Therefore, if your business relies solely on manual processes, then updating these may be essential to stay competitive in todays marketplace.
Business Process Automation (BPA) is using technology to automate business processes. In this article, well outline business process automation (BPA) and its benefits in 10 tangible use cases.
What is Business Process Automation?
Business Process Automation (BPA) refers to technology-enabled processes for business that facilitate completion without human participation, for instance, the production or assembly of goods, onboarding new employees, and signing new customers.
Examples could be the production or group of products, assimilation, and onboarding of new staff, customer acquisition, etc.
An action often serves as the initial step of an intricate business process across departments. For example, employee onboarding may start when the HR system triggers predefined workflows to send welcoming emails, set security credentials, and enter financial data into the compensation system.
Automating workflows within business processes improves accuracy and efficiency significantly. BPA relies on various technologies to meet its goals, including automation, cloud platforms, and process intelligence.
BPA often hides behind popular enterprise applications like ERP or HRMS systems, which abide by industry standards.
Read More: The CRM System For Business Automation
Business Process Automation Examples
Automated business processes are used in numerous management areas, operations and supply chains, human resources, marketing, and HR.
Computerized methods provide an ideal way of handling manual tasks with high volumes or that need multiple participants completing them quickly, as well as those that involve constant compliance requirements or multiple participants with unique access points for compliance requirements.
You are onboarding new employees. Integrating new hires is a critical business process. It involves numerous routine but detailed tasks - filling in employee forms, scheduling training courses, setting up accounts payable, and filing the relevant tax paperwork.
Automation makes onboarding much more streamlined while keeping managers and employees updated as all steps have been completed successfully. Explore how automating onboarding could benefit your organization today.
Financial service firms such as banks, insurance, and finance firms must comply with the Know Your Customer Rule 2090 by conducting background checks on new clients who come through their doors, notifying local and federal authorities when welcoming them as part of the Know Your Customer Rule 2090 and using artificial intelligence-enhanced BPA solutions to streamline processes involving multiple manual procedures; improving customer satisfaction while simultaneously shortening process times through quicker automated systems.
IT Service Desk Support. Automated software has revolutionized IT support desk support capabilities by being able to analyze, classify, and send tickets directly to relevant staff while updating customers on service status, as well as notifying IT personnel of compliance issues requiring immediate attention - amongst many other tasks.
AI can even be integrated into automated helpdesk software to detect patterns of common problems so it can manage, predict, and solve them promptly.
Marketing Automation. With marketing automation software, businesses can send automated customer communications across social media, email, websites, and text messages to increase sales and streamline marketing efficiency.
Marketing departments use CRM technologies such as automation for repetitive tasks that improve marketing efficiency as part of customer relationship management systems (CRM). Find out more.
Business process automation has many benefits.
Automation of business processes provides efficiency and standardization that have many benefits for companies - among them are those listed below.
Automation can save time by automating mundane and low-value tasks, provided a workflow system communicates exceptions requiring human involvement quickly to the relevant people for resolution. Automating menial work allows employee experience to focus their energies on more impactful endeavors.
Centralizing business processes through automation allows organizations to gain greater transparency in their workflows.
BPA software provides companies with visibility of all process steps on one dashboard. It clarifies the current state of each process (task reviews/approvals, etc). Automating compliance ensures regulations are being observed.
BPA has become increasingly critical to enterprises efforts at digital business transformation. Digital transformation relies on automating processes, including converting information to computer-readable formats for inclusion in enterprise-wide range automation solutions.
CHALLENGES: Not every process can be automated with Business Process Automation (BPA), however.
BPA works best when tasks have high volumes, repeat regularly, and require multiple users for completion. Automated processes tend to be more straightforward regarding compliance and auditing; however, this article on the benefits of BPA shows it may take a work review.
It is worth reviewing automated processes periodically in light of changing governance, regulatory, or security requirements to see how their effects on automation might impact them.
What is the relationship between BPA and RPA?
BPA stands for Business Process Automation; RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is one of the leading automated capabilities for streamlining business processes and improving efficiency.
RPA automates how people use the software at work; businesses find RPA attractive due to its ability to automate interactions between applications and copied data. Workers and developers use RPA to record a rough draft by just clicking or scrolling their mouse, with RPA protecting these drafts against changes to application layout or workflow changes by the RPA platform.
