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Repetitive tasks cost companies a lot of time and resources. So it's no wonder that more and more companies are automating these processes. Done right, they can save time, reduce costs - and assign more complex, interesting tasks to employees. So much for the theory.
But not every business process can be automated. And automation only helps if companies choose the right form for it. If processes are not one hundred percent suitable for the selected automation, this has consequences. Automated processes that do not function properly can generate errors, damage the company's image, make customers dissatisfied or even lead to claims for damages.
So the challenge is to identify the right processes for the right automation.
We'll show you when Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) tools and classic software applications are each the right choice to create workflows without staff involvement.
Which Processes can be automated
Before we go into detail, let's clarify which processes are fundamentally suitable for automation. As a rule, companies can automate business processes if they are
- repetitive,
- rule-based and
- error-prone
are. In addition, processes lend themselves to automation if they are
- involve manual work steps,
- serve many interfaces,
- have long lead times and
- bring regulatory requirements.
Automating Processes - 7 classic Examples
In practice, companies automate a wide range of processes:
Email filtering
Automatic sorting of e-mails into different folders based on keywords or sender addresses to improve prioritization and organization of communications.
Chatbots in customer service
AI-driven chatbots that answer frequently asked questions, provide support, and identify simple solutions to problems for customers - without human intervention.
Automated reporting
Generate reports or dashboards from databases or software applications to save time and minimize human error.
Automated data entry
Extract and insert information from one file into another to minimize human intervention when updating data.
E-commerce inventory management
Automated monitoring of stock levels to automatically reorder orders when stock is low and avoid bottlenecks.
Automated appointment reminders
Send automated reminders for appointments, meetings or deadlines to ensure that no important events are overlooked.
Automated financial transactions
Set up regular automatic transfers or payments to pay bills on time and facilitate financial management.
11 Advantages of Business Process Automation
The automation of processes offers companies numerous advantages:
Efficiency increase
Automated processes reduce manual intervention, speed up workflows and minimize human error.
Cost savings
Less manual effort leads to lower labor costs and lower error rates, which reduces costs in the long run.
Scalability
Automated systems can be easily adapted to growing requirements without the need for massive resource investments.
Consistency
Automated processes ensure consistent quality and consistency in the execution of a range of tasks.
Faster response times
Automated notifications and alarms allow for quick intervention when problems arise.
Data precision
Automated data acquisition and processing minimize manual sources of error and improve data quality.
Better compliance
Automated processes ensure that legal and internal guidelines are consistently adhered to.
Improved analysis
Automated data collection enables deeper insights into business performance and trends.
Customer satisfaction
Faster response times and consistent operations contribute to a better customer experience.
Risk minimization
Automated security protocols protect against potential security threats and data loss.
Work redistribution
Employees can focus on strategic tasks and value-added activities that require human intelligence, while routine work is automated.
Automate Processes - RPA or Software Application?
As a rule, companies can automate processes if they are standardized processes with the above characteristics. However, this does not mean that Robotic Process Automation is always the right choice. So how can companies make the right decision here?
Basically:
RPA solutions are particularly suitable when companies want to imitate human actions on a screen interface and implementing this via traditional software development would take up a lot of time and valuable resources.
With RPA, companies can create workflows quickly and easily. Many tools offer uncomplicated drag and drop with graphical elements, for example. The adjustments to the IT infrastructure are small.
However, software applications are particularly powerful. They can easily handle multiple, complex processes and large amounts of data without sacrificing performance. RPA can do that, too. However, for this multiple robots or RPA solutions with sophisticated AI are necessary.
If it is not clear how complex a process is, companies should estimate the costs of the two solutions. However, in times of rapidly changing markets, RPA is often the better solution. Companies can easily maintain and adapt them at short notice - and thus ensure automated business processes in the long term.
Automate Processes - RPA or ETA?
ETL tools enable companies to merge data efficiently. Especially when multiple technical interfaces are involved, ETL tools prove to be fast and powerful. In practice, this can include, for example, a data transfer from SAP systems into a data warehouse.
However, if companies primarily want to imitate human actions on a user interface and thus automate manual processes, RPA meets the requirements better. This also applies to unstructured data. For this purpose, companies can combine RPA with AI methods or Machine Learning (ML).
Automating Business Processes - Classic Use Case
To illustrate the potential connection of RPA with AI and ML, let's take a look at a classic use case for the Automation of business processes:
An e-commerce company selling a wide range of products online faced the challenge of improving customer service while increasing operational efficiency. A large portion of customer correspondence arrived via email, including order confirmations, inquiries about products, questions about deliveries and returns.
