Basics of Business Automation

Learn about business automation, its importance, and how to put it to use in your company.

Automation is a technology that has impacted almost every industry over the years, from ATMs to manufacturing lines to healthcare systems. However, artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning take automation to a new level. The so-called intelligent automation is revolutionizing the way humans and machines interact so that businesses can improve efficiency, increase revenue, and thrive in complex markets.

Research shows that automation has tremendous benefits for the bottom line. According to the IBM Institute for Business Value, automation with AI will result in billions in labor value in 2022.

This article examines the changing landscape in business automation and why it is essential now. It also explains what you should consider when using automation within your organization.

What is business automation?

Business automation refers to the use of technology applications that automate repetitive tasks. This frees up employees to do more valuable work. This includes business process automation, robotic process automation (RPA), and AI-powered automation.

Automation used to require large mainframes and an expert team to maintain them. However, cloud-based automation platforms make it possible for companies of any size to access the functionality. These are some examples of business automation:

Basic automation: This automation automates simple tasks. Basic automation tools automate repetitive tasks with little or no programming. This helps to reduce errors and speeds up transactional time. ASIC automation includes BPM, RPA, and business process management.
Process automation: This is the management of business processes to ensure uniformity and transparency. Process automation is often handled by dedicated software. It can improve productivity and efficiency while also providing valuable business insight. Process mining and Workflow automation are two examples of process automation.
Advanced automation: Humans and machines can work together to integrate different systems within an organization. Advanced automation supports more complex processes. It relies on unstructured information combined with machine learning, natural languages processing, and analysis. It encourages knowledge management and supports specialized work.
Intelligent automation: AI drives intelligent automation. This is where machines "learn" from past experiences and analyze them to make informed decisions. Virtual assistants powered by AI, such as in customer service, can help reduce costs and enable more intelligent interactions between human agents and customers. And it is resulting in a better customer experience.

What is the importance of business automation?

Automation is a great way to improve your business' efficiency and grow your business, no matter how small or large. Automation tools can replace human labor with machine labor so that you can use those human resources elsewhere in your industry.

Businesses must use proven automation software and best practice across all workflows to realize the full potential for automation. This includes creating digital customer experiences faster and simplifying internal processes. Unfortunately, not all solutions offer the complete technology required to automate entire operations. This can result in many points solutions, higher costs, and the inability to scale.

Business automation has many benefits

In a world that is constantly changing, automation is crucial. However, it can be challenging to predict which customer behavior will remain post-pandemic. This is due to fluctuating demand and increased safety precautions. One area that you can control is managing your customers' experiences. These experiences can be improved or fixed by automation, particularly AI combined with automation. It will result in increased sales, better utilization of resources, and higher customer satisfaction.

An automation platform is a great way to accomplish this:

First, find inefficiencies and hotspots in your operation to determine where automation can make the most impact. This includes process modeling and mining.
Make use of intelligence: Automate your operations with machine learning and AI to generate data that can be used to make recommendations and allow people to focus on more strategic tasks.
Augment your workforce by building RPA tools and deploying digital workers for collaboration with humans whenever a higher level can be achieved, or backup is required.
Automate core operations

Common uses for business automation

Business automation can streamline processes in almost every department of an organization.

Marketing activities: Companies can automate email marketing by using the software. This allows them to send emails to clients on a set schedule and reduces the cost of manually running a campaign. In addition, you can integrate marketing efforts into a customer relationship management system (CRM). This allows you to target customers via automated messages through social media.
Human resources: Human resources management systems automate many HR tasks such as job application processing, payroll management, interview scheduling, onboarding, and employment offer. In addition, these systems can provide insight into the productivity of your workforce by using analytics.
Sales processes: Sales automation tools like Salesforce and other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tools enable sales teams to spend less time logging their deal-related activity and more time making the phone calls that close deals. These tools automate repetitive tasks in the sales process. For example, they can assign prospects to the right rep, qualify leads based upon buyer journeys, or create data-backed sales forecasts.
Financial and accounting: Companies can automate financial planning and accounting functions to free up time for more critical tasks such as analysis, strategy, and collaboration with stakeholders. For example, data capture can be automated in accounts payable (AP). As a result, invoices are automatically matched with documents, and approvals are automatically routed. This helps reduce data errors and prevent fraud by using background controls.

If you are thinking to automate your business processes and want to know more about web and software development options - contact us at anytime with any questions. It is our first priority to assist you!✌️