For small teams, providing top-notch customer support can often feel like a high-wire act. Limited resources, increasing customer expectations, and the need for speedy resolutions create a constant challenge.
This brings us to a crucial question: should small teams automate their customer support workflows to ease the load and enhance efficiency?
Automation offers exciting opportunities, but it also raises concerns about losing the human touch that makes customer interactions special. What’s the right balance? Our experts will dive into this topic in this week’s edition of Let’s Talk.
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Derek Laney, Technology Evangelist, Salesforce ANZ
“For SMBs, automation has always been a superpower, enabling small teams to achieve big goals. Technology platforms have inspired a new wave of entrepreneurs to start their own ventures, while AI integration allows small teams to enhance quality, scale faster, and deliver exceptional customer experiences previously reserved for larger enterprises.
“Autonomous agents empower SMBs to deploy task-based digital workers for routine tasks like tracking orders or managing returns, freeing human workers to focus on complex customer issues, relationship building, or product innovation. In fact, 62% of SMB desk workers believe AI could help them serve customers better.
“Envato is an example of how automation can transform productivity. By leveraging AI-powered tools in Slack, Envato has achieved a 40 per cent reduction in direct employee IT support requests following the integration of an AI-powered bot.
“Implementing AI doesn’t have to be daunting. Start by identifying repetitive tasks and exploring tools that align with your business needs, such as customer support or onboarding. AI agents can be customised with workflows and guardrails to escalate tasks to humans when necessary.
“Automation unlocks untapped opportunities, making scalable, efficient solutions accessible for SMBs while building trust and driving growth, all in the places work happens.”
John Deeb, ANZ Country Manager at Workato
“With AI, workflow automation has become more intelligent, handling tasks like data extraction, automated decision-making, and forecasting potential issues; all of which are beneficial when managing customer support and improving the overall quality of service provided by a business or team. By decreasing the team’s workload, this allows smaller teams to focus on complex issues – enhancing productivity.
“In terms of customer service, automation integrates with CRM systems for personalised interactions and provides valuable analytics for performance tracking. Chatbots are able to handle initial queries, answer common questions and direct users to the relevant resources automatically. Teams have visibility over a customer’s request and are able to track the progress of the ticket to ensure customers receive a solution for their queries, or step in if complex.
“By streamlining processes and improving customer satisfaction, automation helps small teams deliver high-quality support with limited resources; as such, it is imperative that businesses begin empowering smaller teams to automate as automating workflows is not the future, it is the present.”
Shaye Thyer, Founder and Consulting CFO at Pallas
“Absolutely—automation is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a game-changer for small teams. For women-led businesses, particularly those balancing the demands of scaling with limited resources, automating customer support workflows can reduce mental load, free up precious time, and improve the customer experience.
“It’s not about replacing the human touch, but enhancing it.
“Tools like chatbots, automated ticketing systems, and AI-driven email triage can handle repetitive queries and route customers to the right solutions faster. This allows small teams to focus on the higher-value, relationship-building aspects of customer support that truly set a business apart.
“For many women entrepreneurs, automating customer support is an act of reclaiming time and boundaries; creating systems that work for them. Automation empowers small teams to deliver consistent, high-quality service without the burnout that often comes with trying to do everything manually.
“However, automation must be intentional. It’s crucial to design workflows that align with brand values and customer expectations. The goal is to provide customers with faster, more effective solutions while preserving the warmth and empathy that small businesses are known for.
“When done right, automation is not a compromise—it’s an investment in your team, your customers, and your capacity to grow sustainably.”
Matt Purcell, Founder and Creative Director, KYU Media & Co-Founder, The Business Academy
“Here’s the truth: if you’re not automating, you’re losing time and resources. For small teams, that’s a luxury you can’t afford. Automation is a necessity, not just for big businesses. Using CRM automation, you can answer customer inquiries instantly, and customers expect immediate responses. If you don’t provide quick answers, they’ll find someone who will. Automation handles common questions 24/7, ensuring fast, accurate answers.
“Tools like Zendesk and Intercom use automated ticket systems and chatbots to manage high volumes of inquiries, freeing your team for more complex issues. Zapier connects apps and automates tasks like creating support tickets or updating CRM data, saving time. Automation doesn’t replace your team—it amplifies their impact by handling repetitive tasks.
“Instead of wasting time, your team can focus on what moves the business forward. Invest in automation to scale faster and meet your customers’ need for speed.”
Joanne Pagett, Executive Strategy Coach, Joanne Does Strategy
“Yes & NO – and definitely NOT at the expense of human connection!
“Automating customer support workflows can be a game-changer. Staff handling high volumes of inquiries can quickly become overwhelmed. Automation offers a scalable solution, enabling small teams to deliver timely and consistent support while focusing on other important tasks that require human connection – however it MUST enhance not detract from, customer relationships.
“Chatbots and self-service portals handle repetitive tasks like FAQs or order tracking, freeing up team members for more complex and personalised queries. This improves efficiency, ensuring customers receive immediate responses, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty. However, automation should complement, not replace human interaction. Customers value a personalised service, especially for nuanced or sensitive issues. It is critical for the company’s success to strike the right balance between automation and human touch. Small teams should focus on automating repetitive tasks while preserving human resources for strategic and high-value interactions.