Digital and complex process automation rely heavily on AI capabilities for more complex automation. Natural language processing can translate invoice numbers directly to fields within business systems; machine vision algorithms could even perform damage estimation from insurance policies, while machine learning/AI algorithms automate decision-making for bots.
BPA tools may also be developed using low-code platforms, which are more efficient than RPA because API access, instead of simulating user progress, is used for development.
Some low-code platforms like Microsoft Power Automate combine RPA programming with cloud API speed for maximum development efficiency.
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What is the relationship between BPA and BPM?
BPA can be implemented independently or as part of an overall business process management (BPM) strategy; both can be seen as separate initiatives but often have similar functions.
BPA and BPM terms should not be considered equivalent as they differ significantly in definition and application.
BPA and BPM aim to optimize business processes to help organizations meet their goals more efficiently; however, their respective focuses differ.
BPA emphasizes automating business processes, while BPM may or may not involve this form of automation, using various techniques for modeling, analyzing, optimizing, and changing them.
BPM (Business Process Management) oversees business processes collectively to reduce errors, enhance workflow efficiency, and define job roles and responsibilities more clearly while adapting more readily to changes in business goals.
BPM projects utilize tools like BPMN for drawing complex business processes onto diagrams. This enables better comprehension of existing processes while serving as templates to implement automation technologies like BPA.
What is the relationship between BPA and business process analysis (BPA)?
Business Process Automation and the Analysis of Business Processes, or BPA and ABC, respectively, are related technologies that share their acronym.
BPA encompasses automating current processes, while the latter uses manual or automated methods to map out current ones and understand them more fully. Manual approaches involve interviewing business and subject-matter experts to map a process; automated methods use technologies like process mining, capture of operations, and process intelligence to do this automatically.
Process mining uses enterprise logs to identify business processes, their variations, and process capture (also called task mining).
It uses machine vision technology to monitor an employee screen and create an overview map illustrating multiple applications processes. Process Intelligence refers to merging analytics capabilities with technologies for increased automation and insights.
Gartner recently introduced Enterprise Business Process Analysis (EPBA) to refer to automated methods used for mapping and analyzing processes.
Automating business processes
Before initiating a BPA project, its essential that you fully understand how the current process operates, why it makes an ideal candidate for automation, and any necessary modifications before beginning work on one.
These initial steps must be completed successfully for any plan to succeed.
- Establish your enterprises appetite for automation.
business process automation software involves changing how work gets done, key stakeholders should be informed.
Executive support depends on its scope; employees will have to be briefed, whether this be simply turning paper documents into electronic format for distribution to specific individuals or more transformational automation to support new business models - in either case, BPA must demonstrate its value to employees who might be affected; communication plays an essential part in making sure employees know about any resulting positive changes that impact them as employees.
- Understanding current processes will assist with identifying candidates for automating them. Still, first understanding them will make it easier to see the opportunities for change and automate them. It would help if you started somewhere. Understanding existing business processes, as well as any rules that govern them, may prove challenging - making an understanding of them all essential before using automation tools to automate processes further.
- Scale your project according to automation maturity. Business process automation (BPA) projects focused on automating complex business processes, and case management often yield the most significant returns; for companies newer to automation, experts usually suggest starting small-scale rule-based repetitive tasks, like purchasing orders where all steps and exceptions included are understandable and accessible via various process intelligence tools, like process mining or capture.
- Speak to key stakeholders regarding any process steps that you plan on automating, eliminating, or optimizing. Another common phrase associated with process automation is "Dont pave cow paths." Automating processes requires assessing or reviewing potential improvements and changes to address existing problems, making this warning extremely controversial among companies who want to automate quickly. BPA maintains that successful automation projects require input from multiple stakeholders - not only businesses seeking quick results. James Highsmith III of Software Engineering Associates International believes successful automation projects require information from business analysts, IT, and development teams, as well as other stakeholders. He wrote the Agile Manifesto document.
Software and tools for automating business processes
- Workflow tools designed for business users with limited programming experience. RPA (Robotic Process Automation) software creates robots to mimic how humans use digital devices through their user interfaces.