To automate this process, the company decided to do the following:
RPA Integration
First, an RPA system was implemented that was capable of sending emails via Optical Character Recognition (OCR), extract relevant information such as order numbers, product information, and delivery dates, and automatically enter it into the CRM system. This RPA system performed data entry in real time and prevented manual errors or delays that could be caused by human intervention.
AI support
To prioritize the most urgent requests, an AI-based solution was developed. The AI analyzed the content of the emails to determine if they were requests about urgent issues, such as delivery delays or defective products. This enabled the customer service team to respond more quickly to the most important requests and increase customer satisfaction.
Machine learning for return patterns
Another important aspect of customer service in e-commerce is returns. Here, machine learning was used to identify patterns in the reasons for returns. The system analyzed a large amount of historical data to identify common reasons for returns, such as size issues, quality defects, or incorrectly delivered products. This enabled the company to take targeted action to minimize these problems and improve product quality.
Automate Processes - Step by Step
Business process automation - whether it is done via RPA, ETL or software - always follows a similar pattern. As a rule, companies can automate processes in these 12 steps:
- Identification of tasks
First, the company identifies repetitive and time-consuming tasks within its existing processes.
- Suitability analysis
The company then checks which of these identified tasks are suitable for which type of automation. It takes into account criteria such as the frequency with which the task occurs, its predictability and the standardization of the individual steps.
- Tool selection
A particularly important step: Based on the analyzed tasks, the company selects suitable automation tools. These can range from simple RPA workflows, to complex AI and ML models, to specialized platforms and custom scripts.
- Workflow design
In the next step, the company creates a clear workflow for the automated task. It determines which steps should be performed in which order to achieve the desired result.
- Programming or configuration
Now the actual implementation takes place. The company programs scripts or configures the selected tools according to the designed workflow. Logical conditions and actions are defined in the process.
- Data integration
Often, automation requires access to relevant data sources. The company ensures that the automated processes are seamlessly connected to these data sources to ensure effective data transfer.
- Testing and troubleshooting
Before automation is fully implemented, the company conducts extensive testing. This ensures that the automated process delivers the expected results. Any errors that occur are identified and corrected.
- Education and training
To ensure a smooth transition, the employees who will work with the automated process are educated and trained. They learn the new workflow, understand how it works and how to interact with it.
- Security check
The company verifies that sensitive data and systems are protected against unauthorized access and that the automation has no security gaps.
- Successive implementation
Automation is introduced step by step to minimize the impact on existing processes. This enables potential disruptions or problems to be identified and rectified at an early stage.
- Monitoring and maintenance
After implementation, the company continuously monitors the automated process. It checks that the automation is working as expected and performs regular maintenance to prevent performance degradation or errors.
- Optimization
In the final step, the company continuously looks for ways to optimize the automated process. It analyzes data and performance metrics to further increase efficiency and accuracy and maximize the added value of automation.
Konfuzio as a powerful AI Tool for RPA and ETL Processes.
Konfuzio software provides a powerful business process automation solution. It enables companies to efficiently process large volumes of unstructured text, such as emails, contracts, reports and other documents.
How Konfuzio automates digital processes
The core function of Konfuzio is to extract relevant information from texts. In doing so, it automatically identifies key terms, names, dates and other important details. This extraction is precise and reliable, which forms the basis for further processes.
In addition, the software can classify analyzed documents into predefined categories. This allows companies to achieve a quick and targeted sorting of their information. This not only facilitates the subsequent search for specific documents, but also enables better structuring of the entire volume of data.
In addition, Konfuzio detects correlations in analyzed data.
The software can uncover patterns and connections between information that may be difficult for human analysis to detect.
This enables deeper insights into the data and supports sound decision-making processes.
Overall, Konfuzio enables companies to optimize their processes, save time and resources, and at the same time improve the quality of their decision-making bases. The software thus makes a significant contribution to increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of companies.
FAQ
Companies should automate processes to increase the efficiency of their operations. Automation saves time, reduces error rates and thus makes lower costs possible. In addition, employees can concentrate on more complex tasks. Customers benefit from faster service. Companies thus work more productively and innovatively. This increases competitiveness.
Companies can automate a variety of processes, including data processing, customer communications, inventory management, accounting, invoicing, appointment reminders and production monitoring. This automation improves efficiency, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources.
AI-based automation of business processes makes sense when repetitive tasks are to be optimized. Especially in areas with large amounts of data or complex decisions, AI can show its strengths. Processes that require time savings and error minimization benefit from this technology. AI can also help analyze patterns in data and make accurate predictions. Ultimately, it enables companies to use resources more efficiently and improve overall performance.