Efficiency and productivity are absolutely critical in today’s fast-paced corporate environment, and automation—once a futuristic idea—may just be a key to maximizing both.

This technology is changing the business landscape by simplifying processes, decreasing mistakes, and handling repetitive tasks; in fact, according to a Deloitte study, 80 percent of executives think it can be applied to any business decision. Adopt it in your own company, and you may see better results, lower expenses, and a major surge in growth.

What is automation

Business automation is exactly as it sounds: it’s the use of technology to automate various types of duties and processes in the workplace. Think about how many hours are spent on simple and rote tasks like responding to routine customer inquiries, processing invoices, and entering data. Although necessary, they can also be susceptible to errors and pull employees away from more valuable work. But automation can take them on with ease, providing standardization that leads to greater accuracy and consistency. Just as important, it enables your team to commit their time to engaging in innovation and creativity and strengthening consumer relationships—uniquely human-centric skills that are game changers, when it comes to separating from the competition and achieving business success.

Boosting efficiency

The effects of automation on workflow efficiency are significant. Don’t believe it? Consider a factory in China that replaced 90 percent of its human workforce with machines, which then turned into a 250 percent increase in productivity and an 80 percent drop in defects. And that was a decade ago—automation tech has improved even more since then. Of course, this isn’t to say that you should oust your own staff in favor of technology; as indicated earlier, there are many aspects of business that require abilities only humans can provide. But this shows that, for certain areas of your company, standardizing procedures and removing repetitive work may help attain a higher degree of efficiency.

Wondering how your company can reach these numbers? Robotic process automation (RPA) tools from companies like UiPath and Automation Anywhere, for example, can allow you to automate your routine tasks, including documentation and invoice tracking. This will help you get through project timelines faster and serve customers more proficiently for an all-around better employee and user experience.

Increasing staff output

Over the years, one of the biggest fears many employees have had about automation is that it will make their jobs redundant. However, that sentiment is changing as companies discover the best ways to implement this tool for the benefit of their workforces. Several studies from Salesforce reflect this: for example, 89 percent of workers reported experiencing greater satisfaction in their jobs thanks to automation, gaining a better work-life balance. In addition, 74 percent of respondents said automation has helped them be more productive, while 90 percent of IT workers felt it improved collaboration across departments.

A major reason for this is simply because, as noted above, automation enables employees to engage in more demanding and fulfilling projects. Rather than being stuck spending hours on tedious tasks, they can concentrate their full attention on content ideation, strategic planning, and more, maximizing their strengths and interests to help them feel more inspired in their work and complete it at a higher-quality level. And beyond freeing up their time, automating repetitive chores can give your staff access to data and insights, equipping them to make wise decisions and propel positive change.

There are many tools that may be especially useful to boost employee production, such as those from top CRM company Salesforce. Its lead management, follow-up email, and performance-reporting automation platforms may allow those in sales to devote more time to developing relationships and closing deals. Similarly, project management technology from Asana and Trello can help any team focus on project execution instead of administrative overhead by simplifying task assignments and progress tracking.

Improving financial performanc

Another vital area where automation shows great advantage is financial operations, primarily since mistakes in this area may be especially detrimental. There are a wide variety of tasks you may focus on depending on your business needs. Consider implementing automatic billing and invoicing, which can improve accuracy and ensure that nothing gets missed, or moving payroll to an automated platform that will initiate checks on a consistent schedule and enable you to quickly and easily make adjustments across the board. As for accounting, QuickBooks and Xero are two excellent software options that offer tools for automatically tracking expenses and invoices. Xero, for example, can allow you to create real-time financial reports, instantly classify transactions, and combine bank feeds. Apart from reducing manual data entry, these systems can provide insightful analysis to help you make better financial decisions.

Enhancing the client experience

Even customer experience has improved thanks to automation, most notably chatbots and other AI-driven support systems like those from Salesloft and Intercom. Such aids can offer immediate assistance and quick resolutions to concerns from your client base. According to Solvvy, 55 percent of consumers give up after ten minutes of having to wait for a live agent, making these tools essential for preventing frustration and retaining interest. And over two-thirds of users actually find them helpful now, meaning they likely won’t turn off people from your company as much as they would have in the past. Implement automation in your customer service, and you may not only speed up communication by 80 percent but also save about 30 percent of costs on your current customer support per Invesp—a win-win for everyone involved.

In addition, you can utilize AI-powered analytics tools to gain insights into consumer behavior, enabling your company to better match their ideals and fulfill their wants and needs. Google Analytics is always a simple and easy choice for analyzing this info across platforms, or consider Hotjar, which helps you dive deep into how users interact with your website.

Automation can present transforming advantages for many companies, allowing them to simplify procedures, lower operating costs, and concentrate on strategic projects promoting growth. By adopting this tool, you can better propel your business ahead rather than get left behind.

TAKE ACTION:
Evaluate your business processes to see where you can implement tools like RPA or CRM systems to streamline operations and boost efficiency.