IT automation software — because humans don’t have superpowers.
Ever wish there were more hours in the day? And humans had more hands to work with? And the brain functioned more like an invincible supercomputer? Also, telepathy?
This fantasy typically comes to mind amid various looming deadlines, a stack of new projects in the pipeline, quality control issues, playing phone tag with clients, and team miscommunications.
Luckily, IT automation software can help solve all these issues and more — no cape required.
What is IT automation software, and how can it help keep your workflows and schedules under control? Let’s find out and check out our top software picks along the way.
What is IT automation software?
IT automation is replacing manual or cognitive repetitive tasks with automated software and systems to reduce human intervention in organizational processes. IT automation software is the computer app, program, or tool used for this process.
A series of activities, or “chain reactions,” are programmed to occur in response to a trigger within the organization, like a domino effect. The result is the performance of a routine task without any human involvement.
Take, for example, a complex workflow where a single email received — pending the sender or message context — can trigger a wide range of actions across organizational departments.
Common functions of IT automation software include:
- Workload automation
- Business process automation
- Batch process automation
- Robotic process automation (RPA)
- Infrastructure automation
- Security automation
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Integrations are critical to the IT automation process. In the example above, the automation software must integrate with the email software and other tools in the tech stack to connect the trigger to potential action responses.
The goal is a set-it-and-forget-it system that requires minimal human involvement. The workflow automation should allow you to step away and function even better — faster, more intuitively, with less manual error, and with a higher rate of input/output.
Benefits of IT automation software
Using IT automation software offers a wide range of benefits.
Increased efficiency:
Automated processes streamline the performance of everyday tasks, making systems work like well-oiled machines. This allows the human workforce to focus on more creative and strategic projects while automation handles mundane, repetitive tasks. 38% of marketers report that automation enables them to use their time better.
Saved time:
Automated systems perform tasks far more quickly than if they were performed manually. This spares company time, individual workers' time, and client time.
Boosted output:
Performing routine tasks more quickly with automation creates space in the schedule for an increase in production from what would be possible without automation.
Elimination of human error:
By design, computers are far less prone to mistakes than humans and better capable of large-scale consistency and accuracy across systems. Automation reduces human involvement, decreasing the probability of human errors in your business processes.
Reduced cost:
Automation also lowers operating costs by scaling back human involvement, reducing manual errors, saving time, and boosting efficiency. Thirty percent of small business owners and marketers expect to save between $1,000 and $5,000 over the next 12 months using automation.
Improved security:
Automation involving information sharing requires fewer people to focus on sensitive or private information. Security can be reinforced even further by ensuring that only specific roles are authorized to modify secured workflows and processes without requiring formal permission through the system.
Six top IT automation software tools for small businesses
Here are our top picks for IT automation software tools for small businesses.
1. Motion: Scheduling and project management automation
Motion is a calendar management app that uses artificial intelligence to automate your schedule and manage your day.
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This calendar automation tool integrates with your Google and Outlook Calendars. It syncs schedules, protects private scheduling info, builds daily plans, creates repetitive tasks, balances workloads, keeps due dates in mind, maintains focus, and guards time blocks.
It assigns, schedules, and prioritizes everyday tasks. It helps ensure meetings are scheduled at the most preferred times. It rearranges your daily or weekly schedule to accommodate last-minute additions and incomplete work.
All you have to do is show up, do work, and log off when done.
Key features:
- Intelligent Calendar that produces a customized daily schedule, prioritizes tasks, and creates flexible time blocks
- Meeting Assistant that allows for self-scheduling on a customizable booking page and generates custom email copy for booking meetings
- Project management tools, including project views, notes, attachments, comments, and labels for each project and task
- Workspaces
- Customizable meeting and project templates
- Customizable email and Slack notifications
- Alerts for upcoming deadlines, unbalanced workloads, and virtual meeting reminders
Integrations:
Google Calendar, Zoom, Zapier, Gmail, Microsoft Team, Google Meet, Microsoft Outlook 365
Plan Pricing (billed annually):
- Individual - $19 per month
- Team - $12 per user per month
- 7-day free trial
2. HubSpot: End-to-end organizational automation
HubSpot is a one-stop shop for brands seeking automation and management software for their entire organization. It covers various departments — marketing, operations, sales CRM, customer service, content, and B2B commerce.
Key features:
- Email sequence customization, personalization, and automation
- Workflow automation tools
- Chatbot builder
- Automated Help Desk and ticket routing
- Conversation Intelligence
- HubSpot AI (in public Beta)
- Custom billing automation
- Data quality automation
- Custom programmable automation using JavaScript or Python
Integrations:
1,500+ app integrations
Pricing (billed annually):
- Forever-free plan - includes access to free foundational tools for all hubs
- CRM Suite:
- Starter - starts at $20/month; includes all the Starter plans and Commerce Hub
- Professional - starts at $1,600/month; includes all the Professional plans and Commerce Hub
- Enterprise - starts at $5,000/month; includes all the Enterprise plans and Commerce Hub
- Marketing Hub:
- Starter - starts at $18/month
- Professional - starts at $800/month
- Enterprise - starts at $3,600/month
- Operations Hub:
- Starter - starts at $18/month
- Professional - starts at $720/month
- Enterprise - starts at $2,000/month
- 14-day free trial of Professional or Enterprise plans
- Sales Hub:
- Starter - starts at $18/month
- Professional - starts at $450/month
- Enterprise - starts at $1,500/month
- Service Hub:
- Starter - starts at $18/month
- Professional - starts at $450/month
- Enterprise - starts at $1,200/month
- CMS Hub:
- Starter - starts at $23/month
- Professional - starts at $360/month
- Enterprise - starts at $1,200/month
- 14-day free trial of Professional or Enterprise plans
3. ActiveCampaign: Email and e-commerce marketing automation
ActiveCampaign is a workflow automation tool specializing in marketing, sales, and e-commerce automation.
