Think of a world where you do not lose customers or money because of a misplaced document, communication gap, or a delay in acting - all these errors can be easily prevented.
Robotic Process Automation makes it a reality. And, with automated processes in place, your company enjoys benefits like cost reduction, minimized errors, maximized ROI, and freeing your employees from mundane tasks - this list is endless.
So, how about automating your business? Where should you start, what should you consider, how to select the perfect candidates for the automation process and what pitfalls should you avoid ensuring the success of your implementation?
You’ll find answers in this article. Keep on reading! But, first, you need to decide on what type of automation will be an ideal fit for your business process.
Considering the complexity of the process that is selected for automation, there are a handful of options:
RPA is a one-stop solution to building more complex automation. RPA helps businesses to connect various tools like databases, CRM, SAPs, etc. and automates data processing and documents.
Thanks to automation platforms like UiPath, the development and integration usually get completed within a couple of weeks and are relatively low-cost. Not to forget, these platforms are also developed with the low-code principle, giving developers more time to focus on their coding skills than on the tool they are using.
Besides, there is also a consideration of user interface - RPA has the potential to automate any application by interacting with it using UI, the same as a human.
Tool-dedicated scripting is often used for automating simple tasks inside a specified application. Also, deployment takes a few days and is confined to a single application.
For example, Excel, Outlook rules, SAP scripting, and macros are a handful of them.
100% customized applications allow automation of numerous processes and tasks of the highest complexity, all in one place, starting from scratch. Besides, there is no limit to what can be accomplished here, but the same holds true for the potential cost.
The complete deployment time can be evaluated in a time frame of months or even years.
The automation scripts are written using a specific programming language, i.e. Python or PowerShell. They are used to automate a bit more complicated tasks. Furthermore, this automation still has some limited application interactions.
Though, developing and deploying these usually can take a few weeks.
Also, it empowers businesses to streamline workflows by connecting applications between different departments. By integrating automation, you not only save on man-hours but also boost the overall processes to curate a niche.
Besides, you can use simple tools and software to automate repetitive tasks with specific business logic and data, streamlining the processes and enhancing efficiency manifold.
But, the most frequently asked question remains: How Does Automation Help Businesses?
Here’s the answer!
Despite its nature, every business has the potential to automate its processes to accelerate the workflows and maximize productivity. For example,
Thus, it’s right to say that automation has something for each function. Besides, hiring an RPA developer makes more sense for businesses to implement automation across various functions to connect and streamline the business processes, improve compliance, drive better customer engagement and maximize business profitability.
Finally, Everything Funnels To What Processes To Automate?
But, wait!
How will you pick the right processes for automation? There are innumerable processes in an organization that can be automated. Although, the most crucial question at this point is - is it worth it?
For instance, if a manual execution of a process consumes a few hours a month, the development will take half a year.
This part of the article will shed light on the factors you should consider before selecting the right process for automation:
“Ease of Integration” is an aspect that scales a process on the metric of stability, complexity, scalability and more for a clearer picture of what business activities can be easily automated. Besides, it will determine if a business process is well suited for automation.
The Business Value of RPA is productivity, customer satisfaction and efficiency. To achieve this, it’s crucial to focus on everything from execution time costs to error costs. Let’s have a look!
Process simplicity will help you avoid deadline violations, arguments, and other concerns, therefore making change management easier”.
Now, without any ado, let’s uncover the business processes that are ideal for automation.
Are you still sitting on the fence about evaluating what processes to automate?
The answer to this question is tricky regarding your unique business needs and industry-oriented needs. Nevertheless, here are actionable process ideas which can be automated using RPA.
Remember, identifying business processes to automate is easy. Start with the most common and repetitive workflows that consume more time. Furthermore, even complicated workflows that require connected workflows or integration between different apps can also be automated.
Especially for businesses planning to hire RPA developers to automate business processes, here’s the list of processes to consider.
Employee onboarding/offboarding is a crucial function that businesses can easily automate.
Since employee onboarding and offboarding are repetitive processes in companies and big enterprises, these can be significantly optimized by integrating cloud-based HR software. This software doesn't only streamline these processes but also provides a central location for all employee information that makes access and management notably easier. In addition, businesses can save time in resolving other critical HR processes by automating the employee onboarding and offboarding process.
In addition, with quicker onboarding and offboarding, businesses can also save on operational costs and simultaneously manage employee access and provisioning with ease.
This is among the most complicated processes as it needs managing customer orders, processing invoices, order shipments, receipt of payment, and updating compliance documents.
However, no concrete reason will define that it’s complicated to get the complete process automated. From generating a sales order in CRM to updating the final payments and inventory management in ERP, you can easily automate everything.
Considering the cash automation perspective, you can easily track the complete process without much flipping between excel sheets, emails, and documents. This ensures timely order fulfillment, improved customer experience, and optimal cash flow.
Customer service management is another domain that can be easily automated to expedite the customer resolution cycle. From creating incidents to recording conversations and escalating issues, businesses can track the complete customer support process in real time, leading to efficient customer service management and customer satisfaction.
Tracking finances and expenses are among the vital areas for business undefeatable success.
After all, a small mistake in calculating and interpreting financial reports can lead to incorrect insights leading to wrong decisions. So, automating financial reporting and reconciliation will help outline correct insights and help track budget and transactions, managing expenses once it reaches a predetermined level.
Undoubtedly, automating order and supply chain processes can help businesses get a better and clear view of the movement of goods and expedite order fulfilment. This eventually results in better planning, execution, and management of all the underlying processes to uphold the customer value chain.
Often, insurance claims are registered through web apps by clients. And, web applications are not integrated with the claim handling system, so the claims must be copied to the targeted system.
This is done because of the voluminous connection with high error vulnerability that generates hefty process execution costs. Although business rules are clearly defined, there are multiple execution ways like claim types and defined exceptions, making it a high value and a high development process.
So, before you step on the mission to integrate RPA in business, have a quick rundown of which processes can be automated to offer the most benefits. Then, brainstorm with the right RPA consultancy firm like YTII to evaluate RPA's impact on policies, procedures, and people.
Notably, check several verticals and functions that would do good with automation.
Not to forget, do a little homework in selecting the best RPA developers that would offer a holistic solution to your business needs. You can easily mark the subtle difference by listing the strengths and weaknesses of each provider and then making a strategic decision. Only then should you embark on the implementation of RPA in your business.
Get in touch with industry experts to learn more about RPA integration in business processes that will help you stay ahead in your industry.
Below are a handful of actionable ideas where integrating RPA in 2022 and ahead proves beneficial:
The right candidate for business processes to automate are as follows:
There’s no doubt that RPA increases business processes efficiency manifold. Let’s have a look!
There are endless benefits of RPA in business processes. But, here’s the significant one’s: