceptional customer experiences. 

By automating repetitive tasks like scheduling appointments, managing documents, and following up with leads, you can streamline your operations and reduce the risk of human error.

But how do you know when it’s time to automate? Here are a few signs:

• Spending hours each day doing repetitive tasks
• Moving between apps a lot
• Having to fix manual errors

Ready to see the difference automation can make? Start your journey today with a free seven-day trial of OpenPhone and discover how easy it can be to automate your business communication. Your future self will thank you!