This isn't a sales tool. It's a genuine self-assessment. If you answer these questions honestly, you'll know whether automation makes sense for your business right now — and if so, where to start.

Work through each section. Check the boxes that apply to you.

Section 1: Time Investment

How much time do repetitive tasks eat each week?

I spend more than 10 hours per week on manual admin tasks (order processing, inventory updates, customer messages, data entry)
I spend 5–10 hours per week on repetitive admin tasks
I spend less than 5 hours per week on repetitive tasks
I'm not sure — I've never tracked it

Which tasks are you doing manually?

Order processing and shipment tracking updates
Inventory synchronization across platforms (Amazon, Bol.com, Shopify)
Customer message responses (order status, returns, FAQs)
Review request emails
Competitor price monitoring
Reporting and data compilation

Section 2: Business Maturity

How established are your processes?

My processes are consistent — I do the same tasks the same way every day
My processes are mostly consistent but change occasionally when I find a better way
My processes are still evolving — I'm iterating on how I do things

What's your order volume?

More than 100 orders per week
50–100 orders per week
20–50 orders per week
Fewer than 20 orders per week

How many platforms are you selling on?

Two or more platforms (Amazon + Bol.com, or Amazon + Shopify + others)
One platform (Amazon or Bol.com only)

Section 3: Team & Capacity

Who handles admin work right now?

Me (the owner) — I'm doing admin work myself
One to two staff members
A team of 3 or more

What's your team's technical comfort level?

We can figure out new software tools on our own
We need someone to set things up, then we can manage them
We need everything managed and maintained for us

Your Score

5+ boxes checked in Section 1 + consistent processes?

You're a strong candidate for automation. Your time investment is significant enough that automating your top 2–3 workflows will produce measurable results quickly.

Start with: Order processing → Inventory sync → Review request automation

5+ boxes in Section 1 + evolving processes?

You're close, but not quite ready. Document your current processes first, get them stable, then automate. Automating a moving target produces a broken automation.

Start with: Spend 2 weeks documenting your existing workflow before exploring automation tools.

Fewer than 5 boxes in Section 1?

You may not be ready yet. Automation makes most sense when you're spending 10+ hours per week on repetitive tasks. If you're under that threshold, the investment may not pay back fast enough to justify it.

Revisit: When your order volume grows or your time spent on admin increases.

Your Next Workflow to Automate

Based on your checklist answers, here's the highest-ROI starting point:

If you checked "Order processing and shipment tracking updates"

Start here. This is the highest-ROI first automation for most small and medium businesses. An automated order-to-confirmation workflow typically saves 10–16 hours per week and takes 2–4 hours to build.

If you checked "Inventory synchronization across platforms"

Inventory sync is your starting point. Multi-platform sellers who don't have automated inventory sync almost always have stock discrepancies — and Amazon penalties for overselling are costly. This is typically a 4–8 hour build.

If you checked "Customer message responses"

This is where AI agents add the most value. A routing and auto-response system for routine messages (order status, return requests, FAQs) typically saves 3–8 hours per week. This is a medium-complexity build — plan for 3–6 hours.

The Bottom Line

If you're spending 10+ hours per week on repetitive tasks, your processes are consistent, and you're on at least one major platform — automation is almost certainly worth exploring. The first workflow you automate will typically pay for itself within 4–8 weeks.

If you're spending less than 5 hours per week on admin, or if your processes are still changing significantly month to month — you're not ready yet. Come back when the business has stabilized.

Want a professional assessment of your automation readiness?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll look at your specific situation and tell you honestly what to tackle first.

Book a Free Discovery Call →

Or download our full Automation Readiness Guide — the 20-page workbook that goes deeper than this checklist, including process documentation templates and a GDPR compliance overview.

Continue reading: Automation Jargon Explained — the vocabulary you need to hold your own in any automation conversation.