The newsflash is that we may be on the verge of a future where employees’ workflows are thoroughly harmonised with Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence. But is your organisation prepared for it?
AI is currently the most promising technological innovation and will be a critical part of the future of businesses. A recent McKinsey survey suggests that at least 70% of organisations pilot automation in one or more business units or functions. So it’s a technology that businesses need to start using right now to be ready for a business world that’s faster and enormously data-driven.
Business leaders always have so much to do and never enough time. But, as the business expands, they discover that automation and delegation are vital to eliminating lagging and accelerating growth. At first, Automation can seem a little alarming, but once you see the results, it is a total game changer.
Operations processes are the soul of every business. So let’s start there.
What is Operations Automation?
Automating your operations removes repetitive activities once part of specific jobs. Automation allows administrators to focus on intellectual pursuits and critical decision-making that drives organisational growth. It is the process of reimagining operations from the ground up with an emphasis on simplification, increase in efficiency and streamlining its core processes.
Even though technology doubles its growth every couple of years, operations teams still perform manual, duplicative tasks leading to sheer waste of time and resources on a daily basis.
For instance, one of the major challenges enterprises face is the timely approval of documents that directly impact their business operations. The inability of your employees to make real-time decisions due to lengthy document approvals creates an inefficient process.
A document workflow automation platform streamlines company operations and helps administrators stay on top of key approvals, even when they are on vacation. It simplifies the approval process, maximising the use of time and resources while facilitating speedy decision-making. The more time business leaders have at hand, the better they can help support the business with critical decision-making.
Furthermore, automation is not just a benefit to the company but also to the consumer. Using digital operations and resources to understand what customers want can help business leaders determine how to enforce automation to support their operations.
How Automation can be your Best Ally?
Our doors have been pounded by digital transformation and its numerous gifts of deploying automation. You can now reclaim a meaningful share of your time, reduce errors in your processes and even trigger organisational growth with increased sales and lead generation. These factors contribute to your company’s bottom line and overall stability.
Here are some advantages of using Automation as an Ally instead of a threat.
Operations Automation saves your time:
If there’s one reason that makes Automation worth the investment, it’s so the business leaders can save precious time. Many renowned enterprises from various sectors use operations automation to help them drive their business forward.
Ride-sharing giant Uber found that, as the company grew, it needed a solution to automate repetitive administrative tasks. And after three years of adopting automation, Uber has more than 100 automated processes, saving the company an estimated $10 million per year.
Alibaba, the e-commerce icon, says their website can automatically generate product descriptions for clients using AI-based Automation. They also use analytics to predict what customers might want to buy based on past decisions.
HSBC, the global banking platform, shares how they were able to make life much easier for their employees through integration, data mapping, and other relevant automated systems.
Saving time isn’t just about savings on cost. It helps teams leading vital business operations get the bandwidth to focus on high-impact activities. Automating certain aspects of the business gives us more to pursue those areas that need our attention.
Operations Automation can save your Money:
Automating a repetitive task frees up time for people to work on other things within the business. It reduces operational costs associated with administering redundant processes since those tasks will now be done automatically and no longer need human attention. This allows companies to invest the money saved in new markets and reallocate their employees in areas crucial for growth based on their skill sets.
Automation also helps eliminate costly human error. Of course, even the most intelligent and reliable employee can make mistakes. But with Automation, you can assign distinct duties to team members, reducing the chances of something slipping through the cracks. It saves time for employees to focus on more important business operations within the organisation.
Operations Automation can help your business thrive:
Automation is well-suited to collecting and compiling large amounts of data into a single database, which can then be used for substantial business decision-making. With these insights, businesses can make informed decisions based on information that has been collected as they have a clearer understanding of how their company operates.
A workflow manager tool can even earn you brownie points from your customers. These days, customers are tech-savvy and need quick aid for the problems they are facing. To keep your client satisfaction rates high, you must automate your operational functions so the business can quickly arrive at decisions that align with consumer needs and interests.
In addition, Automation tools also improve communication by eliminating the need for team members to remind each other of impromptu tasks. With no code process automation, those reminders will come automatically.
So if you want to ensure that customers receive consistent service and your business functions smoothly, then adopting an automation strategy for the operations department is the ideal way forward.
How to start?
Operations Automation liberates your team to focus on more engaging, productive work, but knowing where to start the process can be challenging. Here is a simple workflow we recommend to all who are starting their automation journey:
1) Identify a time consuming process you perform repetitively.
2) Break that process into parts by identifying the steps you have to perform in order to complete it. The best way to do it is drawing a flow-chart.
3) Determine which step(s) can be automated.
4) Do the research and find the right tool. Make sure it doesn’t require writing code and burden your IT resources.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this blog has made you see the value of automating your processes and apprehend how automation can help boost your business. Automation is a multi-faceted subject, and it’s also one that is here to stay.
To stay competitive, we can certainly start by identifying those areas where automation will save us time and effort while improving the quality of our work.
