3 Automation Tools That Can Ease the Burden for Homepreneurs

For many people, working from home on your own business may seem like a dream. This is perhaps why a survey from the U.S. Career Institute found that up to 95% of respondents want this setup. After all, on paper, this reads like you’re fully in control of your own time, space, and entrepreneurial efforts. In reality, though, being a homepreneur can be much more complicated.

As we’ve previously discussed in our article called Twelve Hidden Reasons Why Working From Home Is NOT Productive For Most People , working from home can actually be very unproductive. This is largely due to blurred work-life boundaries that see home-based professionals working longer hours, cutting down on socialization, and putting wellness efforts on the back burner. Additionally, being a small business owner means you often have to wear many hats due to limited resources. Consequently, up to 42% have said they’ve experienced burnout in a recent Forbes survey. This has led many to feel like their mental well-being is dipping.

Thankfully, one emerging solution to this is automation. Because this can streamline tasks without compromising quality, it can help improve productivity and profitability. Among small business owners who can only invest in select technologies, here are a few of the most relevant automation tools to consider:

Automated billing software

During this year’s National Small Business Week, reports found that securing payments was a top concern among most owners. This is because cash flow tends to be more sensitive in modest operations. As a homepreneur, this can be even trickier, as working with clients remotely heightens the risk of late payments. This is where automation makes all the difference. One of the most relevant online tools today is the consumption billing software from SOFTRAX. Designed to work by charging clients based on their usage of a product or service, this billing model is great for small businesses because it’s flexible, scalable, and provides clients with better cost control. With the software, it automatically calculates each client’s consumption, sends them the bill, and charges them through your agreed-upon payment platform when the pre-determined billing period arrives. As such, you can expect that your services are compensated correctly and regularly without taking time out of your day to chase down customers.

Cloud-based payroll platform

Small businesses employ up to 60 million Americans. Given this, it’s safe to assume that many homepreneurs have their own teams, whether comprised of full-timers, part-timers, or per-project talents. While employees are crucial to ensuring that you’re getting everything done, working out payments in a fair and timely fashion can be a stressful addition to your workload. This is especially true if you’re all working remotely and if you have employees who are based abroad. Such is the concern that cloud-based payroll providers like Blue Bison are targeting. Through their online platform, employers can enroll their employees, plug in rates, and then have the software automatically apply necessary considerations before sending out salaries. These considerations include taxes and wage requirements. With this, you’re not only ensuring your staff is paid properly, but you’re also abiding by any local regulations and compliances.

AI-powered chatbots

Speedy responses are a huge deciding factor for most online customers. In fact, a 2024 Help Scout post noted that 90% of people online expected “immediate responses.” For 60% of these respondents, “immediate” was defined as 10 minutes or less. Unfortunately, as a homepreneur, it’s easy to fall behind on customer replies. Considering that your business can receive millions of visitors a day, it’s nearly impossible for you to get through them all efficiently, even with a team. The good news is that automation has made speedy replies possible with artificial intelligence (AI). For reference, several brands now use the generative AI-powered ON chatbot. Using machine learning, it can learn about a business’s offerings, history, culture, branding, and even tone of voice. With this knowledge, it can then be programmed to automatically respond to customer queries. Because it’s not just working off set replies, it provides clients with nuanced answers that they’ll appreciate. This will help free up your time to then care for more pressing tasks at home or at work.