A few days after Rosa discovered that her new website was already doing several jobs automatically, she sent Eric from support one more question.
Okay. I understand what automation is now. But if I want to start doing more of this on purpose, what should I automate first?
Eric’s longer email arrived the next morning.
What did you do for the business yesterday?
Rosa frowned at the screen.
That was his longer email?
She wrote back.
Made candles. Packed two orders. Answered three customer emails. Worked on an article. Checked stock. Ordered more jars. Took two boxes to the post office.
Eric replied:
Which of those things do you do pretty much the same way every time?
Rosa went through the list again.
Customer emails depended on what people wanted. Articles certainly weren’t the same every time. Even ordering jars changed depending on how many she needed and what she was making.
Shipping was pretty close.
Every time somebody bought a candle, Rosa packed it, copied the customer’s address into the shipping website, paid for postage, printed the label and mailed the box.
Afterward she marked the order Shipped, and the website emailed the customer.
She wrote:
Shipping. I keep copying the address from the order into the shipping site. Can that part be automatic too?
Eric checked her account.
Your shop already includes shipping labels. Open the order and click Create shipping label. The customer’s address should already be there.
Rosa opened yesterday’s order.
Create shipping label
She clicked it.
Name. Address. Package. Postage.
A few clicks later the label was ready to print.
“Seriously?”
She had been copying addresses by hand.
Eric sent another message.
Anything else you keep doing over and over?
Rosa laughed.
Not unless you can remind me to send twelve candles to a spa every month.
A second later:
You mean a subscription?
Rosa stopped.
You mean I don’t have to remember—or more likely accidentally notice it on my calendar every month?
That’s the idea.
Can my website do that too?
Not with what you have now. Shipping labels are already included with your shop. For subscriptions, you’d need to add a service that handles recurring orders and payments.
Paid?
The one that works with your shop is. There’s a little more setup too. You install it, connect it to your checkout, choose what people can subscribe to and set how often the order repeats.
Eric sent her the link.
Rosa opened it and found the monthly price.
“Of course.”
She glanced at 12 unscented — Willow Spa on her calendar, then back at the price.
“Fine.”
Would this only work for Willow Spa?
No. You can put a subscription option on the product page. Anyone who wants the same order regularly could use it.
Rosa looked at the monthly price again.
“Huh. You might actually earn your keep.”
Thanks, Eric. I think that’s enough for one morning.
Probably.
Rosa installed the add-on and connected it to her checkout.
She opened her website again. Beside the order button were now two choices:
Buy once
Subscribe
She sent the link to Willow Spa.
A few minutes later:
Perfect. Signed up. One less thing for both of us to remember.
Rosa deleted 12 unscented — Willow Spa from next month’s calendar.
“That felt good.”
Three Cedar & Orange candles
Rosa was putting candles away when she noticed she only had three Cedar & Orange left.
She opened the shop.
Cedar & Orange Candle — 3 in stock
Underneath it was a setting she had never noticed.
Low-stock notification
Rosa opened it.
Notify me when stock reaches:
She typed: 3
That was it.
The next time Cedar & Orange dropped to three, the website could bother remembering for her.
“Good.”
“I just answered this”
That week Rosa got another email.
How long does shipping usually take?
She answered it.
The next day:
Do you make unscented candles?
She answered that too.
Then:
How long does shipping take?
Rosa stared at the screen.
“I just answered this.”
She searched the website company’s help center for ways to answer common questions automatically.
The company had an FAQ.
Rosa had just used it to find the answer to her own question.
“That’s exactly what I need.”
She went back to her site and made one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does shipping take?
Do you make unscented candles?
How should I trim the wick?
What should I do the first time I burn a candle?
Then she added a line above the contact form:
Have a quick question? Check the FAQ first. Your answer may already be there.
“Maybe now I won’t have to answer the same question so many times.”
Forty wedding candles
A few days later Rosa received another message.
Hi. I’m getting married in October. Would you be able to make forty small unscented candles for the tables?
Rosa sat up.
“Forty?”
She needed the date. What size candles? Labels? All one color? And how were they getting them?
Rosa started writing back.
An order notification popped up in the corner of her screen.
One Cedar & Orange candle.
She finished her reply, packed the candle and opened the order.
Create shipping label
Click. Print. Done.
Then another notification appeared.
Low stock: Cedar & Orange
“Tomorrow.”
She added a batch to her candle-making list and went back to the wedding email.
“Yep. Automation is great.”
She looked at the message again.
“Now, back to these wedding candles.”
October 17. Forty small unscented candles. Ivory, if possible.
Rosa opened her calculator.
“Okay. Let’s see if I can do forty.”