The ultimate guide to enterprise automation

Enterprise automation is the use of software and technology to execute various business processes across an organization.

This can involve the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA) or machine learning (ML) algorithms, among other technologies.

Having these tools and technologies working in concert creates an automation ecosystem that is able to reduce manual labor, minimize errors and spur faster decision-making.

Process efficiency bolsters your bottom line. After implementing RPA alongside content services technology, studies by IDC found that organizations are able to experience the below.

Once an organization reaches $10 million in annual revenue, the likelihood that it leverages a growing suite of automation tools doubles. In a Frost & Sullivan report, 32% of respondents in companies averaging $10 million to $99 million in revenue declared “intense” usage of RPA across seven or more departments.

With the right automation strategy, your employees get their time back to focus on strategic, high-value assignments. It serves as the driving force for organizations to move work along and satisfy timelines with fewer resources, eliminating costly inefficiencies and errors in the process.

Enterprise automation encompasses various types of automation that cater to different aspects of an organization's operations. The four primary types of enterprise automation are:

Basic automation

With minimal to no coding required, non-technical business users can use basic automation to:

• Create and input formula in spreadsheets

• Deploy simple scripts to run routine IT updates

• Route documents into their relevant folders

Process automation

Process automation can streamline and execute a particular set of tasks to run on their own by automating entire multistep workflows. This could involve:

• Coordinating individual departments remotely with task management systems

• Automating lead outreach at various touchpoints with a CRM

• Merging data from multiple databases and systems

Integrated automation

Integrated automation refers to the practice of connecting various systems and technologies to work together seamlessly. Some examples include:

• Integrating CRM systems with communication tools like Slack to provide real-time customer issue notifications to support teams

• Connecting demand forecasting, inventory management and logistics systems to create an integrated supply chain automation solution

• Streamlining end-to-end AP processes — from invoice receipts to payment by integrating invoice capture, approval workflows and payment processing

Robotic process automation (RPA)

RPA is a specific type of automation that uses software robots to mimic human actions and automate repetitive, rule-based tasks. Examples include:

• Extracting and reformatting data into reports and dashboards

• Copying data from emails and sorting into a database

• Deriving information from documents to fill out forms

Enterprise automation offers numerous benefits to organizations of all sizes and industries. Here are some key advantages:

1. Increased efficiency and productivity

Intelligent automation thrives on data. It can process and analyze large datasets faster than humans and eliminates manual error. But it's not just about getting things done faster or better — automation frees up your human resources to focus on higher-value activities.

Horry County Auditor’s Office, a local government agency, adopted RPA to automate the repetitive task of inputting tax return data into its QS/1 software. The RPA technology utilizes smart rules to handle complexities, such as verifying property claims against their other business applications, and even flagging potential errors or fraud to send those for human review.

In its debut year, RPA automation fueled the processing of 30,000 property tax returns without manual intervention, reducing the workload for the auditor's office and allowing staff to focus on more valuable tasks.

> Read the full case study: How Horry County leveraged RPA to process 30,000 property tax returns

2. Cost savings

Companies investing at least 20% of IT budgets in automation efforts were also able to reduce process-associated costs by 17%, according to global consultancy firm Bain & Company.

Intelligent automation technology can incorporate feedback loops and machine learning algorithms that learn from past errors and improve processes over time. This continuous improvement cycle further reduces the likelihood of errors and their related costs.

3. Enhanced accuracy

Automation enforces standardized processes and workflows, ensuring that tasks are executed consistently and accurately according to predefined rules and procedures.

Systems that involve big data sets and constant approvals like accounts payable (AP) operations need to run without the risk of manual error and constant rework.

When an invoice is received, optical character recognition (OCR) technology is employed to scan and extract relevant data from the invoice, such as the supplier's name, invoice number, date and line items. Over time, the automation system can learn from historical data to improve its accuracy in data extraction and validation.

4. Faster processing

Automated tasks can be executed at a pace that humans cannot achieve, which is vital for customer support or inventory management processes that are required to handle heavy loads of information daily.

For instance, inventory management systems can be set up to automatically trigger reorder requests or purchase orders when stock levels fall below predetermined thresholds.

This form of rule-based automation drives proactivity throughout your inventory management processes. It ensures that items are restocked in a timely manner, avoiding running out of stocks and reducing the lead time for replenishment.

