Excel Automation – Plain English, Please!

When I introduce our company to new clients, I tell them that we specialise in data analysis, Excel dashboards, Excel automation, and more. When I get to the phrase “Excel Automation” I often see a puzzled look on people’s faces. They don’t seem to understand what I mean by this.

What is Automation?

If you look at the manufacturing sector, you’ll see how technology has been used to automate a lot of monotonous routine processes. Take a car assembly line – there is a precise sequence of steps followed for the creation of each model. This allowed engineers to create an algorithm that repeats the steps an infinite number of times. We can even have some variations. For instance, if we fill the paint tank with different coloured paint, we will have cars with different colours even though the assembly line will still have performed the exact same steps.

So, what is Excel Automation?

It is the same in Excel. If you find that you are going through the same process again and again, why not automate it? For example, let’s say that at the end of each week you receive a data download from your main database, CRM or some other source. You need to extract the data for your region (or perhaps your department, product or other variable), then calculate certain statistics and trends, produce charts, save as PDF and email to a list of key clients (or perhaps staff or stakeholders).

This process is a perfect candidate for automation in Excel. As the task has the same repeated steps, it is easy to create an algorithm that automates the process. Once created, you only need to click a button to activate the process. You can even add variations to the automation. Before running the process, you may display a form which can allow a user to select a period, region, product etc. This automation will eliminate mistakes, save time and free you to focus on the core work you perform as an accountant, data analyst, manager, or anyone else.

Automation Can Help Everyone!

We have worked with many clients to help them automate repetitive tasks, saving their staff time and eliminating human errors. We helped an NHS trust to automate sending induction letters to a hundred inductees at a time with personalised induction schedules. We saved hours of work for a tutoring company by automating the creation of monthly schedules, producing monthly invoicing, reading payment information from bank downloads and reconciling client’s balances and sending invoices to clients via emails.

Ready to start automating your Excel reports? Contact us now to discuss your needs.

Looking to learn Excel? We also offer Excel training to anyone ranging from total beginners to advanced users.