Survive the uncertain by automating your business

Where does the time go? In some ways, 2020 felt like the longest and the shortest year. Now that we’re in 2021, it’s hard to believe it’s already April. The world may still feel like a planning-resistant place...and that can be scary for a small business. One way to deal with the uncertainty of what is to come is to introduce structure and automation into your business.

While adopting new technologies may seem counterintuitive when planning is difficult, the more tools you have in place to automate your day-to-day, the more you can focus on what you need to do to weather the uncertain storm. Not surprisingly, the idea that you have to automate practically every facet of your business can feel overwhelming. Juggling apps and platforms can feel just as time-consuming as wrangling more manual-based solutions. We know that the new normal means people are less focused than ever before, and you may already have a hard time pulling everything together.

Luckily, there are smart tools that connect all your apps together so you can get all the information you need in one place.  A personal digital assistant like Aider connects all the apps you use to run your business from a single app on your mobile.  Aider is the perfect example of an app that highlights how automation can help you be more efficient and see through difficult times. You can ask your digital assistant any question about your business, and Aider can give you simple answers by connecting to your app data and automations.

Communicating with Aider is just like talking to Alexa or texting a colleague--you ask for what you need and Aider delivers. To get you started on building a more resilient and automated business that can work for you, we pulled together some of our favorite apps. The more you set up, the more time you’ll save, so when we start moving at lightning speed again, you and your business will be ready.

• Xero - Intuitive online accounting software designed for small businesses. Send quotes, invoices, reconcile bank statements and manage day-to-day accounting and financial reporting.
• Vend - Vend is cloud-based point-of-sale and retail management software that lets retailers run their business in-store, online, and via mobile.
• Kounta - Another great cloud-based point-of-sale solution that allows you to manage orders, payments, delivery, sales reports, inventory, employee management, COVID safe check-in and more.
• Deputy - Deputy is staff time-tracking, scheduling and management software that helps you streamline your business admin.
• Google Assist - Google Assistant works with your favourite mobile apps, making it easy for you to perform tasks and access the information you’re looking for in an instant.
• Paymark - Paymark takes care of your point-of-sale transactions, making it safe and simple for your customers to pay.
• Shopify - Create an eCommerce website backed by powerful tools that help you find customers, drive sales, and manage your day-to-day.
• Amazon Alexa - Alexa is an AI-powered virtual assistant that connects your world using voice commands.
• HospoIQ - HospoIQ provides real-time, historical and predictive sales, wage cost and financial information.
• Aider - a digital assistant for your business that has all the answers you need to make data-led decisions (We think Aider is the best, not that we’re biased. We built Aider to help small businesses succeed!)  

Want to find out more about how Aider can help you automate your business future? Sign up for a free trial of Aider today!