Thirty or forty years ago, when the idea of automation was mentioned concerning business, there was an idea of an army of robots taking jobs away from humans – and invariably the whole enterprise going disastrously wrong! Fortunately, that prediction of the future has not come true, but it is a fact that as technology as improved, we have seen a major difference in the way that businesses are run.
However, there are still many companies that have not investigated the benefits of automating their workforce. There are a variety of reasons for this, but most of them come from an ignorance of how automation works.
What is automation?
When it comes to how automation would work in your company, it depends on what kind of business you run, but at its most basic, automation means using technology to be more efficient in what you do. Any activity that produces an “if and then” set of scenarios can be processed using automation.
Most of us have become used to using computers in our working lives, and many of the things that we do every day have become automated compared to how the job was done 20 years ago. Bringing automation into your business would streamline the process even further, allowing you to get on with the most important aspects of your job.
Here are five benefits of automation – no matter what industry or sector your business is involved with.
Productivity
Bringing in automation to do the boring, manual and repetitive jobs not only cuts out the chance of human error but also creates a more efficient workflow. By using automation software, there is no time wasted between the various jobs that you can set it up to do. The mundane jobs that are particularly susceptible to causing problems when looked after by an employee steadily run in the background and keep everything going without any intervention at all.
Using strategy
Though you do not have to be a technical genius yourself to install workflow automation into the running of your business, there will have to be some thought and insight put into what you want to get out of automation and how it will help the day-to-day running of your company. Automated tools can really make life easier, and whether it is working out the printing routine or an automatic lotto number picker, it is the use of research and strategy that gives you improved results.
Reliability
Whether you are an established company in your industry or a brand-new start-up, you will be constantly trying to find new and better ways to get your product out there selling. What you don’t need is for all your hard work to be ruined by mistakes. As exciting as your sector may be, there is bound to be a boring, mundane element to the work. Automation eliminates the chance for this part of the process to be the weak link.
Happy people!
The old saying states that “the customer is always right”. Now, as a business owner, you know that this comes with a few caveats, but you do not want to be losing customers because of mistakes made by employees. Automation can mean that simple problems are solved immediately, ensuring that customers are well looked after. However, it is the happiness of your employees that should also be taken into consideration. Automating areas of their work that they do not enjoy means that their job satisfaction is higher – and this can only be good for business.
Increased profits
It shouldn’t be the only thing that you are thinking about when it comes to running a business, but making money is the main idea – so anything that increases that amount has to be a good thing. Some businesses are put off automating their workflow due to the perceived cost involved, but making your company more streamlined and efficient in its everyday activities means that you can concentrate on bringing in more work – and as we have seen, this doesn’t have to come with the cost of cutting jobs.
Embrace the future
Workflow automation has been around long enough now that it can’t really be regarded as “the future”, but by introducing processes that specifically contribute to the better running of your company, you can ensure that you continue to succeed in your field. Technology is only going to evolve, so automating areas of your company now will put you in a good position for whatever comes next.
