Automation is a proven way to increase productivity, but it can be a struggle to make the leap from “I should be doing this” to “I’m so glad I’m doing this!” Like any technology, automation takes time to set up and fine-tune, but that effort quickly pays off. When automation handles the busywork, you’re free to focus on the high-impact, human-centered tasks that only you can do — and that’s where the magic happens.

1. Appointment scheduling. Playing tag as a kid was fun, but the adult versions (phone tag, email tag, and text tag) are annoying in the extreme. Reclaim your time by using a scheduling system that allows your customers to choose an available meeting spot and receive automatic reminders. In this case, your invisible assistant is helping your clients as well as you, because communication tag wastes their time too.

2. Lead follow-up. After capturing a lead’s information, consistent and timely outreach is crucial to drive action. Automate personalized messages for each customer segment —like welcome campaigns for first-time buyers and separate workflows for repeat customers, sellers, investors, and so on. You can also enable real-time responses to behavioral triggers, such as assigning a drip campaign when someone downloads an e-book or deploying a re-engagement email after a period of inactivity.

3. Social media posts. If you’re firing off posts as they pop into your head, you may not be hitting all your marketing goals or creating consistent impressions. Instead, set aside time to write all your posts for the week or month, and use a scheduling tool to post each message at a specific date and time. You’re then free to focus on your highest priority tasks while automation makes sure each message goes live at the optimal time. Some sites, like Facebook and LinkedIn, have native scheduling tools, but there are also third-party apps that can schedule across multiple platforms.

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How to Build and Optimize Your Customer Database