Article | 2.11.2021
What is process automation and why should companies use it?
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Process automation is the general term for automating repeatable tasks or in some cases end-to-end processes with technology. It enables automating back-end and front-end business processes. Process automation can for example be executed with RPA technology (Robotic Process Automation), which allows automating repetitive, rule-based manual tasks performed on the computer. If the process requires logical reasoning and is not rule-based, RPA automation can be fortified with AI (Artificial Intelligence) – creating intelligent process automation. Intelligent automation enables automating more demanding processes, which can involve predictive models or processing images or documents.
Typical processes to automate
- Reconciliation
- Invoicing / Accounts payable
- Sales orders
- Handling applications
- Preprocessing information
- Reporting
- Employee onboarding and exit
- Payroll
- Contract management
Processes that are high in volume, repetitive, require accuracy or prone to errors are particularly good targets for automation. For example, invoice processing is an excellent use case for automation. Together with aito.ai we implemented an intelligent automation project for the Finnish logistic giant Posti, where we automated the company’s purchase invoice processing. As a result, the amount of manual work was reduced, operation models and data were harmonized and Posti now has the ability to replicate the technology in other processes.
Why use process automation?
Process automation is used by companies to streamline their processes, remove bottlenecks, cut costs, improve quality, enrich data and add transparency. It has a plethora of benefits and companies can achieve significant competitive advantage with automation. If companies neglect to leverage digitalization through automation, they face the chance of falling behind competition.
Process automation benefits
- Increases process speed and efficiency
- Improves process quality
- Decreases errors
- Decreases costs
- Frees human labor to more valuable tasks
- Increases customer and employee satisfaction
- Increases transparency
- Enriches data and enables better data management
- Fast to implement
Using process automation allows companies to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction while decreasing costs. Not only that, it enables to allocate human resources to more valuable work. Employees can focus on more challenging tasks or have more time for customer interaction. By automating processes, companies can focus on their core capabilities instead of daily routine tasks.
For example, Sisua Digital automated the pre-processing of housing applications in a Finnish student housing organization. The robots halved the application times, which meant that the students got information about their housing situation faster, and the employees had more time to interact with customers – increasing customer satisfaction. The automation also improved employee satisfaction by removing monotonous and repetitive work and alleviating the workload during peak season. Pleased with the result from the first automation, the organization continued to automate processes in their financial administration and resident communication.
Author: Paiju Koivula
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