- Intelligent Automation refers to using machine learning or other artificial intelligence tools for training automation models that improve with use over time, and Digital Process Automation refers to this trend encompassing BPA as part of digital transformation efforts.
Modern Automation vs. Manual Processes
Turnaround Times
Manual or paper-based processes typically have longer turnaround times; we will take an example such as manual expense report processing as our starting point.
Employees collect all receipts and write each on an official form before handing it over for manager review and submission to accounting, who then forward the paper back out again, with reimbursement following approval by Accounting.
A typical process could last several weeks or more and considers factors, such as when claims contain items that do not fall under policy coverage.
At 43% of companies, employees filing expense reports typically need eight business days from when they submit them until being reimbursed; 22% can complete this process within one to three days.
Business automation (BPA) offers businesses an effective solution to automating manual processes like expense reporting.
Through creating workflows with automated steps and procedures, BPA reduces errors significantly while increasing accuracy in decision-making processes.
Employees fill out an electronic form, photograph their receipts, and submit. This form is instantly delivered to their manager, who reviews it quickly before being automatically routed to accounting, where it will be entered into their database.
Respondents rated accelerated document processing as the most noticed immediately filing it too long between filing an expense claim reimbursement and getting their reimbursement check.
Process Costs
Manual processes also incur higher indirect costs; the time required to approve and process documents is an indirect factor that must be factored into calculations.
As seen above, 46% of businesses dont monitor costs associated with processing expense reports and have yet to estimate how much each one costs to process one claim.
Costs associated with employee travel for business could seem minimal at first glance; however, when coupled with expense reports submitted regularly on business trips, this cost savings could quickly escalate.
So, it should be no surprise that 70 percent of companies use workflow automation to reduce costs. BPA helps lower processing expenses by automating approvals and decreasing manual data entry efforts.
Read More: Maximizing Efficiency with Automated IT Tasks: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ten Benefits of Business Process Automation Use Cases
Your company is losing money due to manual processes. Your employees may become disengaged and dissatisfied at work as a result.
At frevvo BPA, we will explore ten use cases for automating processes and demonstrate its features and benefits.
Employee Onboarding
Your business operations may be losing money through manual processes. Furthermore, this will cause employees to feel disengaged from work and eventually frustrated.
Automating processes has many uses; we will explore ten use cases here as we demonstrate forever BPAs use in automating them.
An employee onboarding program is vital in creating an outstanding first impression for new hires as it eases the transition and increases productivity.
On their first day, many employees find themselves overwhelmed by paperwork. 58% of companies prioritize onboarding programs to ease this transition process for newcomers - which often results in unhappy new hires who take longer than expected to become proficient.
Automation technology can automate onboarding processes for new employees. Information collected about individuals: I9 and W4 forms can be completed to submit payroll and benefits paperwork; office equipment can also be designated to specific people.
Purchase Orders
Purchase orders are an integral component of procurement processes and enable companies to acquire products and services necessary for running operations efficiently.
Manual entry of data and forms can hinder this process, with employees spending many hours weekly filling out order forms by hand. Business process automation offers a simple solution. Digitalize the purchase order form, connect it to an SQL Database for customer service data storage, and gain instantaneous results.
- This is an example: Integrate your forms into an automated workflow system, and they will immediately reach their appropriate approver.
- This is an example workflow for purchasing orders: This example also contains a conditional rule: purchase orders exceeding a specific value are directed toward a vice president for review.
Travel Authorizations
Employees requesting pre-approval for business application should complete a Travel Authorization Form similar to expense reports but used explicitly for travel purposes.
Manual processes often waste valuable time chasing down incomplete data or emailing documents back and forth, taking up far more of your day than is needed for travel request submission. frevvo BPA allows for simplified travel request processes with physical forms replaced by software-powered forms that save time and resources.
- This is an example of an online travel authorization form: Employees can submit the documents online using any device and add signatures securely using Adobe Sign. When complete, these will be forwarded automatically to both their manager and Finance Department for review before being passed along for final approval once submitted.
- This is an example of how to automate a travel authorization workflow: Employees can quickly submit travel requests and efficiently receive reimbursements.
Demands for time off
An employee may request time off due to illness or emergency, which can be incredibly challenging when presented in physical form.
