Given how rapidly the business landscape of New Zealand is changing, one might think of embracing digital transformation to stay competitive. But how? The answer lies in enterprise process automation. A lot of businesses are using it to do heavy technology lifting and deployment. However, a lot of teams are also wondering:
- What exactly is the EPA?
- Why does it matter?
- And how do we even get started?
Don’t worry, we are here to answer these questions for you. In this blog, API Connects will break down everything you need to know about enterprise process automation. Demystifying automation, empowering businesses – that’s what our goal is so that you can always be one step ahead. Working smarter, not harder!
Let’s start!
What is Enterprise Process Automation?
Enterprise process automation is exactly what its name suggests – use of technology to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks across your business, eliminating (or reducing) manual effort and chances of human error in the process. During the process, your hired engineers will integrate software, tools, and systems to handle business workflows without constant human intervention.
Think of enterprise process automation like this:
- You were manually entering dates from invoices into your accounting software and made a mistake. That led to delay and errors. But now everything gets extracted and logged automatically. No chances of error!
- Enough chasing approvals via email. Your new enterprise system routes requests, tracks responses, and updates records in real time.
- Customer onboarding that once took days? Well, you don’t have to worry about those anymore, thanks to the power of the EPA. Now, all those functions get taken care of instantly through pre-set digital workflows.
Why are Enterprises Investing in Process Automation?
Current business atmosphere demands more than survival. Efficiency and agility are crucial for continued business operations. Enterprise Process Automation will provide basic operational competitiveness through automation systems that benefit companies regardless of their organizational size.
Any business fostering growth alongside established enterprises should use automation to enhance operational methods. Here’s why you need it:
Eliminates costly human errors
Any manual process carries risks. There are high chances of producing incorrect data entry results (like misplaced information, repeated entries, and neglected approval processes). These can trigger financial consequences, compliance problems, and customer service problems.
EPA removes the risk of human errors. It performs every task precisely and follows the same procedure without exception. For instance, automated invoice processing makes payment errors disappear. Similarly, AI-based data checking keeps your CRM system free of mistakes.
Boosts operational efficiency
A notable proportion of employee work time gets used up on repetitive activities including data entry, report production, and workflow approval stages. These prevent employees from focusing on strategic work or engaging with customers. Enterprise process automation speeds up business operations by converting multiple hours into instant turnaround times.
Example? Your sales team can use automated software to create documents and activate e-signature processes. No more manual drafts and chasing signatures!
Enhances scalability without adding overhead
Your business expansion leads to higher transaction volume and rising service requests. Pair it with backend operations and now you need better management. The process of expansion through increased staffing costs money. Not to mention, creates long-term financial challenges for sustainability.
Automation will adjust automatically according to your growing business to support operational growth without additional staff. Yes, even when processing rises from 100 to 10,000 orders. E-commerce enterprises can manage order processing and inventory handling with automatic systems that do not require increased staff numbers in their logistics division.
Improves compliance and reduces risk
Industries like finance, healthcare, and legal services face strict regulatory requirements. Any failure to comply with auditing procedures during manual processes exposes companies to significant risks of penalties. Even one omission can trigger regulatory consequences.
EPA ensures standard workflow implementation that records every action for both compliance and accountability through tracking capabilities. Automated document retention systems, for instance, make certain your records are securely stored and easily accessible for auditing purposes.
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Delivers faster customer experiences
Customers nowadays require immediate responses – doesn’t matter if it’s onboarding, communication support, or order operations. Bad experiences and reputational harm can occur if they encounter slow manual workflows. The automation feature in EPA allows for rapid service delivery by running customer-facing processes.
Offering instant loan validations, tracking orders in real time, and chatbot-powered support are some examples. Especially financial enterprises, they can use enterprise process automation to approve mortgage applications in hours instead of weeks. Dramatically improving customer satisfaction.
Provides real-time visibility and data-driven decisions
Another reason why organizations should invest in enterprise process automation. You have to depend on fragmented reports and guesswork to track the process when working manually. Through EPA, leaders obtain instant monitoring dashboards that help identify process problems alongside optimization possibilities.
For example, your manufacturing firm can monitor production line delays and automatically adjust workflows. Thereby, stopping downtime before it occurs using this approach.
Reduces operational costs
Let’s be honest – costs that companies pay to their employees to do repetitive work, fixing errors, and managing inefficiencies are too much. EPA will reduce operational spending by lowering dependence on human personnel. That too while cutting down avoidable work and maximizing resources effectively.
Future-proofs your business
Modern businesses lag behind competitors when they maintain aged methods during accelerating technological advancement. The enterprise process automation system will function as a forward-looking operational tool for you. It will let you smoothly connect AI, machine learning applications, and future technology with your existing systems.
Organizations that automate early secure a primary advantage in the market against their competitors who are still reliant on legacy systems.
