We all want to gain an edge. In business, we’re constantly looking for new tools to help improve performance. That can be achieved by increasing efficiency and improving customer satisfaction, a combination that delivers overall better financial returns.
Digital transformation offers an economical way of reaching that result. But emerging enterprises that lack business-wide integration can face challenges with the volume of manual data processes, as well as the problem of data silos.
In response, a lot of organisations are turning to automation. Specifically, hyperautomation (essentially an accelerated version of established automation practices) is growing in strategic importance. While it might sound impersonal, hyperautomation helps business leaders concentrate more on the core aims of their organisations.
It does so by blending robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) to automate complex business processes beyond the capabilities of traditional automation.
And, despite its name, hyperautomation facilitates human interaction. It can be used in customer service, finance, and supply chain management, for example, to make the experiences of customers and employees easier.
I discussed this recently with Aaron Perrott, CTO of KTSL. We realised that customers don’t want a business to lose its human face. They are willing to accept automation only as far as it improves their experience of interacting with a brand. They don’t need all the bells and whistles. And they certainly don’t want to be stuck in a Kafkaesque torment loop where they can’t interact with a human being.
The importance of being strategic with automation
The reason automation works so well is that it frees up human employees to do more high-value work. That could be nurturing relationships, closing sales, or solving problems for customers. At the same time, it speeds up systems by freeing up bandwidth to take more transactions. At Jitterbit, we’re seeing clients bring in automation to complete processes that they are not able to do themselves. This avoids the extra cost and administrative burden of outsourcing various functions.
But – and this is a key point – deciding to automate is just the first step. From what we heard at a recent workshop, getting automation right is not a technology problem. The technology is there and has been for some time. It’s readily available and within everyone’s reach.
The challenge is about how you identify your business case and how you drive forward with positive change. It’s more about the challenges of general change rather than being a technological barrier or hurdle.
First, you need to decide on your success metrics. Are you going to be measuring impact based on cost, error rates, or customer satisfaction?
These metrics will help you identify the processes you need to automate and demonstrate value. This is crucial for achieving buy-in from senior stakeholders and frontline employees. It also mitigates against the mission creep that can come with new technology.
Evaluation reveals areas for further potential automation, as well as demonstrating what does not need it. Finally, it can help identify general bottlenecks in a business’s processes. The result is that both automated and essential manual processes can be fine-tuned.
Identifying the right tasks to automate
Once you’ve got your success metrics in place, you need to identify the best tasks for automation. These will typically be high-volume, repetitive, and rules-based tasks. Those tasks that take a lot of time for manual workers to complete and are prone to errors are prime candidates for automation because of the significant efficiency gains that can be achieved. This approach ensures immediate return and sets the stage for more complex automation endeavours.
Automation is also vital to helping businesses meet their regulatory requirements more proficiently. A key starting point for automation is to apply it to compliance and audit procedures. In this way, companies can ensure a greater level of accuracy while saving considerable time. The upshot is the greater agility that comes with being able to comply with regulatory changes in near real-time.
How strategic automation can enhance user experiences
As I mentioned earlier, automation can positively impact user experiences. Through Integration platform as a service (iPaaS) platforms, the mean time to resolution for service requests can be drastically reduced. An example is automating permissions for mainframe applications. This can bring operational costs down significantly by accelerating the process from hours to minutes. This illustrates a direct correlation between automation and improved service delivery.
A real-world example of this was discussed in the recent workshop on the automation of the ‘Joiners, Movers, Leavers’ process in a business. Automating those processes has not only streamlined operations it has also significantly enhanced compliance and security. On-screen processes helped new members of staff complete tasks without involving more experienced members of the team, saving time and reducing errors.
Making your automation strategy a sustainable one
I’m a great advocate of automating. But you need to automate for a reason. You cannot simply try to automate everything and expect sustainable results. A well-structured, sustainable automation strategy requires solid governance frameworks and measures and identifies key metrics from the outset.
The ongoing evolution of automation technologies means businesses need to foster inquisitiveness and an environment of continuous learning and adaptation. Automation has vast potential, but you can’t assume it’s always the answer.
Integration and automation will be critical as businesses continue to modernise. However, it is the strategic application of automation that will be the key success driver. The insights we get from both our partners and our clients underscore the practical benefits of automation. More importantly, however, they highlight the importance of strategic consideration. For long-term success, businesses must take a deliberate, strategic approach to automation.
You can find out the top 7 secrets of hyperautomation success here.
Jitterbit is a global technology business serving over 3,000 customers around the world. We are dedicated to empowering your business transformation through seamless, automated integration. Automating your business processes means accelerated, more informed decision-making and better customer experiences. Our Harmony platform combines API Management, business process optimisation and no-code app creation to help you remove all manual data processes from your business and achieve hyperautomation faster. Find out more about Harmony here at www.jitterbit.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
