Process Automation in the form of software helps you automate complex business processes. This reduces employees’ workload and enables you to achieve defined corporate goals more efficiently.

Process Automation: A Definition

Process automation involves systematically converting digital or manually executed processes into so-called workflows that run automatically. It is particularly suitable for reducing or entirely avoiding manual administrative tasks. In the long term, this saves both time and money, which employees can then invest in other activities.

A cost-benefit analysis forms the basis for process automation. It helps you determine whether it’s worthwhile to automate certain workflows. For example, if a process involves simple tasks that repeat over and over again, this suggests that automation might make sense. But automation can also be beneficial for more complex processes.

Important note: Unlike Business Process Management, the goal of process automation is not to optimize business processes. Instead, it focuses solely on automating workflows.

Workflows: Automation Made Simple

When a standardized process needs to be automated, an automation software tool breaks it down into individual steps. The sequence of these steps forms a workflow. Once the workflow is triggered, the software automatically coordinates all subsequent steps until the workflow is complete.

An example of process automation is onboarding new employees. Using a tool, new hires can submit relevant data digitally before their first day of work. Automation software can also help you provide new team members with the equipment they need on their first day—ensuring a smooth start.

The Different Types of Process Automation

There are three types of process automation: BPA, RPA, and IPA. Read on to learn about each one and what sets them apart.

Business Process Automation

Business Process Automation (BPA) links different applications in a company’s IT infrastructure on the backend using software. This simplifies the transfer of data between systems—without the risk of copying or pasting errors. BPA software streamlines daily tasks, such as:

• Managing customer accounts

• Onboarding employees

• Creating reports

BPA can, for instance, make the application and hiring processes easier. It can help schedule job interviews with applicants automatically and forward their documents to the relevant departments. This reduces administrative overhead and shortens the subsequent onboarding process.

Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is often used synonymously with BPA. RPA is a user-interface-based automation that functions like an add-on to a company’s software. It makes repetitive tasks less labor-intensive for employees.

This software-bot-based technology mimics human activities in the user interface. It can log into systems and interact with them—just like a human employee. RPA works with structured data, such as data in spreadsheet form. The bots look for information in the places they’ve been programmed to. Generally, RPA tools can’t make active judgments about the data they use or reshape processes in real time. This would require artificial intelligence.

Intelligent Process Automation

Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) combines BPA functions and RPA bots with a form of artificial intelligence (AI) to automate tasks within a process. This technology is based on the concept of transfer learning. That means companies can use algorithms trained for specific tasks to handle related tasks as well.

IPA is a smart solution for data analysis and for automating decision-making processes. It can be used to automate processes that span the entire organization or just specific departments. Human employees need to train and oversee the IPA in the initial phase. Over time, the IPA becomes more precise and autonomous, actively reducing employees’ workload. For example, it can read complex documents and organize data.

Automating Processes: The Right Combination Makes the Difference

While BPA automates complete processes for maximum efficiency, RPA can only automate specific tasks by mimicking human actions. This includes, for example, creating documents or sending emails. By taking on more tasks, AI-assisted RPA can learn and be integrated into comprehensive process automation. RPA is quick to set up and can automate individual tasks.

With BPA, on the other hand, you can look at entire processes and design workflows more efficiently. This type of process automation is more complex to introduce but represents a long-term solution that can remain in place for years. In the long run, automated processes pay off due to their higher efficiency. By combining both approaches and using AI, you can boost productivity over the long term.

Automated Processes – The Advantages

Process automation makes your business more effective and agile by handling the bulk of repetitive tasks. The software relieves your employees so they have more time for their core responsibilities. Other benefits include:

• Compliance: Process automation improves compliance by making data paths visible and easier to monitor.

• Collaboration: Automated processes enable real-time collaboration across the company. They support teamwork and can help increase employee satisfaction.

• Cost Reduction: When manual processes are minimized, employees can tackle more tasks in the same amount of time—leading to increased productivity.

• Quality: Customer service quality rises because process automation can significantly shorten response times.

Additionally, process automation reduces paperwork, which lowers administrative costs in the long run. You also eliminate the risk of human error in manual processes.

When Should a Process Be Automated?

Determining whether or not a process should be automated can be challenging. However, a few indicators can help you figure out which tasks are best suited for automation. For instance, if your team has to complete a process repeatedly and in large volumes, and if that process follows the same steps each time, automation is often the best solution.

Process automation can also be suitable for complex processes, provided they are rule-based. Employees are only required if absolutely necessary. Tedious or monotonous tasks like copying and pasting data can be frustrating and demotivating for staff. By automating these tasks, your employees have more time for work that they enjoy and that helps them grow professionally.

Manual Process: How Does Automation Work?

Process automation is a great way to relieve your employees of repetitive tasks. Various platforms, software solutions, and technologies are available for automating manual processes, such as:

• No-code platforms: Enable your team to set up their own processes, which then run automatically without requiring additional work.

• Low-code platforms: Require some programming work to support the platform’s functions.

• Coded platforms: Must be built from scratch. They involve a high coding workload by a software engineer.

Process Automation with FireStart

As a no-code and low-code tool, FireStart gives you the ability to customize process automation within your organization. Our solution allows the software to carry out the automation independently, once you have set up a business process. Before that, however, it’s important to standardize a process for automation and ensure it’s effective. Process automation cannot refine an inefficient process on its own.

Therefore, business processes must first be standardized. Work with stakeholders and your employees to develop a standard process with clearly defined steps that lead to a goal—and make sure it already involves all relevant individuals. Once you import the appropriate business process into FireStart, our software automatically takes care of the automation—resulting in improved collaboration across departments, clear process roles, and higher efficiency.