No matter how big or small your organization, running a business is complex. It’s easy for employees to get bogged down in repetitive tasks that keep your business running, but don’t really move it forward. Business automation solutions allow you to automate time-consuming tasks so your team members can focus on other responsibilities.
But what does business automation look like in the real world? Here’s what you need to know about the latest business process automation solutions and how to use workflow automation to streamline processes and improve operational efficiency.
What Are Business Automation Solutions?
Business automation platforms are capable of meeting a wide range of business needs. Although their specific automation capabilities may vary, what they all have in common is that they use automation technology to perform repetitive tasks that would ordinarily need to be performed by a human, such as:
- Invoicing
- Data entry
- Form-filling
- Account generation
- SMS notifications
For example, a marketing automation platform might post on social media, send emails to subscribers, and add new entries to your customer relationship management (CRM) platform. A human resources (HR) automation platform might automate the employee onboarding process for new hires, providing a better employee experience.
Types of Business Automation Solutions
Business automation solutions are often categorized by scale. Workflow automation focuses on creating automated workflows, while business process automation (BPA) refers to the automation of entire processes. Other variations include:
- Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software bots to perform repetitive tasks that don’t require much or any human input.
- Business process management (BPM) uses a variety of process automation tools to optimize business operations at a higher level.
- Intelligent automation uses artificial intelligence, including machine learning and generative AI, to assist with problem-solving and decision-making.
Ultimately, the right business automation solution for you will depend on which projects and initiatives you want to prioritize. You may discover more opportunities for business process improvement as you get familiar with process automation tools.
3 Use Cases for Business Automation Tools
Now that we’ve covered several types of business automation, let’s take a look at some specific use cases for business automation throughout the employee lifecycle.
Recruitment Automation
With the majority of recruiting taking place online, the recruitment process is a great use case for automation. From writing job descriptions to posting job ads, automation tools can take some of the workload off of your recruiting team. You can even use AI recruiting tools to sort resumes and schedule interviews.
Once you’ve made an offer, implement employee onboarding automation to deliver onboarding documents and training modules to get your new hire to work faster.
Payroll Automation
Payroll automation can save you time and money by reducing human error in the finance department and shortening the payroll cycle. Use it to track attendance, calculate employee pay and tax withholding, and generate digital payslips.
HR automation platforms like Pulpstream offer integrations with financial tools like QuickBooks and ADP so you can keep all of your payroll records in sync.
Claims Automation
From product liability claims to work injury claims, the claims management process has a lot of moving parts and involves multiple stakeholders — from insurance companies to healthcare providers. Business automation helps you streamline the process with automated reports and real-time notifications to support clear communication.
Pulpstream’s claims management platform also features claims analytics to support predictive modeling and higher-level decision-making.
What Are the Benefits of Business Automation Software?
Why use business automation software when you could keep using legacy systems that get the job done? Here are three reasons to consider a digital transformation.
Improve Organizational Efficiency
Business automation can improve organizational efficiency by streamlining everything from supply chain management to project management. By reducing time-consuming tasks and eliminating bottlenecks, you can get more done with less effort, and allow team members to focus on tasks that add more value to your organization.
Consider creating a workflow chart to identify opportunities for process improvement and increase work efficiency for your whole team.
Reduce Operational Costs
Business automation solutions can reduce operational costs by streamlining workflows and optimizing your business processes. By digitizing and automating core processes, you can use standardized templates and cost-efficient workflows to cut down on costs associated with manual processes and legacy systems.
Plus, with a cloud-based system like Pulpstream, it’s easy to scale up your business without having to invest in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform.
Foster Innovation
Business automation solutions allow for more innovation, since you can link multiple pieces of software together with API integrations. Avoid problems with data silos by automating data entry and sharing useful information across systems.
Pulpstream even allows you to roll out a custom mobile app so you can stay in contact with field workers and remote team members across multiple devices.
3 Things to Look for in a Business Automation Solution
Business automation tools range from enterprise platforms to niche solutions. Here are three things to look for when choosing an automation platform of your own.
Low-Code or No-Code Interface
Low-code and no-code automation tools make business automation more accessible to team members who don’t know how to code and don’t have time to learn. Most of them offer a user-friendly interface that allows you to add tasks to your workflow and move them around using a drag-and-drop editor.
You’ve already used no-code automation if you’ve ever set up an out-of-office reply or used a marketing automation tool to schedule your social media posts. Examples of low- and no-code automation platforms include Pulpstream, Airtable, and Zapier.
Integrations
Another key feature to look for is connectivity. Can you link your automation platform to other tools using integrations or an API (application programming language)? This will allow you to create automated workflows that span multiple platforms — such as your ERP or CRM — and import data without having to enter it all manually.
Imagine a platform that fields leave of absence requests and verifies eligibility against a custom rule engine. Not only that, but it automatically adds approved absences to your calendar and tracks employee leave balances. That’s the power of API integration.
Scalability
Finally, how easy will it be to scale up your system as your organization grows and you need more automation capabilities? With a legacy system, you’d likely need to invest in new hardware or storage space, or pay an astronomical fee for each new user.
With a cloud-based platform like Pulpstream, you can scale up or down at any time and are less exposed to vendor lock-in. You’ll get a custom quote for your organization.
Start Your Digital Transformation with Pulpstream Today
Business automation solutions use technology to streamline workflows and reduce the amount of manual labor that goes into a process. Organizations can use automation to facilitate recruiting, speed up payroll processing, manage insurance claims, and more. Business automation tools reduce human error and increase operational efficiency.
Pulpstream’s user-friendly automation solutions include incident management, claims management, and employee relationship management. Use our cloud-based portal to generate documents, track individual cases, and communicate with stakeholders, all with a drag-and-drop interface you can use even if you don’t know how to code.
Plus, employees can use our self-service portal to resolve employee relations issues without having to involve your HR team.
Get a demo today to see how we can kickstart your digital transformation!
