But what exactly does business automation mean? And how can you implement this successfully within your company? In this blog you will read the answer and we will provide insight into how business automation helps your company grow.
What is business process automation?
As far as we are concerned, successful automation results in seamless synergy between people and machines. Business automation forms the basis and is also called business process automation (BPA). It is the use of technology to streamline and automate repetitive tasks, workflows and processes within a company. This involves replacing manual actions, such as data entry, approval processes and reporting, with automated systems and software solutions.
However, implementing automation requires a strategic approach, taking into account integration with existing systems, security protocols and corporate culture. Especially when it comes to business-critical applications. Many companies are reluctant to automate their business processes, especially when this could have a negative impact on business continuity.
Tips for automating business-critical applications
When automating business-critical applications, there are several key considerations to ensure the implementation is successful and maximizes business value. Here are some crucial aspects to pay attention to:
- Integration with existing Systems | Ensure that the automation solutions integrate seamlessly with your current IT infrastructure. Incompatibility can lead to operational disruptions and additional costs.
- Safety and compliance | Business-critical applications often process sensitive data. It is essential to ensure that automation does not compromise data security and complies with all relevant laws and regulations.
- Scaling and flexibility | The automation solution must be scalable to grow with the business and flexible enough to adapt to changing business needs without significant reconfiguration or additional investment.
- Reliability and availability | Business-critical applications must always be available. Choose automation solutions that maximize uptime and provide robust disaster recovery and backup options.
- User experience | Automation should not come at the expense of the user experience. Ensure that the applications remain intuitive and accessible to all users, including employees and customers. A good UI/UX design is essential.
- Monitoring and management | Implement comprehensive monitoring and management tools to track the performance of automated systems. This helps identify and address any problems or inefficiencies in a timely manner. Data plays an essential role in this.
- Change Management and training | The transition to more automated processes can cause resistance among employees. A solid change management plan, including training and communication, is crucial to ensure acceptance and effective use of the new technology.
- Partner choice | Choose a reliable technology partner with experience in your sector and with business-critical automation. Their expertise can be crucial to the success of the project.
By thoroughly considering these aspects, you can ensure that the automation of your mission-critical applications runs smoothly, improves operational efficiency, and increases long-term business value.
How do you start with business automation?
At SIENN we have developed a well-thought-out approach and strategy to start business automation. Below you will find 7 things that you should definitely consider before you start automating business processes.
- Make sure you are clear about your company’s goals and how automation can help achieve those goals. The business strategy is crucial and for us always the starting point of every collaboration.
- Determine a realistic budget for automation, including costs for software, implementation, training and any adjustments. As far as we are concerned, this is all part of adequate program management.
- Review your existing technology infrastructure to determine if it is suitable for automation. If Microsoft partner We like to build our solutions on this platform, but this may of course be different in your situation.
- Make sure your data quality is high. Clean, consistent data is essential for successful automation.
- Consider how automation can impact your workforce. Also determine which next steps suit you best. Come first bespoke software or do you opt for more out of the box solutions such as low code/no code?
- Make sure you are aware of all relevant regulations and compliance requirements that apply to your business and industry.
- Conduct a thorough risk analysis to identify potential risks and challenges that may arise during the automation process.
What does business automation deliver?
Business automation or business process automation has a lot of advantages for companies. From cost savings to improved efficiency and customer satisfaction. Below you can read a number of important benefits of business automation, but be sure to check out our page customer stories for inspiration:
- Improved efficiency | By automating repetitive tasks and processes, you reduce the time and effort required for manual actions.
- Cost savings | Automation often reduces labor hours, minimizes errors and eliminates the need for manual intervention.
- Increased accuracy | Automated processes are less prone to human error compared to manual tasks. That ensures higher accuracy and consistency of data entry and processing.
- Shorter lead times | Automation makes it possible to carry out tasks and processes faster. This allows you to work faster and respond to customer requests and market changes.
- Improved customer service | By automating processes such as order processing, complaint handling and customer communication, your service is faster and more consistent.
- Better decision making | Automation gives your company real-time data and insights into your business processes. This way you can make better informed decisions and respond faster to changes.
- Scalability | You can easily scale automated processes to meet growing demand and changing needs. That provides flexibility.
- Compliance and risk management | Automation helps you maintain compliance standards and reduce risk through automated controls and audits.
What steps do you take to automate business processes?
Are you going to automate your business processes? Automating business processes requires a structured approach and meticulous planning. These are the steps you will go through together with SIENN if you want to successfully automate your business processes:
- Identification of suitable processes | BStart identifying the processes within your company that are best suited for automation and have the greatest potential to improve efficiency.
- Formulation of clear goals | Set clear goals such as cost savings, improved productivity or better customer service.
- Selecting the right software solutions | Choose the right software solutions and technologies that match the needs and objectives of your company.
- Develop a detailed plan | This applies to the implementation of automation, including timelines, milestones and responsibilities.
- Configure and deploy | Configure the chosen automation solutions and implement them within the organization. Ensure seamless integration with existing systems and applications.
- Extensive testing | Conduct extensive testing to ensure that the automated processes work as they should and comply with the chosen goals.
- Training & support | Provide adequate training and support for employees in the transition to automated systems.
- Implementation in daily tasks | Implement the automated processes into daily tasks and continuously monitor performance and effectiveness.
- Scalability & evaluation | Continue to evaluate and improve processes to achieve optimal results.
Examples of business automation
You can automate a lot of business processes. Consider, for example, invoicing and accounting, inventory management and order processing, customer service and support ticket management. Or HR processes such as recruitment and selection, onboarding and leave registration or marketing automation such as email campaigns and lead nurturing. An example: to increase payment convenience for its customers and reduce administrative pressure in the organization, HSB asked SIENN to optimize part of the invoicing process.
Need help automating your business processes?
You certainly want to increase the efficiency and productivity of your company. Do this through automation. We are ready to help you. The development teams from SIENN consists of various experts with all kinds of skills, such as software developers, testers, systems analysts, project managers and UX/UI designers.
Our team helps you from identifying automation opportunities to selecting and implementing the right solutions. Feel free to call us and we will see together how we can help you automate your business processes.
