Business organizations can no longer rely on manual business processes these days. Entering details in a spreadsheet, communicating with colleagues to get the task done, handling customer information in a CRM... these time-consuming manual processes can be improved both qualitatively and quantitatively when the processes are automated.

• Where would I need to automate the business?

The answer will be different, based on both the industry you are working for and the business operations you are involved into. But generally speaking, here are the avenues where you might need to automate the business to get better results:

1. Manual duplication of data: Does your work require recording data such as phone numbers, email addresses, and other information at various places? Automating helps because it reduces the overall time taken and also you don't have to worry about any data getting lost.

2. Do your processes "hang" or get delayed because some of your process workers didn't get the communication to proceed with the next step? Lack of communication and the absence of follow-ups are major concerns for all business processes. Once you automate the process, you do no longer need to follow-up with your colleagues or clients: your work will be executed at the scheduled time with no delay.

Here are the five best reasons why your business process should switch to an automation model:

1. Streamlining communication in the business process

When a manual workforce is employed to get the task done, you have to send numerous emails, reminders, etc. to proceed towards a single process. That kills time and is a wastage in terms of money and human resource. Automating the workflow will ensure having streamlined communication process. A single dashboard that can record all the relevant communication for all the assigned participants to check for updates. In the same tune, the workers can also check for any irregularities and address the same right at the place where they emerge.

2. Error is expensive

In every business operation, automation is an urgent requirement. Not only because doing a task manually comes at a risk of negligence, but also because human attempts have a limited level of precision. The seemingly small errors have the potential to cost money to your business process. Especially in operations that require real-time handling, you cannot afford to rely on manual labor alone. Because your operations might not have the desired level of accuracy, you may no longer serve your audience base and thus may be losing business every second.

3. Accountability ensured

Automating your workforce, you encourage an owner for each step of the task, therefore, ensuring accountability. Likewise, it follows that the initiations, approvals, rejections, etc. will be better handled because the work is allocated to an accountable person. That ways, you are not just increasing the information transparency and the workflow system of your organization, you are also creating an efficient workflow management system in your organization.

4. Minimizing costs and increasing efficiency

Naturally, with an automated workflow system, you reduce the occurrences of manual errors and thus decrease the costs associated with inefficiency. So despite the past where slow sales approvals, late payments became expensive for your business process, an automated business process will improve the process because the efficiency is guaranteed and the errors are very unlikely to creep in.

5. Developing insight into the evolution of your business process

Once the business is automated, you will be able to streamline the employee base with an effect that the business process will run smoothly and seamlessly. Also, since the mode of communication and management is streamlined, you can derive actionable insights to analyze if your business process can be improved. This being one of the strong points of workflow automation, will help in improving your business model and give your organization a competitive advantage.