Which task first? Start with the one that is frequent, rule-based and easy to undo.

Five questions to put to each candidate

Run every task you are tempted to hand over through the same five questions. A task that scores well on all five makes a strong first candidate for automation.

1. How often does it happen? A task performed twice a month is rarely worth building a system around, and one performed every single day usually is.
2. What does it cost today? Multiply the number of people by the hours they spend by what an hour costs. The calculator does the arithmetic and shows the break-even hours.
3. Does it follow rules, or does it need judgment? Rules can be written down and tested, while judgment stays with a person. Our systems stop and hand over for complaints, legal language, large accounts, and money questions outside your limits.
4. What happens when it goes wrong? A late reply can be recovered but a wrong refund cannot be, so we always start with the first kind.
5. Is the data there? A system answers from your knowledge base, your order data or your price list. If none of that information is written down anywhere, writing it down is the first job, and the job falls to you.

The nine tasks we take

Five kinds of task we turn down

• Anything that moves money out of your business: refunds, credit notes, payouts, transfers and chargeback replies.
• Signing a contract on your behalf or placing a trade.
• Deciding a complaint, a legal matter, or the fate of a high-value account.
• Messaging people who never agreed to hear from you.
• Any job where a single mistake would be a disaster and no person checks the result.