Minimizing Manual: Driving Into Automated Workflow Processes In 2020
/Workflow Wonders: Automation As Force Multiplier
There are some things that no software suite or app can do, no matter how well-implemented it is. Creativity, strategy, high-level analysis; these things require the human touch, and all software can do is help with the process. What implementing automation tools can do is to take repetitive tasks off your plate, leaving you free to do the things only you can do while ensuring everything else gets done consistently and comprehensively. Think of it as a force multiplier, or an assistant or intern that does everything perfectly every time as long as it’s given proper guidance.
Automating processes and leveraging emerging technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing simply makes sense for businesses and teams large enough to gain full benefits from it. How large does a business have to be for this to make sense? That’s trending smaller every month as tools and technology gets cheaper.
Why Automate?
Efficiency - Depending on scale, automation software can reduce man-hours tremendously, which means you save time to do other tasks, or you save money by not needing staff to complete repetitive tasks.
Accuracy - Computers generally only make mistakes when there is bad input; the old ‘garbage in / garbage out’ rule applies. Computers don’t get tired, don’t suffer from stress and don’t need breaks. The last task of the day is done as accurately as the first task.
Productivity - Analysts, managers and other employees can focus on higher-level tasks, without the constant time sinks and focus drains of repetitive tasks that add little to the bottom line. This not only means more work gets done, but that employees are more satisfied due to spending their day on work that engages them.
Types of Automation
What to automate? Think of your guideline as the three Rs.
● Repetitive
● Recurring
● Rules-Based
Processes and tasks that match these criteria are usually good candidates for automation. Many of the tasks that take the most man-hours in typical offices match one or more of these criteria. Can automating a process save you enough time to be worth the cost? Often, the answer is yes, especially with the rapidly dropping cost of the hardware and software necessary to implement automation.
● Setting an email follow up-tool can take following up with vendors, clients, or coworkers off your plate by continuing to email them until they get a response.
● Automating document management can help with capturing, archiving, and retrieving documents as you need them; creating backups; and transmitting documents without human intervention.
● Data entry and extraction automation can use AI and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to pull needed data from forms and files, identify keywords, and convert written forms to electronic data, thereby getting the right information to the right human at the right time.
● Approval processes and stakeholder management can benefit from automation by tracking sign offs from different stakeholders and notifying others when needed sign offs have taken place.
● Accounting is an area where automation can really shine. Automated invoicing; sorting/matching expense accounts and purchase order data; and generating reports are all tasks that automation can handle.
● Inventory management can be greatly improved by automation; keeping track of inventory; and sending automated alerts when it exceeds or falls to a designated level are obvious automation candidates. Many organizations even use automation to automatically reorder inventory as needed.
Implementing Automation Thoughtfully
Organizations that are successfully employing automation are doing so thoughtfully and with contingency plans. Just because something can be automated doesn't mean it should be automated, or that it should be rolled out with undue haste. Cost-benefit analysis and/or a process assessment are often recommended to ensure that automation is more efficient or cost-effective than the way your organization currently does things. Defining specific goals and implementing automation with those in mind can help ensure that automation is implemented in ways that best benefit your business.
Automation should be phased in over time, so that any interruptions or bottlenecks in critical functions and processes can be diagnosed and fixed more easily. It’s also important to have backup plans on an ongoing basis; power outages or a natural disaster can wreak havoc. For companies with offices in many locations, an incident that knocks out automation in one office can have a ripple effect across your whole organization. Redundancy is necessary.
Case Study: Email Follow Up Tool
Let’s look at one common tool used in workflow automation and how many ways it can be used. Take, for example, the email follow-up tool.
What this tool does is send automated emails, with timing either in a preset pattern or customized by you, to the chosen recipient until a reply is received. It’s a simple, repetitive task, but it saves you time and it ensures the task is completed where many people tend to let it fall by the wayside when there’s more pressing work to be done. Remember the three Rs; following up with clients, vendors, or prospects is a task that meets all three.
● Have a vendor that is slow to send you data you need for a report? This tool will keep emailing them until they reply.
● Need to remind customers or clients to make an appointment or reorder a product? This tool will continue to attempt contact until they do so.
● Did you recently make a sales presentation to another company? The tool will continue to send follow-ups so that your presentation doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
There are many other use cases for this tool. And this is just one of many types of workflow automation; with the right toolkit, think of how much time you can save each day!
Save Time And Stress With Workflow Automation
We hope this article has given you some ideas for implementing workflow automation for your organization. Life’s too short to waste on repetitive tasks. Workflow automation can help you achieve better, more consistent results, with more time to spend on the tasks you can’t automate.
Author Bio:
Michael Habiger is a content marketing specialist with over 6 years of experience, currently head of marketing department at FollowUpFred. He is a marketing nerd and front-fighter for big data and automation.
