Business
organizations can no longer rely on manual business processes these
days. Entering details in a spreadsheet, communicating with
colleagues to get the task done, handling customer information in a
CRM... these time-consuming manual processes can be improved both
qualitatively and quantitatively when the processes are automated.
The
answer will be different, based on both the industry you are working
for and the business operations you are involved into. But generally
speaking, here are the avenues where you might need to automate the
business to get better results:
Manual
duplication of data:
Does your work require recording data such as phone numbers, email
addresses, and other information at various places? Automating helps
because it reduces the overall time taken and also you don't have to
worry about any data getting lost.
Do
your processes "hang" or
get delayed because some of your process workers didn't get the
communication to proceed with the next step? Lack of communication
and the absence of follow-ups are major concerns for all business
processes. Once you automate the process, you do no longer need to
follow-up with your colleagues or clients: your work will be
executed at the scheduled time with no delay.
Here
are the five best reasons why your business process should switch to
an automation model:
Streamlining
communication in the business process
When
a manual workforce is employed to get the task done, you have to send
numerous emails, reminders, etc. to proceed towards a single process.
That kills time and is a wastage in terms of money and human
resource. Automating the workflow will ensure having streamlined
communication process. A single dashboard that can record all the
relevant communication for all the assigned participants to check for
updates. In the same tune, the workers can also check for any
irregularities and address the same right at the place where they
emerge.
Error
is expensive
In
every business operation, automation is an urgent requirement. Not
only because doing a task manually comes at a risk of negligence, but
also because human attempts have a limited level of precision. The
seemingly small errors have the potential to cost money to your
business process. Especially in operations that require real-time
handling, you cannot afford to rely on manual labor alone. Because
your operations might not have the desired level of accuracy, you may
no longer serve your audience base and thus may be losing business
every second.
Accountability
ensured
Automating
your workforce, you encourage an owner for each step of the task,
therefore, ensuring accountability. Likewise, it follows that the
initiations, approvals, rejections, etc. will be better handled
because the work is allocated to an accountable person. That ways,
you are not just increasing the information transparency and the
workflow system of your organization, you are also creating an
efficient workflow management system in your organization.
Minimizing
costs and increasing efficiency
Naturally,
with an automated workflow system, you reduce the occurrences of
manual errors and thus decrease the costs associated with
inefficiency. So despite the past where slow sales approvals, late
payments became expensive for your business process, an automated
business process will improve the process because the efficiency is
guaranteed and the errors are very unlikely to creep in.
Developing
insight into the evolution of your business process
Once
the business is automated, you will be able to streamline the
employee base with an effect that the business process will run
smoothly and seamlessly. Also, since the mode of communication and
management is streamlined, you can derive actionable insights to
analyze if your business process can be improved. This being one of
the strong points of workflow automation, will help in improving your
business model and give your organization a competitive advantage.