Introduction
In today’s business world, there’s a simple rule: manual processes are a major hindrance to everything. They are expensive, they cause a lot of mistakes, and they make employees mad. Hence, digital process automation solutions are one of the most effective tools in the business strategy today. Technology continues to accelerate, and automation is being adopted by businesses of all types and sizes to save money, increase accuracy and get quicker than ever.
In this guide, you will discover the meaning of digital process automation, how the best platform functions, and how to pick the best digital process automation software for your requirements. If you’re just beginning or you’re looking to go big, this article will tell you all you need to know.
What Are Digital Process Automation Solutions?
Digital process automation (DPA) is the automation of multi-step, complex business processes through technology. Whereas task automation is a simple task, DPA is more advanced. It links people, systems and data throughout a workflow.
Consider it as follows. An easy automation could be an email that’s triggered after someone fills out a form. A real process automation solution for the digital world, quite on the contrary, controls the entire journey. It automatically collects form data, assigns it to the proper team, updates CRM, alerts approvers and more.
DPA is more than just the elimination of human work. It’s all about changing the way work moves in your organization. This means that teams have more time to focus on meaningful work and less time on repetitive tasks.
There are many different use cases for modern digital process automation solutions. This includes employee onboarding, invoice processing, customer service processes, compliance reporting and more.
Why Businesses Need a Digital Process Automation Platform
There’s a strong market demand for a secure digital process automation platform. Research shows that organizations that streamline their vital processes with automation experience substantial gains in productivity, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Why do businesses require DPA?
Maidens manual processes are costly. Every time an employee has to manually input data into a system, copy data to another system, or follow-up on approvals using email, the business is losing time and money. These little things quickly add up to a lot of inefficiencies.
Secondly, there is no way to prevent human error. The most careful of employees make mistakes. A digital process automation platform eliminates potential data entry mistakes, steps that are overlooked and data that is not approved. Every time the process goes through in the same manner.
Third, without automation there is no scaling. As your company expands, so should your processes. More staff is not necessarily the solution. With a powerful digital process automation platform, you can manage higher volumes, with the same number of people.
The 4th is that customers want fast service. Customers want quick answers, whether you’re doing order processing, responding to a customer support enquiry or onboard a new client. Automation provides that speed no matter what the time.
Last but not least, compliance and auditing is much easier. Digital process automation solutions document all the steps taken in a process. This simplifies regulatory compliance and simplifies the preparation for audit.
Key Features to Look for in Digital Process Automation Software
It’s imperative to make the right decision when it comes to digital process automation software. There is a wide variety of options on the market, so it’s important to understand the features that are most important.
1. Visual Workflow Builder
The very best digital process automation software will feature a visual, drag and drop interface. This enables non-technical users to create and edit workflow without coding. Find a solution that allows you to visually represent and illustrate multi-step processes.
2. System Integration Capabilities
Your automation software needs to integrate with the tools you are using. This means all your CRM, ERP, HR system, email, and any other business application. Any digital process automation solution needs to have strong integration capabilities.
3.1. Role Based Access and Approval Routing – General Information
Not all tasks are the same and should not be assigned to the same individual. Ideally, the platform will be able to route tasks according to rules, such as who has the right to access the task, the department, the workload or any other custom rule. This translates to much more efficient approval workflows.
4. Analytics and Reporting
There is no way to improve what you can’t measure. With a good digital process automation platform, you’ll have the ability to access real-time dashboards and reports. These reveal these points: Where processes can be improved still further; Where tasks take too long; Where bottlenecks occur.
5. Low Code – No Code Development
While there are still some things that are considered too tricky for business users to handle, many digital process automation software solutions are designed for business users, and not just developers. Low code and no code solutions empower operations with automation to minimize reliance on IT.
6. Scalability
The technological process you’ve selected for automation should expand with the growth of your business. Ensure that the platform is capable of scaling to accommodate more users, more complex workflows and more volume without sacrificing performance.
How Digital Process Automation Solutions Work in Practice
But, grasping the theory is another. It becomes a lot more evident when you see a digital process automation solution in practice.
Example 1: Employee Onboarding
If you are not automating your onboarding, there are lots of manual steps involved in onboarding a new employee. Paperwork needs to be sent, accounts need to be set up, training needs to be scheduled, payroll needs to be updated, etc. Paperwork must be sent, account set up, training needs to be scheduled, payroll needs to be updated etc. There can be no single step without the preceding steps. Delays are common.
The whole onboarding process begins automatically with a digital process automation platform as soon as an offer letter is signed. The system notifies IT to create accounts, schedules orientation meetings, and updates the HR system, all simultaneously, while sending documents for e-signature. New employee arrives on day one with all the tools and resources they require.
Example 2: Invoice Processing
The finance department usually takes hours of manpower to review, approve and post invoices. When errors occur, they result in late payments, poor vendor relationships and additional work.
