Process automation has been a staple of many industries for some time. Power plants, factories and IT departments have been using business process automation tenets for years. Their value and success is now making them a larger factor in other industries. People are beginning to realize that automation of distinct business practices can be a powerful and profitable strategy for businesses of all types.
Loosely defined, process automation refers to completely or partially automating regular business processes with technology. In other words, it's all about isolating the things your company does on a regular basis and applying organization an technological tools to automate as much of the process as you reasonably can.
For example, let's say that part of your business involves providing price quotations for the services you offer. Those quotations are based on a number of different factors.
Currently, you might utilize individual employees to perform this task. They might speak with prospective clients, solicit the information necessary to create a quotation and then "come up with a number" based on your guidelines and their own limited discretion.
That's not a horrible system, but it does pose a few risks. A poorly trained employee could make a meaningful mistake. A simple error in calculation could spell the difference between profit and loss. The process may take up a disproportionate amount of employee time, leaving them unable to handle other responsibilities effectively.
Process automation might resolve the problem by creating a program the employees could use to create quotations. The new software might help them to gather necessary information and could then provide the resulting price quotation. Some individual discretion might be retained, with the program giving the employee an idea of how much "play" existed in the number.
A more aggressive bit of process automation might involve adding a quotation system to the company website. Prospective clients could be directed to the site, where they would supply the necessary information and would then receive a quotation.
Why is process automation becoming more popular? Advances in technology and technological literacy are making it easier to implement, which allows employers to gain some significant advantages. Understanding your business processes and training your employees in your processes will contribute to efficiency, aid in increasing scalability, provide heightened levels of accountability and supply valuable data that can be used to further improve company systems.