Although business process automation (BPA) has already become a fundamental prerequisite for how modern organisations conduct business today, there’s still a long way to go until the business process flow is entirely automated.
Automation affords businesses opportunities to increase their scalability, reliability, and efficiency. Globalisation, regulatory bodies, and economic turbulence are always directing process compliance. This is why organisations around the world are trying to take advantage of the benefits of BPA.
2022 was an important year for digital transformation as most organisations around the world ramped up their investments in automation and reached a staggering 1.8 trillion USD, expected to rise to 2.8 trillion USD by 2025.
In addition, a Garner survey reveals that 66% of businesses have chosen to use BPA in one or more of their business operations—a marked increase since 2018 when the figure was 57%.
All the research and figures point to the fact that BPA is steadily gaining steam and makes a strong case for why your business needs to consider investing in business process flow automation.
#1: Increase scalability
Decision-makers around the world agree that their organisations need automation solutions and this need is only growing—for good reason.
Process flow automation allows organisations to handle a bigger workload and gives businesses the flexibility to adapt to unforeseen changes without letting them impact service quality.
Process flow improvements allow organisations to capitalise on market opportunities and be prepared for any business changes. Ultimately, a business’s ability to adapt to these digital transformations will dictate its chances for growth and expansion.
#2: Improve compliance
Aside from the apparent benefits like productivity, business process flow automation helps businesses with another important benefit—ensuring that all industry standards and regulatory requirements are met.
When automation processes are in place, every business operation and transaction is recorded, together with details including names and time stamps. Having the information securely stored is a helpful function when facilitating audits and ensuring that all legal and industry regulations are adhered to.
In addition, automating process flows removes the possibility of human bias from important situations where objectivity is key. Whether it’s intentional or unintentional, bias can create noncompliance issues where miscommunications, mistakes in data entry, or oversights are frequent.
Automation allows businesses to eliminate these errors and manage the risks of reputational and financial damage that may lead to noncompliance.
#3: Strengthen leadership
BPA gives leaders and decision-makers more time to shift their attention to what matters the most—strategy, innovation, and growth—by taking time away from routine tasks that require no human intervention.
This newfound freedom gives leaders the time they need to concentrate on building a company that thrives on forward-thinking. They can focus on important areas that have historically been neglected or overlooked, like creating a positive workplace culture and ensuring that employees are engaged and motivated to achieve company goals.
One of the best things about automation is that it doesn’t just apply to large organisations spread across multiple locations. Even small businesses can make their lives much simpler by using automation for mundane tasks and allowing employees to take on a more serious approach to building relationships and developing their careers.
#4: Save costs
Aside from improving efficiency, business process flow automation helps eliminate any bottlenecks that could be making a dent in your revenue. Plus, automation can drive significant cost savings—however, it has nothing to do with robots replacing humans.
While nearly half of the Australian workforce fears that their jobs may be replaced by automation, the truth is that BPA’s most significant cost savings are derived from reducing manual work. This means that employees will have more free time to focus on tasks that are more strategic and require human skills and expertise, allowing organisations to reach greater productivity through resource optimisation.
Furthermore, automated process flows allow organisations to use digital and human resources more efficiently, reducing operational costs. Reduced errors, streamlined steps, better inventory management, and other process enhancements can reduce costs not just for labour but also for equipment, materials, and supplies.
#5: Boost employee morale
Employee morale is a critical factor in any organisation and BPA can help eliminate mundane and menial tasks that take up most of the day, causing employees to lose interest in their work. Your employees will have the time to focus on important aspects of the business such as cross-functional collaboration, strategic planning, and skills development.
Removing the monotony of everyday work can also promote a high-performing team where everyone is motivated.
Research shows that when employees are engaged and motivated, their productivity and the profitability of the business are likely to increase. This is why decision-makers are trying to harness the power of automation.
Business process flow automation—why you need to invest now
Today, process flow automation is becoming an integral part of a business’s ability to sustain its profitability, productivity, and efficiency. Businesses that are looking to advance their competitive edge need to take the next step and improve digital transformation.
If you’ve decided that BPA is a path that you’re interested in exploring more, then schedule a consultation with one of our automation experts to make sure you don’t miss out on getting the complete automation experience.
Having the tailored solutions your business needs and the guidance to get the most out of it can help you evolve your business and bring it into the new world of automation without the risk of being left behind.