Business Process Automation is a Must for Every Company
What if we told you there was a method to optimize business operations while also lowering operating expenses, reducing security threats, and eliminating the danger of human error?
Business process automation (BPA) refers to the use of technology to automate formerly manual business operations, which is a pretty self-explanatory concept. Any sequence of actions taken in this context to accomplish a goal is referred to as a "business process," especially if they are highly repeatable and include several IT systems. Whatever best meets the goals of the business, organizations may use BPA to automate whole processes or even certain steps within a bigger process.
By eliminating — or greatly reducing — the need for manual intervention, business process automation enables organizations to streamline and standardize workflows, driving efficiency gains and cost savings. For this reason, BPA is also commonly referred to ask workflow automation.
Examples Of Business Processes That Fit Into These Categories Include
Calendar Management
Document Management
Invoice Processing
Purchase Order Processing
Payroll Processing, Refund Processing
Talent Recruitment
Employee Onboarding
Time-off Request Approval
Travel Authorization
Expense Claims
Budget Approvals
Data Collection and Extraction
Work Order Placement
Price Quotes
Sales Contracting
Customer Service
Customer Feedback Solicitation and many more
Objective
Identify Functional Areas Of Operations
The cost reductions that come with replacing positions with artificial intelligence with an org chart seem alluring, but that isn't how automation actually works. Human interaction is still required, and robots won't be taking the place of workers any time soon.
Instead, the first step in automating business operations is to locate functional areas of your company that might benefit from increased efficiency. This might apply to the sales force, the accounts payable department, customer support, inventory control, and other corporate activities.
Create SOPs
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) outline the precise actions required to carry out and finish the duties associated with a function. Any sort of automation requires a well-defined process with steps and actions to be taken in order to be completed. Keep An Eye Out For These 4 Growth Strategies.
SOPs may seem nice, but for a small firm, they always tend to rank very low on the priority list. Because of this, it could make sense for corporate executives to make SOPs a quarterly objective throughout an organization and to set up a certain amount of time for all workers to describe their work processes.
Identify Repetitive Tasks
You may begin to explore the repetitive duties that are part of each department's functions once you have determined the functional areas of your company. Warning: The best part about business process automation is this.
For the first time, an operations manager or business owner may put themselves in the position of employees and understand how painful physical labor is. Additionally, corporate executives may have a better understanding of the regions where they are most vulnerable to hazards or operational flaws.
Review the SOPs that staff have made to find repeated jobs. Allocate enough time to perform activities in accordance with SOPs. In order to check the procedure and any potential repeated duties, ask the staff about their SOPs.
Prioritize Areas To Automate
A business leader should have a lengthy list of activities with opportunities for improvement after the interview and SOP replication processes. This list can be prioritized to further the automation of business operations.
What aspects must to be taken into account while prioritizing which tasks to automate? Consider the effects on customers and operational improvements. Including an automation solution in your organization may have advantages including eliminating repetitive work, lowering manual mistakes, and managing variable expenses. Sort the list according to the influence on clients, staff, and the company's bottom line, as measured by a scorecard.
Digital Transformation
To automate business operations, you don't need to invest millions of dollars on custom-coded AI software. To assist businesses in designing and automating business processes, a variety of workflow and business process automation (BPA) software are available.
Alternatively, if the implementation of BPM software sounds like too much to take on, explore automation within your existing tech stack. Project management software like Asana, Basecamp, ClickUp, Trello and others all have automation available that may accomplish your objectives. Schedule a demo with your existing project management software to explore features and functionalities that may be underutilized or unlocked on different tiered plans.
Whatever direction you decide to take, automating business processes can help a business go from linear to faster growth. Identify functional areas of operations, create SOPs, hone in on the repetitive tasks and prioritize the areas to automate. Find the technical breakthrough that will foster automation. And then, keep building a better business.