Approximately 90% of employees feel burdened by boring, unengaging, repetitive tasks*. This problem can easily spiral out of control costing companies several thousand, even millions, of dollars annually. It’s estimated that these repetitive tasks are costing business roughly 19 days per year, per employee. In most cases, this potential loss could be easily avoided with business process automation.
What is business process automation
Business process automation (or BPA for short) is when repetitive, multi-step business tasks are automated using software-based solutions. These tasks can repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or even on demand. Business process automation is typically implemented as part of a digital transformation strategy; the ultimate goal being reduced manual effort and streamlined efficiencies.
How can business process automation help my company?
Most business can benefit from BPA in some capacity:
- Sales departments can gain efficiency from automated reporting with consolidated data sources
- Human resource teams can cut out hours of manual on-boarding effort
- Accounting processes could be automated to run on a regular interval
No matter your business, there are likely patterned repetitive tasks that can be automated saving you time, money, and turnover.
How do I know which of my business process can be automated?
Finding the redundant, inefficient process can be tricky. There are several methods you can employ to aid in the process:
Time Tracking Tools
Time tracking tools can help illuminate the issues. When implemented correctly, time tracking tools will begin to show patterns of tasks that happen regularly and have the added benefit of providing the time needed to perform the task. With this information you can easily calculate the recurring cost the business must absorb. However transparency is a must with time tracking tools. Often times mandated time tracking comes with a sense of distrust on behalf of the employee, so being honest about how the data is being uses is critical.
Monitoring Communication
One of the most common reasons for repetitive tasks is lack of clarity. Frequently, multiple people will perform the same task (or similar tasks) because of a lack of communication. Think of it as the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Keep an eye out for common themes and wording on status reports, slack channels, or emails to get some insight into possible duplicated efforts.
Employee Survey or Engagement
The most fool proof way to find efforts that could benefit from business process automation is so simple that it’s easy to overlook: just ask. A survey asking for the most frustrating or burdensome tasks an employee deals with is a great way to open dialogue. Taking 5 minutes to ask an employee about their work in passing or at the coffee machine is also a great way to find these problem processes. However the conversation happens, it’s important that the employee knows their job is not at stake if too much of it is automated.
Where do I begin?
There are several ways to begin exploring business process automation. First, you could bring on a full time automation engineer. With proper infrastructure and planning this can be a very great way to begin a digital transformation and add some in-house resources to the team.
However, sometimes bringing on a full-time resource can be a bit premature and a big commitment for a company just beginning to explore automation.
Bringing in a third-party partner is a great way to test the waters and see how business process automation can help your company. They will be able to identify and address these processes with years of experience solving similar problems. This is an excellent option for any business without the added commitment and overhead of a full-time employee.
If you’re considering business process automation or are just curious to see if BPA could help your business, contact us today for a free consultation.
*Source: (Clockify)
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