“Cost-effectiveness is also key. Today’s automation tools are increasingly affordable and easy to implement, making them accessible even to startups. When deployed thoughtfully, they streamline operations, reduce costs, AND enhance the customer experience.”
Satish Barot, Co-Founder and CTO of Klearcom
“Small teams can greatly benefit from automating customer support workflows. Automation enables small teams to handle repetitive tasks like routing tickets, responding to common queries, and managing customer interactions efficiently. This allows them to focus their limited resources on more complex or high-value issues that require a personal touch.
“At Klearcom, we’ve seen how automation empowers teams to scale without compromising service quality. By leveraging tools like AI-driven chatbots or automated IVR systems, small teams can reduce response times, improve accuracy, and enhance the overall customer experience.
“However, automation must be implemented thoughtfully. It should complement human support, not replace it. Prioritizing a balance between efficiency and personalization ensures that customers feel valued and supported, even when automation is in play.
“For small teams, automation isn’t just a convenience—it’s a strategic advantage that enables them to deliver exceptional service while managing their resources effectively.”
Anton Onufriienko, Head of Business Unit at Devart
“I strongly advocate for automating processes when this approach brings practical value: if the investment pays off within a year, automation is worth pursuing. The best way to evaluate the need for automation is to check the balance between the resources required and the time saved.
“Another consideration is whether customer support interactions are the user’s first touchpoint with your product team. The quality, personalization, and expertise of the responses significantly shape the user’s experience with your company. So, make sure you aren’t sacrificing quality for the sake of reducing costs or speeding up responses, especially during the startup phase.
“For example, we reduced the average time spent per ticket by our L1 Support Team by 47% with a chatbot trained on our documentation and ticket history. The chatbot prepares responses for most inquiries, which team members validate before using. This approach delivered ROI within six weeks while maintaining high response quality.
“To wrap it up, automation can be a powerful tool for improving support efficiency and response speed. Yet, make sure you assess its cost, savings, and impact on the quality of customer interactions before you make a final decision.”
Hassan Ghiassi, Chief Sales Officer at Knots
“Small teams often struggle to deliver excellent customer support with limited resources. Automation offers a game-changing solution by handling repetitive tasks such as processing unstructured data, data entry, and responding to common requests. This enables agents to focus on high-value interactions that foster customer trust and satisfaction.
“With the tools Knots.io provides, teams can automate critical workflows—classifying tickets, merging related ones, enriching ticket fields with data from attachments or external systems, and more. Our no-code apps are quick to deploy, enabling small teams to scale without added costs.
“By automating support workflows, small businesses can reduce response times, minimize errors, and consistently deliver fast, reliable service. For small teams, automation isn’t just a luxury—it’s essential for staying competitive in today’s fast-paced market.”
Annette Densham, Awards Writer and Storyteller
“It’s a fine balance between automation and that personal touch. People work with small businesses because they want to feel like they’re not a cog in the wheel, that they matter to you and they’re not just a transaction or a name on your database.
“If you automate too much, that personal connection is dissipated. Systems, processes and automation should never come before making your clients or customers feel like they matter to you. But it’s also vital, as a small team, that everyone has space and time to focus on the work they’re good at. Hence the balancing act between personalised service and convenience for your team.
“Far too many businesses are outsourcing customer experience to scripted communication. Even though there’s lots of great automation programs out there, you can tell, as a client, when you’re getting something that’s automated and when a human being has taken the time to interact with you.
“I once worked with an organisation where systems and processes were the main driver in the business and the heart and soul behind client interactions took second place. Client interactions and experience should always come first.
“Automate to the point where those tedious every day tasks are taken care of. But never forget that in this age of AI, apps and formulated communications, that people want to know you care. Weave personal touch points into your automation. It’s harder, not impossible, to build know, like and trust into automation.
“Automate repetitive, time-consuming, and error-prone tasks can free up your team for high-value, strategic, and creative work–those clients facing touch points.
“Automations for admin tasks like scheduling meetings, sending reminders, basic data entry, document approvals are helpful. As is customer service and support for common queries and FAQs for consistency. You can also automate email campaigns, lead nurturing sequences, social media scheduling, follow-ups to keep engagement consistent, reduces manual follow-ups, and improves conversion rates. If numbers and reporting aren’t your strengths, automating data management, invoice generation, expense tracking, payroll processing, and financial reporting are time savers.”
Steve Jaenke, Founder & CEO, Digimark
“Absolutely. For small teams with limited resources, automation is a powerful way to improve efficiency and focus on what matters most—providing excellent customer experiences. By automating repetitive tasks like ticket routing, FAQ responses, and follow-up emails, teams can save time and prioritize complex issues requiring human expertise.
“AI-powered tools like chatbots can handle common inquiries instantly while ensuring seamless handoffs to human agents when necessary. This creates a balanced approach, enhancing efficiency without sacrificing the personal touch that customers value.
“The key is starting small. Identify bottlenecks in your current workflows and automate those first. This approach allows you to test, refine, and scale your efforts as your business grows. Remember, automation isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about empowering your team to deliver better, faster support while creating a scalable foundation for growth.
“For small teams, automating customer support workflows is not just practical—it’s essential for staying competitive and delighting customers.”
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