Eighty percent of companies will use intelligent automation by 2025. For CIOs hoping to truly embrace digital transformation and future-proof their businesses, automating processes is therefore now a required step. Automation of business operations helps companies increase productivity, efficiency, and the adoption of new business models. But for a variety of reasons—technical problems, exorbitant implementation costs, a lack of plan, and aversion to change—more than 90% of automation efforts ultimately fail. The ideal approach to start is to grasp business process automation and how it may be successfully implemented.
Process Automation
Process automation is the application of technology to the mechanization of repetitive, manual commercial activities. Robust tools including integrated systems, business rules, workflow orchestration, Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and AI are all included.
Business Process Automation (BPA)
Known by another name, business process automation, business automation uses technology to automate company processes and operations. Through its assistance in helping a business transform previously manual activities into automated processes across the board, it can result in major efficiency gains. The primary goals of BPA are to improve operational effectiveness, reduce mistakes, standardize procedures, and free staff members to focus on more strategic, value-adding tasks. Organizations can greatly raise productivity and cut expenses by automating these repetitive chores, which will boost their business performance. Business process management is a more general field that uses many approaches to manage intricate processes throughout a company; business process automation is not to be confused with it.
Examples of Business Process Automation (BPA)
BPA-examples include management, accounting and finance, marketing and sales, purchase orders, customer support, HR procedures, and employee onboarding.
Use Cases of BPA
1. New Hire Orientation
Hiring staff members is a multi-task procedure even if it may appear easy at first. Just a handful of the tasks include completing employee information forms, scheduling training sessions, inductions, bank account setup, document collection, and mentor assignment.
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- Without automation:
- Abundant documentation
- Omitting some chores
- Discontent of employees
- Meager output
- With automation:
- Seamless transfers from one activity to the next
- Keeping pertinent staff informed
- Giving access to process status.
- Without automation:
2. Purchase Orders
Requests for purchases are routine procedures in most businesses. Form completed, the asking team forwards it to the purchasing team. The approving body next reviews the request and, if there are financial limitations or insufficient information, denies it. After then, it is returned to the team that requested it. Should approval be granted, a purchase order is generated and copies are forwarded to the inventory team and supplier.
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- Without automation:
- Approval of PO delayed
- Influenced output
- Records that are incomplete
- PO errors
- Errors when accepting the supplies.
- With automation:
- Reliable data capture
- Accountability
- Easier and faster execution.
- Without automation:
Why Automate Business Processes?
These strong arguments support the automation of your company procedures.
1. A First Step Toward Digital Transformation
Organizations not already pursuing digital transformation may view it as an impossibly high aim. A stepping stone to embracing that culture of ongoing change can be business process automation. Starting with a few procedures that obviously need course modification, you can progressively advance.
2. Clarity Increases
Business process automation necessitates some degree of process clarity from the outset of design. Effective design and automation of the workflow is impossible if you are ignorant of the tasks involved and the individuals in charge of carrying them out. Process mapping can be a teaching tool and give all staff members clarity. The information you obtain from dissecting an automated process might make it quite evident where your business process stands now and where it ought to be.
3. Process Streamlining
Simplified procedures are one excellent result of a process automation system. It’s easier to stop pointless operations and concentrate on improving those that offer value when there is clear accountability, customizable notifications, insightful data, and quicker turnaround times.
4. Access Compliance Documentation
Every aspect of a certain company procedure is documented when it is automated. Presenting this data during audits helps show compliance.
5. Operate Standardized
One can anticipate a consistent standard of outcomes when a business process is automated. Standardization contributes to the reputation of dependability of your company, which can expand the clientele.
6. Boost Consumer Happiness
Any industry has a major distinction like customer satisfaction. Process and operational excellence are your key to easily surpassing consumer expectations. Consumers are more inclined to come to favor your business when you regularly live up to expectations.
Which Business Processes Should You Automate?
Automation of business processes does not stop with a few tasks. Several elements that can suggest the necessity of automation are:
- Great number of jobs
- Task execution requires several personnel
- Nature that is time-sensitive
- Profound effect on other procedures and systems
- Demand for audit trails and compliance.
It is quite likely that you need to automate your business process if an activity satisfies every one of the above specified requirements. Here are some often automated procedures in companies to help you see the picture:
- Alerts by email and push
- Help desk services
- Writing case studies for clients
- Arranging and moving data
- Backup and recovery
- Requests from employees for leaves
- Acquisitions
- In call centers, procedures
- Orders Sales
- Time and attendance recording
- Payroll Billing Collections
- Releases of products
- Head of the group
Benefits of Using Business Process Automation Solutions
Once your company procedures are automated, you should notice several advantages. Improved access will increase output. Business process automation systems based on the cloud keep your data in a single database. This enables anytime you require data, you can access it from any place or gadget. Your company procedures will become much more open.
Process monitoring and tracking during operation can enhance accountability and visibility. Being able to watch procedures while on the road will also enable you to see mistakes and correct them as they happen. You will have the knowledge from performance reports to take preventative action against reoccurring mistakes.
Long-term savings and quicker turnaround times from fewer manual interventions will become apparent. Since the software will manage all repetitive, boring chores, you will also be able to better allocate your workers. In this approach, you can steer your staff members toward jobs that call for human effort and judgment. In due course, a business process automation system will facilitate increasing company efficiency.
As its foundation is the idea of ongoing process improvement, levels of efficiency will rise in tandem.
Features of Automation of Business Processes
- Workflow management arranges and simplifies activities to be completed effectively.
- Automated job and process scheduling according to preset rules is made possible.
- Process monitoring keeps track of developments and offers real-time information about continuing operations.
- Complementary Connects easily to current tools and applications to combine operations and data.
- Analyses and reports provide statistically supported insights to help with process optimization and decision-making.
- Functions and rights of users guarantee safe task delegation and access control inside the system.
- Miscellaneous alerts notify stakeholders on time of developments or problems.
- Handling defects find and fixes problems to keep processes running smoothly.
- Variable templates offer prefabricated templates that can be customized to meet certain company requirements.
- Control of versions controls and monitors process modifications to provide auditability and consistency.
Conventional Wisdom on Business Process Automation
Success may not always follow from just registering for a business process automation software. Automation of your company processes will require a realistic and comprehensive approach. Below are some suggestions for achieving automation success:
- Establish a precise knowledge of the duties, their assignees, and the deadlines for each.
- When automating a business process, make sure you have well-defined objectives. The course correcting process will be much shortened by this.
- Take a staged strategy to measuring results. When the results take time to show, many organizations are let down.
- Give staff training plenty of your time, and allow for a transition.
- See things long term to get a healthy return on investment.
- Where ready-made solutions are available, use them.