Connect each phase of the customer journey, from discovery to return client status, using ActiveCampaign’s customization and personalization features supercharged with automation capabilities.
Keep your finger on the pulse, and, like magic, always know how, when, and with what message to reach out to a lead or potential lead, thanks to the CRM informing your marketing efforts.
And with everything automated, there’s less legwork, so your team can focus more on other projects and responsibilities.
Key features:
- Automation recipes
- Email sequence automation and dynamic emails
- Automation map
- Goal and event tracking
- Workflow automation tools
- Automated client updates
- Multi-channel marketing automation
- Customer experience automation tools
Integrations:
900+ integrations
Plan Pricing (billed annually):
- Marketing plans:
- Lite plan - starts at $29/month for one user
- Plus plan - starts at $49/month for three users
- Professional plan - starts at $149/month for five users
- Enterprise plan - contact sales for plan pricing; includes 10 users
- Sales plans:
- Plus - starts at $19/month, billed annually
- Professional - starts at $49/month, billed annually
- Enterprise - contact sales for plan pricing
- Bundle plans:
- Plus - starts at $93/month, billed annually
- Professional - starts at $386/month, billed annually
- Enterprise - contact sales for plan pricing
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
4. Keap: Sales and marketing automation
Keap is a sales and marketing automation solution similar to HubSpot but geared toward small businesses. CRM tools collect lead info, which then can inform automated sales and marketing messaging to those leads to drive conversion.
The Lifestyle Automation framework guides potential customers through the cycle of lead collection, client conversion, and fan creation (lather, rinse, repeat), leveraging automation at every step.
All of Keap’s automation tools and integrations work together seamlessly to make customer acquisition easier, more efficient, and capable of scaling up.
Key features:
- Sales and marketing workflow automation, including automated lead capture, follow-up, and reminders
- Text and email marketing features
- CRM workflow automation
- Advanced automation builder
- Lifestyle Automation framework
- Appointment scheduling features
- Invoicing features
- Pre-built marketing and sales reports
- Sales pipeline analytics
- Automation reporting for tracking and optimizing campaign performance
Integrations:
- 50+ specialized Keap-certified integrations
- Integration with 5,000+ apps through Zapier
Plan Pricing (billed annually):
- Pro - $159 per month for two users and marketing, sales, and workflow automation
- Max - $229 per month for three users and advanced lead optimization, sales tools, and reporting
- Ultimate - $279 per month for three users, advanced marketing tools, and custom user access controls
- Separate one-time fee for required onboarding services applies to all plans
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
5. Zapier: End-to-end integration and automation
Zapier is a no-code tool for building custom automated workflows. You create trigger-and-action pathways called Zaps that tie together apps and programs you likely already have in your tech stack. Zapier integrates with virtually everything.
Connect and automate apps, software, workflows, and processes using Zapier. Decrease the amount of time and manual effort it takes to complete routine tasks and offer scripted responses so you can focus on different projects.
Zapier currently offers AI tools in beta mode, making building and using automated workflows even easier.
Key features:
- Single and multi-step Zap creation, scheduler, and filters
- Webhooks
- Built-in Formatter
- High-level security and data safety features
- Tables, where you can store, manage, and automate data
- Interfaces feature for building customized web pages, forms, and apps (in beta mode)
- Canvas feature for planning, building, and optimizing automated workflows using AI (in alpha mode)
- AI chatbot (in beta mode)
- AI automation features (in beta mode)
Integrations:
6,000+ app integrations
Plan Pricing (billed annually):
- Forever-free plan available with 100 tasks per month and single-step Zaps
- Starter - $19.99 per month, billed annually, for 750 tasks per month and multi-step Zaps
- Professional - $49 per month, billed annually, for 2,000 tasks per month and advanced workflow building using custom branching logic
- Team - $69 per month, billed annually, for 2,000 tasks per month for unlimited users
- Company - contact sales for plan pricing
- 14-day free trial of Professional plan, no credit card required
6. Pipefy: Business process automation
Pipefy is an AI-powered, no-code business process automation software. It connects and automates customized systems across departments, standardizing processes, saving time, reducing human error, and maintaining consistency.
Use pre-built automated process templates, build customized processes, or let Pipefy AI create processes for you. Visibility and orchestration features help you plan, track, and collaborate on all your workflows and processes.
Pipefy’s BPA is adaptable to SMBs and large companies. It can scale as your business grows and changes and develops a need for increased and more complex workflows.
Key features:
- No-code custom workflow automation builder
- Process templates for Customer Service, HR, Finance, CRM, IT, Marketing, and Development
- Shareable forms, fields, and portals
- Customizable reports and dashboards
- Shared Inbox
- Advanced security features
- Pipefy AI (coming soon)
Integrations:
300+ app integrations
Plan Pricing:
- Starter - forever-free plan for up to 10 users, five processes, basic workflow automation, and process templates
- Business - $26 per user per month, billed annually, for unlimited users and processes
- Enterprise - contact sales for plan pricing; includes multiple automations
- Unlimited - contact sales for plan pricing; includes unlimited automation
- Special small business plan - contact sales for fixed plan pricing for companies with 11-200 employees, includes access to all Pipefy features
Automate your workflows and reclaim your schedule with IT automation software
How much more could your team get done using IT automation software?
How much more quality would it add to your deliverables?
How much precious time would be recovered?
Now, imagine reinvesting that time into higher-priority work or projects.
Or, instead of imagining it, try out one of the above automation tools for free and find out definitively.
An AI-powered daily planner is an excellent place to start. Give Motion a whirl for the next seven days, free of charge. Start getting more out of your day!