5. Scalability

Low-code automation platforms are designed to be user-friendly, allowing users with limited technical knowledge to create and customize workflows and applications. Business users can deploy end-to-end automation more quickly, with visual components such as:

• Drag-and-drop interfaces

• Drop-down menus

• Radio boxes

• Checkboxes

More line-of-business (LOB) users involved in simple automation projects allow your IT teams to work on more complex development projects that demand custom-coding and strategic in-novation.

6. Compliance and audit trails

Automated systems maintain meticulous logs of all data entry and actions performed within multiple workflow processes. These logs capture a wealth of information, including the who, what, when and how of each operation.

Leveraging automation, your existing system can incorporate compliance rules and standards into the workflow processes. As data is entered, it is cross-checked against these regulations in real time, ensuring adherence to compliance requirements.

When you need it, business users can generate detailed and readily accessible audit trails that simplify the compliance auditing process. These trails document the history of data entry, changes and actions taken in a transparent and traceable manner.

7. Improved customer experience

Conversational chatbots play a pivotal front-end role in enhancing customer experience. Behind the scenes, RPA automates the process of routing customer data, order details and other relevant information into customer service systems.

RPA bots are able to “triage” customer support tickets based on urgency and specific queries — and then route these tickets to your agents. Once the urgency level is determined, an appropriate classification takes place, ensuring that high-priority issues gain immediate attention from your support team.

It can also retrieve and consolidate data from multiple sources, ensuring that agents have complete and up-to-date information ready. All of this frees up human agents to handle more complex inquiries and provide personalized experiences when they are finally connected to a customer.

> Learn more: How RPA and AI drive end-to-end intelligent process automation

8. Data-driven insights

When deployed strategically, an enterprise automation system can collect data from various sources like databases, spreadsheets, emails and web forms.

Once it has all the data in hand, RPA bots take over, simplifying the task by automatically pulling and putting together this data into a single, organized location such as a content repository.

For instance, RPA can automate the consolidation of financial data from various systems and sources, including spreadsheets, accounting software and bank statements. Then, it can standardize and normalize this data, providing a unified view of the organization's financial health at a glance.

9. Improved employee experiences and satisfaction

According to a Workfront study, 65% of employees are expecting more from their day-to-day technology experiences, with another 30% expressing that not being equipped with the right technology or tools stood in the way of effective workplace collaboration.

Done right, automation technology enables employees to concentrate on meaningful projects instead of grappling with tech-related challenges.

Introducing automation could also facilitate better communication and collaboration within teams by automating notifications, reminders and document sharing.

10. Faster innovation and time-to-market

Automation can facilitate the rapid prototyping of new products or features. A Forrester survey suggested that the market is increasingly aware of automation's power to boost innovation. In the survey, 57% of respondents said they have realized or expect to realize increased innovation through intelligent automation.

For example, in software development, automated testing and deployment pipelines allow for quick iterations and testing of new software versions. Automation drives a few processes along, including:

• Gathering customer feedback and user data, allowing organizations to continuously iterate and improve their products based on user insights

• Collecting and analyzing data more quickly and accurately than manual processes

• Enforcing compliance with industry standards and quality assurance processes so that products meet regulatory requirements and quality benchmarks

11. Risk management

Managing the volume of data generated by any organization, big or small, takes away time and attention from core tasks. Automation streamlines records retention by simplifying data management through tools like intelligent document processing (IDP), AI, RPA and OCR.

Retention rules are assigned when documents are scanned, uploaded or reach their final form. Once a document's retention period expires, the automated governance system triggers automated archival or deletion processes, ensuring that data is disposed of per regulation.

As organizations grow and generate more content, the right automated governance solution can scale to accommodate the increased volume of records. Automation drives smoother records management processes in the background, so your organization stays compliant with all relevant regulations, unburdened by the complexities of data management and retention.

If enterprise automation is not deployed with the right strategy or due diligence, businesses can face a range of challenges and limitations instead of efficiencies. These include:

Enterprise automation can be achieved with automation tools across various departments and industries. Some common approaches include:

1. Data entry and processing

OCR technology scans and extracts text from physical documents or images — such as scanned paper documents, invoices or receipts — and converts it into machine-readable data for direct input into a digital system.

