James Carter
The Problem With Starting Everywhere
Most agency founders approach automation the same way: they have a list of 20 things they want to automate and no idea where to start. So they either start everywhere at once and finish nothing, or they pick the flashiest use case and build something no one uses.
The better approach is to start where pain is highest and repetition is most frequent. These five automations solve both.
1. Lead Intake and Qualification
Every inbound lead should be automatically enriched, scored, and routed before a human ever looks at it. Connect your form to an enrichment tool like Apollo or Clearbit, run a scoring logic via Make.com, and push qualified leads directly into your CRM with a Slack notification.
Time saved: 2 to 3 hours per day for early-stage agencies.
2. Client Onboarding
Onboarding is the same process every single time. A new client is won, and suddenly someone is manually sending welcome emails, creating Notion workspaces, scheduling kickoff calls, and chasing signatures.
Automate the entire sequence. Trigger it the moment a deal is marked closed-won in your CRM. The client feels the experience. You feel the relief.
3. Weekly Reporting
If your team is manually pulling numbers from ad platforms, analytics tools, and project trackers every week, you are burning high-value time on zero-value work. Build a reporting pipeline that pulls, formats, and delivers reports automatically every Friday morning.
4. Internal Task Routing
When a client submits a request, revision, or support ticket, it should be automatically categorised, assigned to the right person, and logged in your project management tool. No Slack messages asking who is handling what.
5. Invoice and Payment Follow-Up
Chasing invoices is one of the most demoralising tasks in agency life. Automate payment reminders at 3, 7, and 14 days overdue. Add a final escalation step that flags the account for human follow-up only when necessary.
Start Here, Then Expand
These five automations do not require advanced AI. They require clear processes and the willingness to build them properly. Once they are running, you will have the headspace and the evidence to tackle more complex use cases with confidence.
