‘Automation frees up time to do what gives you energy’

Automation? That's a great idea for every entrepreneur. Because with the right tools, you can streamline processes, prevent errors, and spend more time on what truly matters: entrepreneurship! 

'I am Jonne Daamen, Technical Account Manager at bol. Simply put, I collaborate with many companies that provide software, services, and tools. These tools help partners make their selling process easier and more efficient. I ensure that the apps and services are as relevant and effective as possible for our partners.'

'Automation takes over manual tasks for you using software. This frees up your time to do what gives you energy. Take, for example, the creation of VAT invoices. Instead of manually creating an invoice every time, a tool can do this automatically for you with every order. This not only saves time but also ensures you make fewer errors. You can also think about stock management. Suppose you sell items both via your own website and via bol. If an item is sold on your own website, you naturally want to immediately inform bol that your stock has decreased. You can do this manually, but it takes a considerable amount of time, and it's prone to errors. With an automated tool, your stock is automatically updated, and you won't have to worry about it anymore.'

'Automation equals growth and scalability. It allows entrepreneurs to process more orders without having to do more manual work. Of course, you can hire more staff, but that's a big investment. And software is much more scalable than people. Smart technologies can make tasks like preparing shipping labels much easier. For example, if you need to ship an item, the software can automatically prepare the correct shipping labels. You no longer have to manually check which item goes to which address and which shipping label is the cheapest. This saves time and reduces the chance of errors.'

'Actually, right from the start. Automation doesn't have to be complicated or expensive at all. The costs for automation are no longer as high as they used to be. Even with a small budget, you can already benefit from automated solutions. For a few tens of euros a month, you can automatically create VAT invoices, or have your prices automatically adjusted based on what your competitors are doing. It's an investment that pays for itself when you consider time and efficiency.'

'Certainly! A great example is Parfumdeo.nl, which has been working with Picqer's warehouse software since 2019. Picqer has easily automated all processes in their warehouse, significantly reducing errors and saving a lot of money. They can also handle many more orders now. Whereas they used to spend all day on 100 parcels, they now laugh at that, and someone can handle at least double that in less time.

Another example is Habitas, a kitchenware store that discovered EffectConnect's repricer tool. They have over 13,000 items in their product range, so manually adjusting and improving prices was no longer an option. EffectConnect's tool now automatically improves Habitas' prices, saving them a lot of time. They also more frequently secure a buy box with profitable prices.’

Jonne also visited The Go-Getters of bol at online home and garden specialist Hermie. The Go-Getters help partners lighten the load during peak times, and Jonne immediately provides advice on automation. At Hermie, they especially needed tips to reduce returns. They already use Channelengine, which allows them to scalably improve their content, such as item descriptions and dimensions.