Why understanding workflows is key in automating business processes

The automation of business processes is becoming a huge game-changer for many companies in the face of rising costs and challenging trading conditions. Any way that a company can save time and money whilst improving their service is always going to be of interest. Business process automation can deliver this, but what actually is it and how do you go about implementing it within your organisation?

What is a business process and a workflow?

Business processes are a series of stages which combine in a certain sequence to accomplish a larger organisational goal with a clearly defined outcome. Most companies will have a number of business processes which it undertakes regularly to keep running at optimum performance for the benefit of customers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders.

A workflow, on the other hand, consists of repeatable activities which are necessary in order to complete a task. Typically workflows account for granular details which contribute to small-scale objectives.

If you consider a pyramid structure – the process would sit at the top with an overriding business objective. This process could consist of a number of different workflows – which literally flow through different areas of the business. At the next level down, within each workflow you will have a series of activities which need to be completed in order for the workflow to seamlessly flow to complete various tasks and deliver the end-to-end process.

Where does automation come in?

Because a workflow is reliant on a series of activities being completed on-time, in a certain sequence, and, in turn, the process is reliant on the workflows reaching completion, any bottleneck, at any stage, can cause significant delays – meaning a loss of time, and usually money.

Automation involves removing all activities and tasks which require manual input, or duplication of effort, using technology and integrated systems to ensure there are no disruptions to the workflow and that no errors occur. Ultimately this means that you can save significant time within your business which could be used to deliver better customer service or increase the number of customers you can deal with, without needing to hire any additional staff.

Which business process workflows could be automated?

Within any business there are a number of workflows which could be automated.  Any process with defined steps can be streamlined through automation, meaning you could unlock capacity in a number of departments – from service delivery, finance, sales, marketing and HR.

Client onboarding

9 times out of 10 client onboarding involves collecting data from the customer, even if it is only simple contact details. Digitalisation of this process means that not only can customers self-complete this process on any device (and save progress at different stages), it also enables you to add compulsory fields, dropdown options and further information pop-outs.

This makes the completing of the form much easier for the customer and also means you know you are going to get the information that you need – nothing can be left blank or ignored. The digitalisation of this process also enables the upload of attachments or imagery/photos where applicable – so everything is kept in one place.

Digital forms can now be signed electronically and once submitted the relevant data can be automatically extracted and sent to the relevant systems/databases, with notifications sent to the relevant departments and subsequent workflows triggered.

Service delivery

If you operate a business that involves members of staff working remotely on customer sites, perhaps installing, fixing or delivering products and services, then automation can dramatically speed up workflow processes. No longer do you need to wait to manually exchange information and documentation with mobile workers. Now remote team members can receive and update jobs on-the-go in real-time, whilst keeping the customer and head office in the loop at all times.

Data processing

Integrated systems enable one single input of data to be simultaneously fired to a number of different relevant databases such as job management software, CRM, financial systems or 3^rd party plug-in systems. This eliminates the need to duplicate manual data input and significantly reduces the risk of errors.  In addition, depending on the hierarchy of information that each system needs, these can be updated in real-time.

This system integration also enables you to build online forms or portals that customers complete which automatically fires the request directly into, for example, a logistics partner’s system to schedule the collection.

Payment processing

With virtually everybody now having made a payment using some form of online portal – either ordering a takeaway, paying a bill or booking a holiday, online payment portals are almost becoming the expected norm. They certainly will be with the latest generation of consumers.  In fact it could be to the detriment of some business if they don’t utilise such systems.  Commonplace systems such as Xero and GoCardless have varying functionality which can automate invoices and payment reminders, collect direct debits and set up recurring payments.  The beauty with digital transactions is that they can be reconciled easily with customer accounts and can automatically trigger next steps such as issuing a receipt. If you are supplying a physical product, you could automate your entire fulfilment process.

Enquiry and complaints management

Very similar in concept to customer onboarding, encouraging customers to lodge complaints or enquire digitally, via electronic forms, can smoothly automate enquiry and complaint management.

From a customer perspective this does not limit them to the, often inconvenient, customer helpline hours, opening it up to 24/7 submissions with automated email or SMS notification acknowledging receipt and explaining the next steps. Once an enquiry or complaint is submitted, the relevant departments/people can be notified and subsequent tasks allocated.  You can also set escalation protocols to ensure that all tasks are dealt with within a specific timeframe, with notifications sent to clients when any developments or updates on their case is available.

Reporting

Manually collecting data and compiling reports is time-consuming and inefficient. Managers have to rely on their teams to provide the information needed in a timely fashion. Quite often the data is out of date before it is ready to be absorbed.

When your processes are digitalised, it’s much easier to run real-time reports. This can be invaluable for making business decisions.

Templates can be designed for any kind of report, and these reports can be scheduled to automatically arrive in an employees email inbox at a set date/time. This means managers no longer have to rely on their teams to provide reports.

Simplifying workflows with :automate

When you have absolute clarity over the processes and key workflows within your business you can start to prioritise those which could be streamlined further through automation, delivering significant time and costs savings.

At :automate we have our own specific process for identifying and prioritising these key processes and workflows which we carry out within our “automation audit”. This enables us to really understand the mechanics of your business and highlight specific areas where significant improvements can be made.

Our self-developed low-code digital platform means that we are not looking to plug-in existing modules and change the way you may work. We will build a custom solution designed for your business, your processes and your workflows which adds real value. We can integrate with any existing systems that you use and our focus is on making everything as user-friendly as possible so it feels natural and intuitive.

We recommend focussing in on a specific process and workflow(s) to begin with. Once you experience the organisational benefit and see how quickly return-on-investment can be achieved, you will hopefully want to gradually address all of your workflows through automation.