Business Process Automation: Understanding Trends & Tools for Growth

Introduction

The changes in technology are digitizing business processes. Therefore, organizations must consider all the opportunities to reduce costs, improve production, and rise in efficiency so that they can maintain the business curve. There are several tools of automation available in the market. Business managers should understand trends in business process automation to select the best technologies to be used. Here are some of the automation that is used by business in today’s business world. They include:

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

This is effectively used by business when conducting a rule-based process where there is no need for humans to make decisions (Aguirre & Rodriguez, 2017). In the coming days, robotic process automation will be more advanced and use technologies like Al-power to work on tasks that are complex and not repetitive. Also, RPA is used in transferring data from a system to another system to enable the execution of the workflow.

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

AI and automation systems are following current rules. Also, artificial intelligence is mimicking the behavior of humans. Natural language processing and AL-driven technologies like machine learning are used for the smart process of automation, making companies use first data culture. Machine learning is used in the evaluation of unstructured and structured data to get insights that are actionable and recommend improvements for the efficient operation of the business (Aguirre, & Rodriguez, 2017).

Smart Technology Integration

In this type of automation, devices of IoT, like monitors and sensors, are used in the bridging of digitized processes (Aguirre, & Rodriguez, 2017). Data is collected from reporting functions, analytics, and self-monitoring, giving feedbacks that are essential in making adjustments in the processes. The technologies interconnected also enable the systems to communicate with one another; as a result, these systems operate automatically to adjust the inputs without interventions of a human being.

Business Gaining Competitive Advantage by Using Automation

Rapid changing of technologies is making automation to be applied almost in all business enterprises. Several are preferring automation as the best choice to gain a competitive advantage. Tesla, American clean energy and electric vehicle company found in Palo Alto in California, is a good example of a business that is successful in using automation to gain an advantage against other companies (Wright, & Schultz, 2018). Automation is giving Tesla a competitive advantage by:

Increasing Savings and Efficiency

Tesla as several automated tasks; as a result, there is a reduction in the number of those employed fulltime. Therefore, the savings that could be paid to the employees are used for investments in other sectors. Bots are also used in minimizing risks that may be caused by errors created by humans reducing risks while operating. Tesla is leveraging systems that already exist to improve the company’s infrastructure.

Improving Drive Compliance and Internal Processes

Tesla can describe procedures in governance to leverage RPA and AI (Wright, & Schultz, 2018). This better definition of the procedure is creating a strong culture in reporting done internally, all the activities, and onboard reports. Automation is fostering strong adherence to changes in the company, reducing costs and risks that may result in not complying.

Improving Customers Experience

Tesla is using bots that are handling customer’s questions while obtaining services. The chatbots are offering quality services without error, interacting appropriately with the clients. Therefore, automation is freeing the company from using many resources for functioning.

Skills Needed by Employees for Automation

Using automation in the workplace is making millions of individuals to lose their jobs, but with automation, there are also several jobs created for the process (Klumpp, 2018). Skills and knowledge are required by all the employees joining the workforce to operate the adopted monumental economy shift smoothly. These skills help humans to increase value in the world that is automated. The following are some of the skills that should be a priority to the employees:

Critical Thinking

Anyone employed should have the capability of connecting concepts, interpreting, and imagine all the concepts in this world with nuance and ambiguity. The employee should figure out a concept that can reverberate with customer’s expectations.

Creativity

Employees require should have the highest degree of intuitive that even the AI cannot imitate. The creative employee can work in the automated world and help do improvements easily.

Able to Solve Problems

Automation can mitigate problems that even human beings cannot solve. However, it should also be a vice versa where a human being should be able to solve the problem that AI cannot handle. In a case where problems are not well described, human beings who are employed should work hand in hand to get a solution. Other skills required by employees are serving clients, decision-making, and having the capability to coordinate with other essential people (Klumpp, 2018).

References

Aguirre, S., & Rodriguez, A. (2017, September). Automation of a business process using robotic process automation (RPA): A case study. In Workshop on Engineering Applications (pp. 65-71). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66963-2_7

Klumpp, M. (2018). Automation and artificial intelligence in business logistics systems: human reactions and collaboration requirements. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 21(3), 224-242. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13675567.2017.1384451?casa_token=AP3gISmC5OMAAAAA:RBKfbUSJ8x8dwufNCcEoX_TOA84rDFrmwFWsYF9HIyx3FviPwIqWuEhoblcDmc0bEf2m0cZur16WEcQyuQ

Wright, S. A., & Schultz, A. E. (2018). The rising tide of artificial intelligence and business automation: Developing an ethical framework. Business Horizons, 61(6), 823-832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.07.001