What is Workflow Automation and Why is it Important?
Workflow automation is one of the most exciting technologies for businesses of all sizes. In simple terms, it’s using software to automatically carry out repetitive processes and tasks. This eliminates the need for employees to manually work through the same sequences over and over again.
By programming computers to handle these mundane, routine activities, even small businesses can unlock new levels of productivity and efficiency. Employees are freed up to focus on more meaningful work that requires human insight, creativity, and emotional intelligence.
Importance of Workflow Automation: Unlocking Full Business Potential
Implementing workflow automation is crucial for businesses looking to streamline operations, cut costs, and scale profitably. Research shows that automating business processes delivers staggering benefits:
“When coupled with other next-generation digital tools, we estimate that it may reduce operational costs by up to 30%.”
McKinsey Global
Institute
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- Reduces up to 30% on overall operational costs1. Labor is one of the biggest costs for SMB’s. Automating repetitive tasks saves money.
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- Boosts productivity of repetitive tasks by 60-95%2. Employees waste significant time on mundane work. Automation lets them focus on high-value activities.
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- Improves accuracy up to 90%3. Manual processes inevitably lead to errors. Automation does repetitive work flawlessly every time.
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- Enables 24/7 execution. With automation, processes can run 24/7 without human intervention. This improves customer service.
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- Provides valuable data insights. Detailed data from automated workflows helps identify issues and optimization opportunities.
The numbers speak for themselves – workflow automation supercharges productivity and profitability, allowing small and medium sized business to function like the big dogs. It’s clear that systematizing manual workflows pays off tremendously across functions.
When to Use Business Process Automation: Timing is Everything
When is the right time for your businesses to adopt workflow automation? The straightforward answer is: The sooner, the better!
With the rapid digitization brought on by the pandemic, small companies that tapped into automation early on gained a significant competitive advantage. Those playing catch-up are now scrambling to implement automation to modernize operations.
However, it’s never too late to start streamlining workflows. Look for processes involving predictable repeating steps, multiple systems, swivel chair work, and data entry/transfer. These are prime candidates for automation, and even small optimizations add up. Don’t get overwhelmed trying to change everything at once. Start with a few workflows and expand from there.
For example, an early win for many SMB’s is to use robotic process automation (RPA) to automatically transfer data between applications. Something as simple as automated report generation from a database can save hours every week. Compounding small automations creates outsized impact over time.
Here are more common scenarios where automation delivers tremendous value:
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- Repetitive administrative tasks like data entry, filing records, or transfers between systems. These manual chores are prime for automation.
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- Multi-step approval workflows like purchase order or invoice processing. Streamline these workflows to save time.
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- Processes involving data from multiple systems. Eliminate swivel chair work by auto-transferring data.
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- Customer service tasks like email triaging, form processing, appointment booking, etc. Bots excel at these repetitive interactions.
Any rules-based process that employees must manually work through over and over is a candidate for automation. Start with a few quick wins to demonstrate ROI.
Choosing the Right Automations: Picking the Low-Hanging Fruit
When getting started with workflow automation, look for the easy wins. Avoid trying to change complex or fragile processes that involve exceptions and decision branching early on.
How do you identify the best processes to automate first? Look for:
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- High-volume repetitive tasks. More repetition means greater time savings from automation.
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- Clearly defined rules and logic. Straightforward predictable workflows are easier to automate.
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- Swivel chair workflows involving multiple systems and data transfers. Removing manual hand-offs speeds up work.
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- Common customer service interactions like information lookups or form fills. Bots can handle these seamlessly.
If you’re a small business, here are some examples of entry-level workflow automations that have delivered great ROI’s:
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- Automated data entry from paper/PDF forms into databases – removing manual rekeying cut errors by 90% for Miller Metal Fabrication.
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- Email triaging where software auto-sorts emails based on rules – improved support response times by 4x for InfoHosts.
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- Automated invoice processing and extraction using OCR – lowered Walters & Wolf Estate Agents’ processing costs by 65%.
Avoid automating complex processes involving decision making and subjectivity early on. Focus on automating repetitive high-volume tasks with established rules first. The key is to look for repetitive, high-volume tasks that have established rules and logic. This type of work is easy and low risk to automate while delivering exponential productivity gains.
Conclusion: DIY or Leave it to the Pros?
Ultimately, businesses have two options when implementing workflow automation:
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- Take the DIY route using low-code automation platforms. This offers more customization but requires hands-on development.
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- Work with workflow automation specialists like Staticflow that take care of the whole process – from mapping workflows to deploying the solutions. This frees up internal resources.
Weigh the pros and cons of each approach for your needs. If you have simple requirements and technical skills in-house, a DIY approach provides cost savings. But for advanced workflows or tightly integrated systems, it’s best to bring in external automation experts.
The great news is you have options. Whether you’re a small business or a giant enterprise, workflow automation is more accessible than ever thanks to user-friendly tools. Don’t leave this powerful technology sitting on the shelf – put it to work to elevate your operations to new heights!
