What's the First Process I Should Automate with AI?

The first process to automate with AI should be one that's repetitive, takes up a lot of the team's time, and has clear rules, like approvals, initial customer service, or data entry. Simple, well-defined processes bring quick results and reduce the risk of error during implementation.

The question of where to start holds back a lot of companies that want to use AI in operations. With so many processes running at once, choosing the wrong one can cause frustration and results below expectations.

In practice, the most common mistake is trying to automate the most complex process first, thinking that's where the biggest gain lies. Complex processes have more exceptions and require more adjustments, which delays results and discourages the team.

Signs a process is a good starting point

  • It's repetitive and happens several times a week
  • It follows clear rules, with few manual exceptions
  • It consumes disproportionate team time relative to the value it generates
  • It currently depends on spreadsheets, email, or WhatsApp with no tracking
  • It has a visible impact when solved, like reduced response time

Examples of processes that tend to be good starting points

  • Accounts payable approval, with limits by value and cost center
  • Initial customer service triage via WhatsApp or email
  • Registering and extracting data from documents, like invoices and contracts
  • Initial lead qualification before reaching the sales team
  • Opening and tracking internal support tickets

How to validate whether the chosen process is ready for automation

  • Map the current step-by-step process, from start to finish, without skipping steps
  • Identify who currently executes each part of the process manually
  • Confirm that the decision rules are clear enough to become automation
  • Set a success metric before starting, like average response time
  • Treat the first process as a pilot, before expanding to others

Jestor helps turn this first process into an automated workflow quickly:

  • Jestor offers more than 400 ready-to-configure native automations
  • Jestor's AI App Builder creates the process by describing it in text, with no code
  • Clients report replacing up to 19 spreadsheets with workflows on Jestor
  • Operational efficiency rose by about 35% at companies that adopted the platform

Frequently asked questions

Can automating the wrong process hurt the operation? It can cause frustration and delays, which is why simple, repetitive processes are the most recommended starting point.

Do I need to automate everything at once? No, it's best to start with a pilot process and track results at jestor.com.

How do I know if the automation worked? Compare the metric you defined beforehand, like response time, with the result after a few months of use.

Carefully choosing the first process to automate with AI is what determines whether the project gains or loses traction within the company.

Get to know Jestor

With Jestor, you can automate workflows, connect departments, and build internal systems your way, all without code and with AI support. Get to know Jestor at jestor.com and discover how to take your company's management to a new level of efficiency and integration.

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