The process of using automation software or bots to automate manual tasks is known as robotic process automation or RPA. RPA increases the efficiency and productivity of manual processes by automating them, therefore reducing the amount of time and costs spent on manual tasks carried out by human employees.
Some common use cases of workflow automation are document processing, payroll, invoice generation and data entry. But this is just the basic stuff!
What are the benefits from automation?
Improve productivity
With the help of data automation and RPA, you can significantly reduce the need for manual processing by automating tasks and increasing the work output and productivity of your employees.
Reduce errors
When you implement automation, you greatly reduce the risk of human errors and incorrect data being inputted, since software bots handle the tasks on pre-defined rules, logic and workflows.
Improve profitability
Manual processes are highly dependent on the availability of staff. When you reduce that dependency on a human workforce with automation, you shorten waiting times, increase speed of delivery, eliminate bottlenecks, resolve skill shortages and improve the efficiency of your work output. RPA ultimately has a direct positive impact on your company's profitability.
Examples and use cases of workflow automation
IT
Just like every other department of an organisation, the IT department carries a good share of responsibilities, which includes everything from managing the servers to resolving technical issues. To avoid overburdening your IT teams, it’s best to automate processes like these:
Managing cyber security and sending security alerts
Testing new software and hardware
Managing internal support tickets
Creating new employee accounts
Updating software on employee devices
Finance and Accounts
More often than not, accounting processes require a significant amount of manual inputs in the form of data entry. As a result, there is plenty of room for error and it can potentially lead to cash flow problems, if the errors go unnoticed. If you wish to minimise such errors and invest in workflow automation instead, here are just some of the processes you can consider automating:
Reimbursing employee expenses
Managing sales orders
Processing customer invoices
Preparing financial statements
HR Management
The HR department of any organisation can benefit from automation, especially if their role requires chasing others for information or working on tasks which could be better automated. Below are HR processes that can be easily automated:
Processing payroll
Maintaining employee records
Processing time off requests
Managing employee applications
Sales
Sales teams are responsible for building and maintaining relationships with clients and play a crucial role in growing the business. However, sales processes have bottlenecks which are often associated with manual tasks, which in turn affects the team’s productivity. Automating your sales processes allows your sales teams to focus on what’s more important...closing deals! Some of the sales processes that you should consider automating are:
Invoice management
Data entry
Generating sales reports
Scheduling consultations
Prospect gathering
Leads qualification
Sending reminders or follow-up emails
Marketing
Some of the most common marketing jobs include market research, audience research and campaign management. RPA can improve the efficiency of existing processes and assist the marketing team complete more work, faster. Here are just a few marketing tasks that can be easily automated:
Scheduling marketing emails and social media posts
Setting up digital marketing campaigns
Lead qualification
Gathering campaign performance data
If your organisation is interested in automating your existing manual processes and maximising productivity, get in touch with our team of automation experts today!