How to Get Started With an Enterprise Process Automation System?
So far, we have addressed WHAT and WHY. Now it’s time to explore HOW. Transitioning to an automated workflow system is no easy feat – true. But with the right approach, you can easily implement enterprise process automation within your organization flawlessly.
These steps will guide you through the process:
Identify repetitive & time-consuming processes
Before buying a car, you look for its specifications, comfort, resale value, mileage, and most importantly, your goals, right? Similarly, you need to identify repetitive and time-consuming processes within your business. Audit your existing workflows thoroughly. Determine which tasks are best suited for automation. We suggest you look for:
- Operations that involve many repetitive tasks such as data entry, invoice processing, and report generation.
- Rule-based processes that keep decision points crystal clear throughout decision-making processes. These could be approval workflows and ticket routing.
- Bottlenecks causing delays. Manual handoffs between departments, for example.
Define clear goals and KPIs
Done identifying business processes? The second stage of process improvement demands organizations to specify particular objectives together with performance indicators known as KPIs. Common goals could include:
- Reducing processing time by X%
- Cutting operational costs by $X
- Decreasing error rates to near-zero
- Improving employee productivity by X hours per week
Choose right automation tools
Every business requires distinct automation systems to fulfill its enterprise process automation needs. Key options include:
- Low-code/no-code platforms. Zapier and Microsoft Power Automate are some amazing platforms for simple workflows.
- Robotic process automation (RPA). Enterprises can use UiPath and Blue Prism to handle repetitive digital tasks.
- Business process management (BPM) software like Kissflow and Nintex will serve you as tools to control complete workflows.
- Custom-built integrations for complex, industry-specific needs
We highly recommend you begin with a vital process. That way, you would be able to evaluate the effectiveness before expanding the implementation.
Map out and optimise workflows
You need to ask your hired engineers to map current workflows while optimizing them for better results. Both are important as they can streamline the whole process to avoid automating inefficiency. Talking about techniques, they can include:
- Analysis of existing workflow operations through process mining functions as an AI procedure.
- Eliminating steps that present themselves as unnecessary. These could include requirements for duplicate document approvals.
- Standardizing inputs and outputs to maintain uniformity across operations.
Implement in three-finger rule
Many readers must be thinking, “What does the 3-fingers rule stand for?” In terms of enterprise process automation, it’s a gradual rollout, a controlled deployment sequence that will help you reduce potential problems while creating space for needed changes.
Here’s what the three-finger rule is about:
- Pilot phase: Automate a single process with a small team.
- Test and optimise: After the testing and optimization stage, your team will evaluate feedback while solving identified problems to enhance workflow performance.
- Scale up: As the name suggests, implementation will help your enterprise expand automated processes to different departments.
Train employees and foster adoption
Some enterprises might want to skip this step. Trust us, you shouldn’t! Without training your staff members, you won’t be able to maximize ROI, ensure smooth adoption, and unlock the full potential of automation. Promote the widespread acceptance of the new enterprise process automation system.
Here are some best practices to consider while training your team members:
- Conduct interactive sessions that go beyond generic written documentation for training.
- Clearly explain the advantages of your new enterprise process automation system. Illustrate how workers no longer need to perform manual data entry.
- Select automation champions who you think are the best to drive adoption.
Note: Some of your employees might fear that their jobs might get replaced by automation. Address it by clarifying automation augments (not replaces) their roles within your organization.
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Monitor, measure, and continuously improve
Congratulations! You’ve finally gotten your enterprise process automation installed. But hey, the journey doesn’t end here. In fact, we would say – it has just begun. Automation isn’t a set-and-forget solution. Even after implementation, you should continuously track performance to enhance your system further.
You can track performance using:
- Real-time dashboards serve as interactive processes to display completion rates of operations in real-time.
- Error logs to fine-tune workflows
- Employee and customer feedback
Integrate with AI and advanced analytics
Our how-to guide will be considered incomplete without discussing this aspect of enterprise process automation. Once basic automation is running smoothly, integrate:
- AI systems for decision-making. For example, businesses can use it for predictive maintenance in manufacturing.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP) for customer service bots.
- Advanced analytics for deeper process insights.
Consult for Enterprise Process Automation
There, we shared the steps involved in setting up EPA within your organization. As you can see, the process is full of obstacles. Don’t want to navigate alone? Hire API Connects! For almost a decade, our automation engineers are helping businesses like yours cut costs, boost efficacy, and future-proof operations.
Here are more factors that set us apart:
- Proven expertise: we’ve helped trusted NZ enterprises with process automation and machine learning solutions.
- Tailored solutions: Cookie-cutter fixes? No, we curate solutions that fit your unique enterprise needs.
- End-to-end support: From strategy to training, we will stand with you every step of your journey.
Email us at enquiry@apiconnects.co.nz to take the first step toward a faster, leaner business!
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