What ops tasks can I automate instead of backfilling a headcount?

Intake routing

The highest-leverage first target. Every request that lands in an inbox and gets forwarded three times before hitting the right person is a candidate. A single Monday form with routing logic replaces most of that traffic and gives you an audit trail.

Data entry across tools

The second target. Any time someone is copying a value from one system into another (CRM to accounting, form to spreadsheet, email to task board), Make.com or a similar tool can do the copy cleaner, faster, and without human error. This is the work that pays back inside a month.

Weekly reporting

Most ops managers were building the same reports every Monday by copying data into a slide deck. That job maps perfectly to a scheduled Make scenario that pulls from the source systems, formats a message, and posts to Slack or emails the founder before Monday morning.

What to leave alone

Skip anything that requires reading context, judging exceptions, or holding a relationship. Those tasks look small, but automating them badly costs more than doing nothing. Compact test before you build: "If I described this task to a new employee, could they get it right without ever asking a question?" If yes, automate. If no, leave it human for now.