A digital process automation solution automatically scans and extracts key data from invoices with optical character recognition, matches invoices to purchase orders, routes to the appropriate department for review, approves the invoice based on its value, and processes the invoice to the accounting system. The whole operation takes a fraction of the time and there are considerably less errors.
Example 3: Customer Support Tickets
The turnaround time for a customer’s support request can mean the difference between their trust in your business and the loss of their business. Manual triage results in loss of or delay of some tickets.
Incoming tickets are automatically categorized, prioritized and assigned to the appropriate agent based on its subject, urgency, and availability with digital process automation software. If a ticket is never resolved, it will automatically be put on a follow-up. This is because customer satisfaction is enhanced.
Digital Process Automation Solutions vs. Traditional Workflow Tools
Many companies still use the low-tech workflow applications such as spreadsheets, email threads, and simple task management programs. These are all tools that can be used, but can’t match a real digital process automation solution.
Traditional tools need all the time hands-on attention. A task needs to be taken to the next step, a follow-up needs to be sent or a record needs to be updated. The dependency is removed by digital process automation software. The system does it automatically without reminders; every time.
Also, traditional tools are not scalable. The spreadsheet that can be used by 5 people doesn’t work with 50. A digital process automation platform makes it easy to deal with scale.
In addition, there is a lack of real time visibility with traditional tools. Using DPA software, managers will be able to see exactly where every process is at any point in time. Issues with the system are immediately apparent and teams can take immediate action.
Choosing the Right Digital Process Automation Platform for Your Business
It takes careful consideration to choose the right digital process automation platform. Here is the list of most important factors that should be assessed.
Know your current processes before changing them
Prior to selecting any digital process automation software, write down your current processes. Determine the slowest, most prone-to-error, and/or most expensive processes. Here are your best automation candidates.
Assess the ease of use of the product.
The platform should be user-friendly to technical and non-technical users. Without developer support, your operations team would be unable to use it, which would negatively affect adoption. Seek out a robust onboarding program and customer service team.
Think about Your Integration Needs
Make a list of all the tools your business is using today. Next, check to see if the digital process automation solution you are considering will support all of them. Bad integrations result in data silos and fail to realize the benefits of automation.
Evaluate Security and Compliance Features
You’ll be dealing with your sensitive business data in your automation platform. Ensure that it’s compliant with industry security and standards. Check for security aspects such as role-based access control, data encryption, and audit trails.
Implement a Pilot Program.
Avoid going all out for automation. Select 1 or 2 key processes and pilot. Measure the results. Then apply the lessons learned to progressively grow your automation.
The Future of Digital Process Automation Solutions
Digital process automation is a fast-changing world. There are several exciting industry trends that are molding the future of the industry.
One of the major changes is the integration of Artificial Intelligence. AI and machine learning are starting to be integrated with modern digital process automation solutions. It can enable systems to make intelligent decisions, rather than simply execute pre-programmed rules. An AI-based system, for instance, could identify irregularities in invoices, or forecast potential delays in a workflow stage.
Hyperautomation is another trend that is on the rise. This involves the integration of several automation technologies, such as DPA, robotic process automation (RPA), AI and machine learning, to automate a maximum number of interactions. Those businesses that adopt hyperautomation benefit immensely from a competitive edge.
Citizen development also is gaining momentum. Non-technology users are now able to create and manage their own process automation software platforms with more digital process automation. It embraces innovation and enables companies to accelerate.
Lastly, the times of cloud-native automation are here. Cloud-based digital process automation platforms are more flexible, faster to update and more cost effective in terms of infrastructure.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Implementing Digital Process Automation Solutions
Though having the right digital process automation software is crucial, it can go wrong if you’re not careful. The following is a list of the most common business pitfalls, and what to avoid doing.
Automating broken processes. Automation adds to anything it touches. Even if you have an inefficient process, there is no benefit to automating it until it becomes more efficient. Always rethink or redesign a process before automating it.
Ignoring change management. Automation can be a threat to workers. Communicate what and why things are changing. Engage the team in the rollout and emphasize that it is about eliminating repetitive tasks and not jobs.
Attempting to automate all at once. Always a step-by-step approach. Go small, test out the benefit and then grow your digital process automation.
Failure to monitor and optimise. Automation isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ type of thing. Things change over time. Be sure to review your automated workflows regularly and make adjustments as the business grows.
Conclusion: Take the Next Step with Digital Process Automation Solutions
Digital process automation solutions are a real opportunity for business transformation for all businesses, no matter their size. They save you money, streamline your processes, avoid mistakes and give your team more time to work on higher value tasks.
The right digital process automation platform can bring together your entire organization, including Customer Service, Finance, HR and operations. This can be achieved with some of the best digital process automation software without much technical knowledge.
It’s all about getting begun. Find out what your most painful manual processes are, select the digital process automation solution that is right for you, and start with a pilot project that focuses. The results will be evident.
If a business invests in automation today, then it will be at the forefront of the industry tomorrow. Don’t delay to get started.