How to choose the right solution for automating your business processes?

What is the purpose of streamlining an enterprise’s business processes? Efficiency, reduction of costs, customer satisfaction – the list is long. But the main reason behind business process automation and streamlining is the need to improve the organization’s day-to-day operation and make them more efficient.

If it is done wrong though, then the initial reason will be defeated in the first place.

So, here’s what you need to have in mind so that you can smoothly streamline your business processes and move them to an automated model.

Analyze

In the first place, you need to study the process before automating it. Start with mapping it out  visually. In this way all the redundancies and inefficient steps will become clear. It is said that before streamlining business processes, one should literally dissect them. Improving efficiency in the root will lead to greater overall efficiency after the process is automated.

And exactly this is what Bill Gates says:

The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.

Solution after analysis

More often than not, people create their own automation applications and then try to fit them to the problematic processes. That is why the first step of analysis is essential for making things work. So, study the process and its inefficiencies and then develop and apply a solution for it.

Is the investment worth?

Making a process cost- and time-effective is the first purpose of streamlining it. So make sure the resources you spend for streamlining don’t outweigh the costs and time saved because of process automation.

As an addition to the above mentioned point, it is crucial to consider the effect in the long term. An essential part of this is leaving a space for change and growth in the process. Implementing automation can take few months or even an year, depending on the process, so make a plan for the next 3 to 5 years. Last but not least, don’t forget about the 80-20 rule – if you change 20% of your processes, this can yield 80% of the possible benefits.

Readymade solutions

You are not alone in searching for a workflow and automation solution for your  business. Some of the business processes in your organization might possibly be similar to processes which have already gone through automation in other companies. Having in mind all the previously mentioned steps, look into the possibilities to adopt an existing solution, which has already been tested and has proved itself successful.

Figuring out which solution fits your processes and answers your enterprise’s needs saves you time, money, prevents you from frustration. But most importantly – it helps you keep and improve the integrity of your organization.

Last but not least, you should keep the statistics in mind when implementing a new solution for your business processes. A recent research shows that about 68% of enterprise workflow and automation solutions fail. And the fault is rarely in technology itself. The main reasons are that the people in the enterprise are not properly trained or they don’t receive adequate support from the vendor. You should also make sure not to get in the trap of the salesperson’s faulty promises about the speed of implementation.

In the end, don’t forget to have a look at the products and solutions we can offer for your business.