Why Success Cannot be Automated

10/09/09 posted by Michael Sharkey

I was once a big believer in automating every possible business process no matter how complex or challenging that automation may be. Automation reduces costs, increases revenue and to be frank, is the biggest secret to a successful online business.

My opinion recently changed when working on an e-commerce project. No matter how challenging the task, our development team would find a solution to turn actions into processes and processes into automation. But something was missing from our marketing that could not be automated, people.

People are just as vital to a successful business as they ever have been. One of the biggest misconceptions and problems for businesses that turn to the web is the lack of people power from their digital strategy. People create value, people blog and tweet, people merchandise and people provide the kind of customer touch points we all have come to expect.

Every successful online business needs a driving force, a heart. Set and forget just doesn’t cut it anymore with evolving search engines and smarter online consumers.

I’m still very much an automation kind of guy, but try not to forget why you visit the sites you do.