In today’s fast-paced business environment, efficiency is everything. Whether you’re managing call center operations, overseeing HR processes, or scaling a development team, time-consuming manual tasks can hold back growth and profitability. That’s where automation comes in.
The right automation tools can streamline workflows, social media eliminate repetitive work, and give teams back 20+ hours a week to focus on strategic priorities. For business owners, HR managers, operations leaders, and customer support directors, investing in automation isn’t just a productivity boost—it’s a competitive advantage.
Below, we’ll explore seven powerful automation tools that help modern teams save time, reduce costs, and work smarter.
1. Zapier – Workflow Automation Across Platforms
Best for: Connecting apps and automating repetitive tasks.
Zapier allows businesses to integrate thousands of applications—without writing a single line of code. From syncing customer inquiries to your CRM, to automating payroll updates, Zapier eliminates the need for manual data entry. Companies using Zapier often save hours per week by letting the platform handle the “busywork” in the background.
2. HubSpot – Marketing, Sales, and CRM Automation
Best for: Streamlining lead generation and customer engagement.
HubSpot centralizes marketing, sales, and customer support into one platform. Features like automated lead nurturing, email campaigns, and CRM updates reduce manual workloads for sales and support teams. With automated workflows, businesses can ensure timely follow-ups, increasing conversion rates while freeing up staff to focus on relationship-building.
3. Asana – Project and Task Automation
Best for: Automating project workflows and team collaboration.
Asana is more than just a project management tool—it offers built-in automation to handle recurring tasks, status updates, and project handoffs. Teams can automate reporting, reminders, and approvals, keeping projects moving without constant oversight. This helps leaders maintain visibility and accountability while reducing operational drag.
4. Slack with Workflow Builder – Communication Automation
Best for: Streamlining internal communication and approvals.
Slack’s Workflow Builder automates repetitive communication tasks, such as onboarding reminders, IT requests, or daily stand-up check-ins. By reducing unnecessary email threads and manual pings, teams save time and maintain smoother communication.
5. Freshdesk – Customer Support Automation
Best for: Automating helpdesk and customer service tasks.
Freshdesk enables companies to automate ticket assignment, customer responses, and escalation processes. With features like AI-powered chatbots and automated SLA tracking, customer support teams resolve issues faster while maintaining high service quality—without overloading agents.
6. QuickBooks Online – Finance and Accounting Automation
Best for: Streamlining invoicing, payroll, and expense management.
Manual financial management is not only time-consuming but also error-prone. QuickBooks automates invoicing, recurring billing, expense categorization, and payroll processing. For businesses with lean finance teams, this tool ensures accuracy while saving dozens of hours each month.
7. Calendly – Scheduling and Appointment Automation
Best for: Automating meeting scheduling.
Calendly removes the back-and-forth of scheduling by syncing with calendars and allowing external parties to book available time slots directly. Sales teams, HR recruiters, and customer success managers save significant time coordinating meetings, enabling them to focus on more meaningful work.
The Bigger Picture: Automation + Scalable Staffing
While automation tools can save teams 20+ hours a week, technology alone isn’t enough. To maximize efficiency, businesses need the right people alongside the right tools. That’s where OnCall (OnCallHQ.com) comes in.
OnCall connects companies with vetted professionals—call center agents, developers, accountants, and operations specialists—who are ready to integrate with your workflows. By combining scalable staffing solutions with automation, organizations can achieve:
- Reduced overhead costs
- Faster response times
- Improved operational agility
- Higher customer satisfaction
Case Study: How Monmon Improved Efficiency with OnCall
One of our clients, Monmon, faced challenges scaling their customer operations while managing growing workloads across multiple time zones. Their internal team was spending too much time on repetitive support tasks, leaving little room for strategic initiatives.
By partnering with OnCall, Monmon was able to:
- Deploy vetted call center agents who integrated seamlessly into their customer support workflows.
- Leverage automation tools (Freshdesk + Slack workflows) to handle ticket routing, FAQs, and internal communication.
- Free up 25+ hours per week for their core team, allowing them to focus on improving customer engagement and product development.
As a result, Monmon reduced operational bottlenecks, improved response times , and boosted overall customer satisfaction scores—without increasing headcount costs.
