What is business process automation?
With the development of digital technology, more and more companies are implementing modern software in order to gradually, and in some cases rapidly, move from a functional model of business process management to a hardware-based, computerized one. The main point of business process automation is to create an algorithm for the execution of processes and make it automatic.
Examples of business process automation are cooking a meal according to a prescription or automatically making an appointment with a doctor through an integrated system on a website or chat-bot in a messenger. More complex processes can also be automated, such as corporate development - the takeover of one company by another.
The most widespread use of business process automation is among companies that operate in the niche of marketing, advertising, sales, and hiring employees. The introduction of process automation necessarily has a positive effect on the development of the company.
Business process automation is always an individual solution for each business. And to understand if it is reasonable to automate a business process in your company, you should pay attention to three main features of the process:
- availability of data and process materials (in the example of a recipe, it is a list of ingredients);
- availability of a certain sequence of actions, which is followed by employees, and subsequently will be followed by the software (in our example - step-by-step instructions for cooking a meal);
- a clearly defined result, for which the input data is used, time is spent, and employees make efforts (in our example, it is the readiness of the dish).
Why automate business processes
It is clear from the definition that the main benefit of implementing an automated business process management system is saving time and human resources on routine tasks.In addition, business process automation will help your company:
- structure and store all important financial, marketing data and make it available 24/7;
- streamline and segment the customer base;
- reduce the negative effect of the so-called human factor, reducing the number of mistakes made due to inattention or fatigue of employees;
- adhere to effective business logic.
What processes can be automated
It is reasonable to automate all processes where the factor of social interaction is minimal:- Management processes - part of the strategic management of employees and the company as a whole (e.g., time tracking, project execution phases);
- Processes-operations - all the processes that drive the company into action (product manufacturing, technical support, advertising effectiveness analysis, traffic accounting and sales channel performance);
- Processes-administrators - supporting the company's activities (e.g., making the best route for the delivery of goods to points of sale, accounting for the movement of funds in corporate accounts);
- Activities with a high human factor (e.g., programs for recruiting new employees, a reminder system in corporate chats). It is important that in such processes the human factor is not completely excluded where it is critically necessary (for example, communication with a candidate).
The difference between business process automation and business automation
Sometimes the concept of business process automation is simplified by equating it with the concept of business automation. From the theoretical point of view, the concepts are really equivalent, since business consists of processes, and to automate business means to automate the processes in it. However, there is still a difference between the terms and it lies in their semantic meaning.For example, business automation should be understood as digitization of activities that are difficult to unify and present a single algorithm. Their level of sociality is high, and the decisive role is given to the human employee as a person. For example, a customer's call to a cellular operator. The standard appeal is processed automatically, and if a consultation and the live participation of a specialist is required, the call is redirected to a manager-operator.
Automation of business processes is the introduction of automatic programs to perform routine processes and tasks. It is possible to automate processes, in which even several employees are involved, if their participation lends itself to algorithmization. The main advantage of process automation is saving resources, security and minimization of a human factor.