Have you ever found yourself doing the same thing in your business, over and over, knowing deep down, “This should not need my brain”? I have. Years ago, I remember manually copying Instagram stats every Monday morning—opening tabs, updating a Google Sheet, waiting for the page to load, trying to ignore the pile of “urgent” emails pinging in. Then, one day, I asked that little voice in my head: what if a bot could take this over for me? That moment changed how I looked at my entire workflow. Not everything is made for automation, but plenty of tasks scream, “Give this to a reliable bot!” The trick is knowing how to spot those golden candidates before your eyes glaze over yet another spreadsheet. Identifying the Best Automation Candidates in Your Business Here’s the honest truth: not every business process is ready for automation. Some tasks need that human touch. But if you know what to look for, you can spot jobs that a bot will handle (almost) perfectly—turning your daily grind into a smooth, reliable routine. In all my years building automations—from marketing to order management and everything in between—I’ve noticed a few clear signs that a task is a “reliable bot” candidate: It’s repetitive The rules don’t change much It’s prone to human error It slows things down when delayed Sound familiar? If you picture yourself or your team getting stuck on the same step over and over, you’re in the right zone. Here’s how to spot a good automation candidate in your business: walk your workflow step-by-step and highlight every spot where all you’re doing is moving data, sending reminders, or updating statuses. Nine times out of ten, that’s where automation brings big, reliable wins. BUSINESS REALITY CHECK The best automations aren’t about fancy AI. They’re about solving boring, draining problems that slow down real work. If something drains team morale and customers don’t notice when a human does it, that’s a perfect place to try a bot. What Makes an Automation “Reliable”? Let’s be honest. Some automations sound great on paper and then flop in real life. The difference between a reliable bot and a risky one comes down to a few simple criteria: Clear, consistent rules (no guesswork required) High volume or frequency (think daily, weekly, or hundreds at a time) Accessible data (can your bot “see” everything it needs?) Measurable outputs (it’s obvious when it worked or failed) When I first started automating approvals and reminders, I’d sometimes get fancy—automating tasks that needed judgment or context. Guess what? Those bots failed, and I’d be cleaning up after them. Now, I stick with processes I can map out on a napkin. If you can write the rules clearly, your bot is likely to deliver. Here’s how to apply this: before you automate, write out the process in plain English. If there’s lots of “if this, but maybe that unless…”—park that one for later. AUTOMATION READINESS CHECKLIST: ⚡ Is the process clearly defined and documented? ⚡ Are all required inputs digital and reachable? ⚡ Would failure be obvious—can you check the output fast? Examples of Reliable Automation Across Business Operations Let’s ground this with some real-world Sparkles-style workflows that have become “set-and-forget” reliable bots in my operations: THE PROBLEM: Manual Instagram stats tracking Missed content approval reminders Order follow-ups forgotten THE SOLUTION: Automating social metrics updates, sending automatic approval nudges, and following up with customers about delayed or shipped orders. These bots run quietly and accurately—no human memory needed. The “IG Engagement Weekly” automation pulls actual Instagram stats each week and drops them into Google Sheets—no more Monday scramble. I’ve used automated approval reminder emails to nudge the right person whenever a job gets stuck, turning a slow bottleneck into a smooth pipeline. And when customers need a follow-up about a backorder or recent shipment? Bots send tailored, on-brand emails with customer info pulled straight from ShipStation—saving hours and sparing me from forgetting someone important.
"When I first replaced our weekly stats manual copy-paste ritual with a bot, the relief was instant. One less thing to worry about—and I haven’t missed a number since." Common Pitfalls (and Lessons Learned the Hard Way) I’d love to say all my automations worked perfectly from day one, but that would be a lie. Early on, I tried automating tasks with fuzzy rules or missing info. The result? Bots that got stuck, sent half-finished emails, or missed deadlines completely. Here’s the lesson: don’t automate what isn’t clean or predictable. Stay away from processes with lots of exceptions Test with a small batch first—catch weird edge cases Make sure you can see and check the bot’s output easily For example, I tried letting a bot approve marketing content where approvers sometimes changed their mind mid-process. Chaos! But with processes like metrics collection, reminders, or backorder notifications, a bot truly shines—because the rules stay the same and results are obvious. BEFORE AUTOMATION Endless manual reminders, stale data, missed follow-ups, and frustrated team members. DURING IMPLEMENTATION Testing with real data, refining each step, and catching hiccups before going all-in. AFTER AUTOMATION Consistent follow-up, real-time reports, and a team free to work on higher-value tasks.
How to Evaluate Your Own Processes for Automation You don’t need to overhaul your whole operation to get started. My advice? Start by walking through a single daily or weekly process that makes you sigh. Map out every step. Look for: Repetition and predictability (score: high = great candidate) Lots of manual “copy-paste” steps (great for bots) Risk if delayed or forgotten (bots never forget reminders) Outputs you can check in one place (transparency is key) Bring in your team and ask where they lose time or make mistakes. That’s your automation goldmine. Start small, automate one step, test, and build from there. READY TO GET STARTED? FIRST STEPS: Pick one repetitive task that frustrates you Write out every step in plain English Check if the rules stay the same every time LONG-TERM PLAN: Automate reporting, approvals, or follow-ups first Expand to more teams and processes as you gain confidence Reliable bots aren’t about replacing people—they’re about giving your team back their time and sanity. If you can spot just one or two good candidates and automate them well, you’ll feel the difference. I’ve been there, I’ve made the mistakes, and if I can automate these headaches, I promise: so can you.