Automating your office workflows has a significant impact on your operational productivity, your team’s morale, and your company’s bottom line.
Latest studies reveal that 74% of business leaders around the globe are showing interest in workflow automation and believe at least some processes in their operations could be automated. This is hardly surprising, considering the many benefits organisations can earn from digitalising processes.
Automation not only accelerates your operations but also reduces labour costs and improves the overall efficiency of your business—but the pros of automation don’t end there.
So when should you consider automating your workflows? Often there will be signs that you should do so sooner rather than later.
You take too long to complete your task management
It’s no secret that automation can speed up your tasks and cut down on time-consuming manual labour.
70% of business leaders believe they can save up to 30 hours a month with automation, while nearly 80% believe this figure would go up to 60 hours a month.
Also, automation naturally leads to minimal errors, especially in comparison to the human errors in manual labour.
Take automated data entry for example. Automated forms can retrieve information from integrated databases and ensure they are accurate with auto-validation. The result is a form that is completed swiftly, preventing the delays of human labour.
In addition to completing more tasks in less time, operations automation software ensures that you simultaneously avoid errors and reduce overhead costs and the cost of error correction.
This brings us to the next sign.
You need to cut back on labour costs
Are you facing an overwhelming number of responsibilities with inadequate time and labour to complete them?
Trying to meet this surplus will require you to invest more in hiring new talent and training—a feat that can be challenging and time-consuming.
The best way to uphold the quality of your work without amping up your overhead costs is to automate your routine operations. Automation reduces repetitive administration tasks, decreasing the labour hours needed to cover the workload, and effectively lowering your staffing costs.
In addition to efficiently taking over your routine processes, automation reduces workflow cycles and boosts employee productivity, letting your teams get high-quality work done in fewer hours. As your business scales up, automation can accommodate your requirements like extra labour and competitive standards.
You can’t recognise the errors in your workflows
Increased transparency in operations leads to better workload management. If you see your performance declining or need to pinpoint the reasons for your bottlenecks, having access to actionable data is a must.
Automation provides you with the insights required to measure your business performance, identify errors, and take corrective action to improve operations.
Workflow analytics tools provide real-time insights, letting you visualise dashboards and key performance indicators.
Detailed reports from your workflow automation software let you identify critical bottlenecks with ease—for example, resource allocation, availability of parts, and employee availability. Real-time data and understanding of your key performance metrics can enhance your strategy, empowering you to make insight-driven decisions.
You need clearer visibility into your operations
If you need to streamline your operational management and administration tasks, business workflow automation software is an all-in-one solution to try out.
The tracking tools of workflow automation systems make it easier for you to manage operations and streamline task assigning and monitoring.
You can also integrate your automation solution with project management software for even better performance visibility. It provides you with the transparency to make changes to your employees’ responsibilities, identify their core strengths and skills, and ensure the best talents are utilised where they’re needed the most.
This at-a-glance insight that you can have into your operations also increases accountability, letting you track your progress and identify stand-out performers on your team.
You need better risk assessment and compliance
Businesses are frequently answerable to multiple stakeholders, including auditors, governments, clients, and partners, and thanks to businesses going international, they have a myriad of regulations they need to stick by—national and international.
The cost of non-compliance is also severe. On average, organisations face a cost of $9.4 million for regulatory non-compliance.
But with the right automation tool that logs actions, you can record and review your critical data. This also ensures that each step of your process is built in compliance with the current regulations.
With easy-to-read analytics, you can also optimise workflows and streamline compliance efforts continuously.
You need to enhance the security of your business
Alongside compliance, contemporary businesses also have to adhere to the security regulations and meet the rising expectations of modern audiences.
80% of global organisations expect to experience a security breach that impacts customer data within the next year.
Loss, altering, and misuse of vital business data due to cybersecurity breaches put your business stakeholders at risk while causing significant damages to your business reputation and client relationships.
Similarly, by automating your processes using a single platform that meets the existing security standards, your teams can operate safely with the knowledge that the platform is reducing cybersecurity risks actively.
Focus on your scaling efforts and let workflow automation take care of the rest
By replacing your paper-based and manual process using a single, integrated platform, you can ensure that the right assets are completing the right work at the right time.
Additionally, your team will have everything they need to complete their responsibilities available to them when they need it, letting them be more productive and contribute more value to your end goals.
If you’re interested in learning more about business workflow automation, schedule a free consultation with Launchy’s automation team today!