No-code automation for SMEs.

Every day, you and your team spend hours on tasks a machine could do in seconds: copying data from a web form into a spreadsheet, sending the same follow-up email to every new lead, generating the same invoice with the same data already in the CRM, refreshing the same Monday report with the same numbers. Each task feels insignificant on its own (5 minutes here, 10 there), but added up across a month you discover your team spends between 20% and 40% of their time on repetitive work that does not require human judgement.

No-code automation lets you eliminate those tasks without hiring a developer. Today's tools are intuitive enough that a non-technical owner can build working automations in a matter of hours.

The 80/20 rule of automation

Do not try to automate everything. Identify the 20% of repetitive processes that consume 80% of the time and start there. The most profitable processes to automate are those that run frequently (daily or weekly), follow clear rules (if X happens, do Y), involve data transfer between systems (web form to CRM, CRM to email, email to spreadsheet), are prone to human error and require no subjective judgement.

The three tools you need to know

Make (formerly Integromat): the most powerful

Make is the most powerful visual automation tool on the market for SMEs. Its visual scenario interface (drag-and-drop modules connected together) lets you build complex automations without code. It connects to more than 1,500 applications. The free plan allows up to 1,000 operations per month, enough to get started. Paid plans start at €9 per month.

Zapier: the easiest to use

Zapier is the best-known automation tool and the easiest to use. Its Zaps concept (trigger + action) is intuitive for any user. It connects to more than 6,000 applications, the largest library on the market. Its weakness is that complex automations require expensive paid plans (starting at €20 per month).

n8n: the self-hosted option for technical teams

n8n is an open-source tool you can install on your own server, giving you full control over the data (relevant for GDPR compliance). It is more technical than Make or Zapier, but offers greater flexibility and has no operation limits. Ideal if you have someone technical on the team.

The 10 most profitable automations for SMEs

First automation: lead from web form to CRM. When someone fills in your website contact form, the data is automatically created as a contact and opportunity in your CRM, assigned to the right salesperson and a confirmation email goes back to the lead.

Second: automatic follow-up of cold leads. If an opportunity in the CRM has had no activity for more than 7 days, a personalised follow-up email is sent automatically.

Third: automatic invoice generation. When a project is marked as completed in your management tool, the invoice is generated automatically in your billing system with the project data.

Fourth: automated weekly report. Every Monday at 8am, data from the CRM, billing system and pipeline is pulled together, a visual report is generated and emailed (or Slacked) to the leadership team.

Fifth: automatic client onboarding. When a deal closes in the CRM, the project folder is created automatically, the welcome kit is sent to the client, the kickoff task is created and the operations team is notified.

Sixth: data sync between systems. Customer, product and price data sync automatically between the ERP, the CRM and the website, eliminating manual double entry.

Seventh: automated approval management. Expense, holiday or purchase requests are sent automatically to the relevant approver, with reminders if they do not respond within 48 hours.

Eighth: automatic social media posting. Blog content is published automatically on LinkedIn, Twitter and other networks in the right format for each platform.

Ninth: expiry alerts. When a contract, certification, domain or any critical date is approaching, an alert is automatically sent to the responsible person.

Tenth: automated satisfaction surveys. X days after delivering a service, a satisfaction survey is automatically sent to the customer and the results are logged in the CRM.

How to calculate the ROI of automation

The maths is simple: identify the time the task currently consumes (hours per week multiplied by weeks per year), multiply by the hourly cost of the person doing it, subtract the cost of the automation tool (monthly licence) and divide. The result is the annual saving and the payback period of the investment.

A typical automation that saves 5 hours per week to an employee costing €25 per hour generates an annual saving of €6,500. If the tool costs €50 per month (€600 per year), the ROI is 983%.

Want to identify which processes in your company can be automated and how many hours you would save? Get in touch for an automation diagnosis with quick wins you can ship this very week.

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By Ángel Ortega Castro · independent consultant in strategy, quality and digitalisation for SMEs.

Frequently asked questions

When does business process automation make sense?

It makes sense when the company needs to streamline processes, scale operations or meet client and market demands. Every day, you and your team spend hours on tasks a machine could do in seconds: copying form data into a spreadsheet, sending the same follow-up email to every lead, regenerating the same invoice from data already in the CRM, refreshing the same Monday report.

Where do I start?

Start with a gap analysis of the current situation against requirements that identifies gaps and priorities before investing in implementation. Make is the most powerful visual automation tool on the market for SMEs; its drag-and-drop scenario interface lets you build complex automations without code.

How much does this kind of consultancy cost?

In the Spanish market, an SME consultancy project usually ranges from €3,000 to €20,000 depending on scope, duration and consultant seniority. Zapier is the best-known and easiest automation tool: its Zap concept (trigger + action) is intuitive for any user.