2. Accounts Payable (AP) processes

Invoice information can be automatically extracted, eliminating discrepancies and allowing for more invoices to be processed with fewer resources.

3. Supply chain management

Automation improves delivery speed and reduces wastage by automating fundamental processes inventory control, order processing and logistics.

4. Customer support

Instantly provide responses and manage support tickets with automated chatbots, ticketing systems and FAQ bots to enhance the speed of your customer service.

5. Human resources (HR) departments

Automated document routing assists recruitment with resumé parsing, employee onboarding, performance tracking and payroll processing — enabling HR to shift its focus to enhancing employee experiences and creating strategic initiatives that drive organizational success.

6. Marketing and sales functions

Marketing and sales can use automation to streamline lead nurturing, track customer interactions and personalize marketing campaigns.

7. IT operations

Routine tasks such as server maintenance scripts, security checks and backup operations can be programmed to run on their own.

8. Document management

Document management automation refers to the use of technology and software solutions to efficiently organize, store, retrieve and control documents and information within an organization.

9. Compliance and reporting

Automated compliance helps organizations adhere to rules and regulations, ensuring they follow standards and policies while also making it easy to store, find and keep track of important documents and records.

10. Predictive analytics

Predictive analytics and automation work together by using data-driven insights to anticipate future events and automate decision-making processes such as identifying potential equipment maintenance and inventory stocking.

11. Quality control and testing

RPA bots can simulate user interactions at scale, helping to assess the system's performance under various load conditions and identifying performance bottlenecks.

12. Manufacturing and production

In food manufacturing for instance, repetitive tasks such as baking an item at a specific temperature and duration or filling containers with precise volumes can be automated to ensure consistent quality and efficiency.

13. Healthcare and pharmaceuticals

Automation plays a crucial role in streamlining patient record management, optimizing appointment scheduling and enhancing diagnostic procedures.

14. E-commerce and retail

Process automation can streamline end-to-end order processing workflows, from inventory management to fulfilling online orders and even personalizing customer interactions.

> Read the full case study: How a fashion designer leveraged Hyland RPA to gain full visibility of inventory, e-commerce analysis, sales forecasts and more

15. Energy management

Smart heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can be controlled through automation to optimize the use and distribution of energy across your organization.

16. Facilities management

Automated systems analyze data from the condition of existing equipment and infrastructure to predict when maintenance is needed, reducing repair costs and downtime.

Here’s a 6-step guide to get you started.

Step 1: Identify relevant processes to be automated

Begin by identifying all areas in your organization where repetitive, manual tasks are time-consuming and error prone.

Step 2: Define clear goals

Define specific goals for your enterprise automation efforts. They could include:

• Number of errors or exceptions reduced before and after automation

• The cost per transaction for a specific process — also considering factors like labor costs, software and infrastructure expenses

• The time it takes to complete a specific task or process

Step 3: Choose the right tools

Evaluate your current software and systems to understand what you already have, and what new technologies you might need to add, upgrade or integrate.

Select solutions that can scale across other processes and departments. To secure long-term results, consider how integration with existing systems and cloud operability plays a big role in configuring workflows.

Step 4: Plan implementation

Set a detailed project timeline and begin assigning roles for individual tasks. Now, you can create, develop and test workflows that are suitable for your new tools and scalable for future projects.

Step 5: Run a small test

Begin with small-scale automation projects enterprise-wide to gain experience and build confidence in the technology. You could test out document workflow automation for starters and kick off routing files to the relevant managers for review and approval.

Step 6: Measurements and continuous improvement

Measure impact by analyzing KPIs such as the reduction in response times and lower error rates. You can use these insights to make adjustments and consider expanding automation to other support processes.

This much is clear: Enterprise automation is the way of the future, and companies that embrace it are better positioned to compete with ever-evolving demands.

But it’s not enough to simply ‘plug and play’. Implementing automated workflows, tools or platforms without governing how they will be optimized — or conducting frequent process improvements — will result in data siloes and further business slowdowns.

That’s where hyperautomation comes in. Hyperautomation, which is the overarching strategy of how businesses can achieve end-to-end automation through AI, machine learning (ML) and RPA, set the groundwork for total process automation for enterprise-wide efficiency.

Hyland’s process automation software sets the foundation for an agile and empowering innovation strategy by optimizing processes and automating tasks across organizations. Get started on your business automation journey today.