July 22, 2024
For many of us, “automation” conjures up images of the first automobile assembly lines. For others, the word sparks understandable fears about job security and wages. While it’s tempting for business reporters and bloggers to liken automating business workflows to the Industrial Revolution, the analogy is flawed and often unhelpful.
The goal of process automation in 2024 isn’t, by and large, to replace office workers. It’s to remove repetitive and robotic tasks that we find less rewarding and where we tend to make more errors. With more of those tasks off our plate, we can focus our time and talents on tasks that require more thought. So before I explore some benefits and trends, let’s review the basics …
What Is Business Process Automation?
Business process automation (BPA) is the use of software to automate repetitive and time-consuming business tasks.
Business process management (BPM), on the other hand, is focused on optimizing processes throughout an entire organization. BPA and BPM can work together to boost efficiency, but BPM is more over-arching and is not reliant on automation software.
What’s Enterprise Content Management?
Software that helps organizations automate their processes is often referred to as Enterprise Content Management (ECM) or document automation tools. There are many software manufacturers that have created powerful BPA tools, including M-Files and OnBase by Hyland.
BPM VS. BPA VS. ECM
This can get a little confusing, and on behalf of all technology enthusiasts everywhere, I sincerely apologize for all of the acronyms! BPA is the use of software tools to automate workflows, and ECM software provides the automation. BPM boosts efficiencies by optimizing processes throughout your organization.
Each of these concepts is very important, especially considering the problems businesses have always faced with paper-based or traditional digital workflows.
Speaking of … have you ever noticed that sometimes the problems that happen most often are the ones that go unnoticed? If you need some numbers to convince a few stakeholders to consider document automation, this next section is for you!
Key Workflow Automation Stats
According to the 2023 Adobe Acrobat survey, 48% of respondents said they struggle to find documents, and 47% found their company’s online filing system to be confusing and ineffective.
But wait, there's more:
- According to the same survey, almost two-thirds of respondents have recreated documents because they couldn’t find what they were looking for
- Over 1 in 10 said they spend more than four hours each week searching for files
- 13% percent said they were regularly frustrated when searching for documents
How Can Enterprise Content Management Software Help?
Beyond generally making your organization more efficient, when used correctly, BPA has many more specific and tangible benefits.
1. Boost Job Satisfaction and Performance
This isn’t earth-shattering news, but as it turns out, human beings don’t like to be bored, and it saps their creativity. If you free your staff from endless hours of mind-numbing tasks and instead provide more stimulating and challenging work, they will be able to put their creativity and knowledge to better use.
2. Improve Service
If a client has a problem or a need, does red tape prevent your staff from addressing it quickly? BPA can help your organization be more responsive and provide more attention from a real human being sooner.
3. Increase Business Efficiency and Cost Savings
With BPA, your organization can accomplish more in less time. As time is essentially money in business, saving time saves both.
4. Reduce Human Errors in Business Processes
When your brain is bored and goes into auto-pilot mode, it’s easy to make mistakes. Human error will always be with us, but reducing mindless tasks also helps reduce mindless errors.
5. Add Process Optimization
Especially when organizations get larger, it can be a task in itself to track down the right person or the right file. With BPA, that’s automated, and so is tracing projects, providing updates, and establishing deadlines. Instead of monitoring progress and constantly providing updates, managers can use more of their time to build relationships, provide mentorship, and drive better results.
6. Gain Insights
Not only are computers good at completing repetitive tasks, but they’re also good at compiling and analyzing huge amounts of data to provide you with insights about your business.
7. Reduce Stress
Neither you nor your staff will have to worry about projects and communication falling through the cracks. Instead, you’ll rely on a system to keep projects moving and notify you when something requires your attention.
Document Automation Trends
It’s hard to think of an industry that hasn’t been affected by AI and machine learning. As with many new tools, there is an enormous learning curve on how and when these tools should be used, but document automation software is perhaps an ideal use case for AI. It’s also worth mentioning that the huge push towards using cloud-based solutions is also driving an incredible amount of innovation throughout the industry.
However, where you have AI and the cloud, you also have data privacy concerns. Leading ECM platforms understand that keeping on top of evolving cybersecurity threats is non-negotiable. But like every cloud solution, their security features are only as good as those of their end-users. Sloppy password habits, not using multi-factor authentication, and other common cybersecurity no-nos can get organizations into hot water. But so can paper documents left lying around on desks.
Enterprise Content Management System Recommendations
Enterprise content management systems allow for flexibility and customization, but no single ECM tool is right for every organization! We find that the platforms that make our clients happiest, in the long run, are M-Files and OnBase by Hyland.
Click the link below to learn more about why these two stand out!
