The 5 automations every small business should set up this week
Five Zapier automations that take under an hour to set up and will save you hours every week.
Automation is not complicated. You do not need a developer, a technical background, or a large budget. Zapier connects your existing tools together and triggers actions automatically. Most small businesses are sitting on hundreds of hours per year of easily automatable work.
Here are five automations every small UK business should have running. Each one takes under an hour to set up. Each one pays for itself within a week.
Automation 1: New contact form submission creates a task and sends an acknowledgement
The problem: Someone fills in your contact form. It goes to your email inbox. You see it hours later, or tomorrow, or when you happen to check. Meanwhile the lead has enquired with three other businesses and one of them has already replied.
The automation:
Trigger: New form submission (via Typeform, Tally, or your website contact form, connected to Zapier).
Action 1: Create a task in Todoist, Asana, or Notion: "Follow up with [name] re: [their enquiry topic]. Email: [their email]. Phone: [their phone number]." Assign it to the relevant person. Due date: today.
Action 2: Send an acknowledgement email to the enquirer: "Hi [name], thanks for getting in touch. We have received your message and someone from our team will be in touch within [your standard timeframe]. In the meantime, you can call us on [number] if it is urgent. Thanks, [your name]."
Why it matters: Responding to enquiries within an hour increases conversion rates significantly compared to responding the next day. This automation ensures nothing falls through the cracks and every enquirer feels acknowledged immediately.
How to set it up: In Zapier, search for your form tool as the trigger app and select "New form response." Map the form fields to your task manager and email action. Use Zapier's built-in email step or connect Gmail. Takes 30 minutes.
Automation 2: New invoice sent triggers a calendar reminder to chase if unpaid after 7 days
The problem: You send an invoice, get busy, and forget to chase it when it isn't paid. Thirty days later you notice it sitting overdue and have to do the awkward chasing.
The automation:
Trigger: New invoice sent in Xero, QuickBooks, or FreeAgent.
Action 1: Check invoice status after 7 days. If status is "Paid," stop. If status is still "Sent" or "Overdue," proceed.
Action 2: Create a calendar event in Google Calendar titled "Chase invoice [number] for [client name] - £[amount]" scheduled for today (the day the delay expires).
Action 3 (optional): Send a gentle automated reminder email to the client using the template from your invoice chasing sequence.
Why it matters: Invoices paid on time are the number one cashflow improvement for small businesses. Automation means no invoice ever gets forgotten.
How to set it up: Connect your accounting software as the trigger. Use Zapier's built-in "Delay until" function or "Schedule" feature. Create the calendar event using Google Calendar as the action. This takes 45 minutes the first time.
Automation 3: Job or project marked complete triggers a review request email
The problem: You do great work. Your clients are happy. But getting reviews is awkward to ask for manually, so most businesses either don't ask at all or ask inconsistently and get far fewer reviews than they deserve.
The automation:
Trigger: Job or project status changed to "Complete" in your project management tool (Trello, Asana, Monday.com, or a Google Sheet).
Action 1: Wait 24 hours (you want to give the client time to appreciate the completed work before asking).
Action 2: Send an email to the client:
"Hi [name], it was great working on [project] with you. If you are happy with the outcome, it would mean a lot to us if you could leave a quick Google review. It only takes a minute and really helps other businesses find us. Here is the link: [your Google review link]. Thanks so much, [your name]."
Why it matters: Businesses with more and better Google reviews rank higher in local search results. Every completed job is a review opportunity. Automation captures all of them.
How to set it up: Connect your project tool as the trigger. Add a Delay action in Zapier (24 hours). Send via Gmail. Include a direct link to your Google Business Profile review page (find this in your Google Business Profile settings under "Get more reviews"). Takes 30 minutes.
Automation 4: New social media mention creates a task to respond
The problem: Someone mentions your business on social media. You don't see it for two days. The moment to respond and engage has passed.
The automation:
Trigger: New mention of your brand on Twitter/X, Instagram, or Facebook (use a social listening tool like Mention or Brand24, which both connect to Zapier).
Action: Create a task: "Respond to social mention from [username] on [platform]: '[snippet of their post]'" due today.
Optional action: Send yourself a Slack message or SMS via Twilio so you see it immediately.
Why it matters: Social media rewards responsiveness. Responding to mentions, positive and negative, builds community and demonstrates that a real business is behind the account. A mention that goes unanswered is a missed opportunity at best and a reputation risk at worst.
How to set it up: Sign up for Mention (free plan available) and connect it to Zapier. Set the trigger to "New mention" for your brand name and variations. Route to your task manager. Takes 30 minutes.
Automation 5: Weekly business report compiled automatically and emailed to you
The problem: You want to know how the business is performing but pulling together a weekly report from Google Analytics, your accounting software, and your CRM takes time you don't always have.
The automation:
Trigger: Schedule (every Monday at 8am).
Action 1: Pull last week's data from Google Analytics (website visitors, top pages, goal completions).
Action 2: Pull revenue data from Xero or QuickBooks (invoiced this week, paid this week, outstanding total).
Action 3: Compile into a Google Sheet that updates automatically.
Action 4: Email yourself a summary.
More advanced version: Use Zapier's built-in formatting tools to create a plain-text summary email, or route the data through Claude via Zapier's AI step to write a brief narrative: "Here are last week's highlights and one thing to watch this week."
Why it matters: Decisions made with good data are better than decisions made from gut feel. A weekly numbers summary, delivered automatically before you start your week, takes two minutes to read and keeps you connected to your business performance.
How to set it up: This one takes longer, around 60 to 90 minutes, because it involves more apps. Start with just two data sources (analytics and revenue) and add more over time.
Getting started
You do not need all five automations this week. Pick the one that solves your biggest problem right now and build that one first. Once you see it working, the second one is easier.
Zapier's free plan allows five automations with 100 tasks per month. The Starter plan (from around £19/month) covers most small business needs. The time saved in the first month will cover the cost many times over.
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