BPA can assist your company with streamlining the process of issuing time off requests to employees and determining their compensation.
- This is an example form for requesting time off: Integrating leave forms into an effective workflow system for leave management can streamline this process and simplify its administration.
- This is an example workflow for requests for time off: Establishing an appropriate system facilitating leave requests is essential in helping managers create plans and compensate employees accordingly.
Claim for Expenses
Establishing an efficient system that facilitates leave requests is critical in helping managers plan and compensate employees appropriately.
Employees may claim expenses related to running the business. Examples may include payments like lodging costs or taking clients out to dinner. Manual expense report management leads to longer processing times.
It exposes organizations more readily to fraud since employees could make false or exaggerated claims that must be dealt with later. Employees can quickly fill out dynamic forms and attach receipts with their claims.
- This is an example online form to claim expenses: Employees can track the progress of their expense claims throughout this process. All expense claims will automatically be sent directly to a manager for review and processing.
- This is an example workflow for expense claim: Automated expense claim processes ensure employees receive reimbursements quickly, which helps mitigate fraud by decreasing the frequency and quantity of expenses claimed by workers.
Processing Invoices
Businesses today cannot tolerate subpar invoice approval processes. Frevvo BPA provides businesses with a simple solution that reduces manual forms or manual routing requirements by automating invoice approval workflow.
Your suppliers or consultants can receive links instead of attachments in emails sent.
- This is an example form to approve invoices: Forms can be integrated into an automated invoice workflow to reduce human error risk and speed up approval processes.
- Automatic Invoicing: Send the invoice automatically to a supervisor for review before passing it to the Finance team for payment processing.
Order Transcripts
Students applying for jobs often need transcripts; unfortunately, waiting weeks could be necessary if an educational institution doesnt automate its process.
Software that automates administrative individual tasks such as transcript requests can be beneficial. Simply signing into their account and filling out a transcript request form are enough steps needed for seamless operation.
Mobile forms allow recipients to sign and submit requests directly from their smartphones.
This is an example form that has a field for signature: BPA can also help streamline other processes involving students, including registration, internship applications, and absence records.
Orders for Work
Work orders are tasks clients assign to particular people in an organization, like telecom companies. Telecom firms send work orders out to their maintenance teams so that they can address an issue experienced by a client and work towards its resolution.
Automation increases customer experience satisfaction.
This is an example work order form: With Frevvos user-friendly interface, it is a simple and effective way to customize Frevvo to meet the unique requirements of your business workflow.
Get Price Quotes
Customers seeking price quotes could be on the cusp of making a purchase and need pricing details before a decision can be made, potentially delaying and costing you sales in the entire process.
BPA provides your team with an efficient platform for quickly creating price quotes and sending them on automatically to managers for review.
This is an example workflow for price quotations: Automating price quotes is an ideal way to create an impressive first impression with customers, who can sign them instantly after receiving them via a link.
Budget approvals
Budget approvals are essential components of financial management for organizations. Budget approval allows these documents to be created, planned, and monitored effectively.
Finance teams that manually approve budget approvals often need help with this task. Software for business process automation, such as Frevo, allows users to design custom forms to approve budgets quickly and efficiently, automating workflow by routing all documents directly to relevant approvers.
Here is a list of some BPA use cases; automating processes you repeat regularly or which depend on time management is also possible. BPM advanced technologies and BPM are recognized by 75% of companies as helping them meet their goals.
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Conclusion
Business Process Automation can be leveraged across industries for increased productivity while decreasing operational expenses.
At Pegasystems and Appian, leading BPM software applications vendors such as RPA/AI capabilities, as well as no/low code features, have become critical elements in their offerings. This development is creating waves in business process management (BPMS).
Forrester Research replaced BPM with DPA-wide to more accurately reflect its development. Forrester notes that businesses in this rapidly developing technology area must establish what Forrester calls "a framework." This will allow them to distinguish various automation tools while filtering out market hype; additionally, it will show them how best to combine or use multiple automation tools independently or together to automate business processes.
business process automation tool makes automating existing processes effortless, with no programming necessary to create forms or automate workflows. Even non-technical individuals can benefit from its ease of use.
