Digital Process Automation is not something new that we, as humankind, face. We’ve been through historic automation during the 18th century when the world faced massive industrialisation through the Industrial Revolution.
Nowadays we are facing another automation revolution. A digital one. And while the industrial revolution took almost 80 years to be widely spread across the globe, the digital one needed less than 20.
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The common goals of both of these revolutions are:
- improving the business process,
- enhancing customer experiences,
- eliminating time-consuming, repetitive processes.
However, digital process automation brings to the table new perspectives and benefits.
What Does Digital Automation Mean?
Digital Process Automation (DPA) is a method of using digital technology to automate processes or tasks and optimize workflows. DPA focuses on reducing human assistance to the bare minimum. It extends the efficiency delivered by business process management (BPM) solutions to external users such as customers, vendors, and other stakeholders, resulting in better user experiences.
Now that we know who can benefit from DPA, let’s find out what are the most common advantages.
Top 7 Benefits of Digital Process Automation
According to McKinsey and Co. from 2018 to 2020 66% of businesses chose to digitally transform one or more business functions.
As per Gartner, they predict that by 2026, the market for software that enables hyper-automation will reach nearly $1.04 trillion, with a CAGR of 11.9%. Demand for hyper-automation is driven by a strong need for digital transformation due to talent shortages, increasing economic pressures and competitive challenges.
So here is what digital process automation software will bring forth:
Lower Costs
Lower costs are probably the most common benefit that comes to mind when thinking about adopting a digital automation solution.
But here’s the truth: the cost reduction will show in time. The initial investment might seem quite high since custom-made applications take time to build and implement, but over time, you will see significant cost reductions.
The lower costs can come in many forms and as a result of other benefits, we’ll mention them here.
Usually, a digital automation solution will help you reduce costs where a lot of manual, time-consuming work is needed.
Increased Productivity
Since a digital solution will “do the job by itself” with little to no need for human assistance, you’ll notice that things will get done quicker.
We, as software developers, have access to a lot of new tools, algorithms and technologies (like Machine Learning and AI).
These technologies evolve faster than ever and we are here to leverage them to our benefit, which translates into saving time – which is probably the end goal of each automation solution.
The fast response we get from up-to-date technologies gives us faster and better results, thus increasing operational efficiency and productivity.
Increased Availability
Being always there for your clients is vital today.
Consumers, expect immediate response and assistance for their issues. Companies must be fully aware of this expectation and must be fully equipped to fulfil it.
With the extra time and cost reduction you can get, you can wisely re-invest these resources and be always there for your clients.
Of course, there are numerous software solutions out there, ready to help you increase your availability for your clients. We usually integrate smart chatbots in the products we develop, because they can offer quick assistance for all different types of users.
Improved Quality
There’s no secret that we are prone to make mistakes. We are only humans, and it’s natural to not be fully focused the entire time.
Luckily, software programs don’t have this problem. They are fully operational 24/7, process and store data as quickly as a blink of an eye, and can even warn you if you’re about to make a mistake.
Taking this even further, now we can use Machine Learning, so programs learn from previous events and mistakes, thus reducing the errors to a minimum.
With an error-proof process, you’ll get qualitative results, fast and safely.
Greater Control
Managing a large team is not just time-consuming, but also overwhelming.
You have to keep track of everything and everyone and make reports about it every month.
I think we can all agree that creativity is our unique quality, that machines can never replicate. And manual, rudimental work doesn’t mix well with our creative ego.
Machines and software, on the other hand, are great at collecting and storing data. They also give you raw data in various formats, which can be easily “read” or aggregated in comprehensive and appealing reports.
Data (almost) never lies. It tells you everything about what happened: who logged in and when what sections were viewed and for how long and so on.
Furthermore, a custom digital solution will give you full control of its capabilities.
You are in full control of what happens, and you can change it whenever you need.
Reduced Risk
We all have different concerns around risks: it can be a financial risk, or… even a hotter topic, cybersecurity risk.
Keeping all aspects of your business safe and sound is essential.
With better control of your processes, an automation solution can help you store business metadata and use it later to your benefit.
While cybersecurity is a hot topic of discussion, technology is making fast progress when it comes to keeping data and its users safe.
We constantly get new ways of protecting data, so you can be sure all your information is protected.
Lower Environmental Impact
Process automation can help you reduce your environmental impact in different ways.
From monitoring and optimising energy consumption to helping you build buildings with a low carbon footprint, all can be achieved with the help of software development.
Did you know that an e-learning platform can reduce up to 80% of the CO2 emissions of traditional face-to-face courses?
An efficient and carefully optimised digital tool could not only benefit you but also the environment.
In conclusion, while digital process automation can vary from case to case, it is clear to see how the benefits are worth the investment.
From transactional operations, and process modelling to robotic process automation, the shift from business process management to digital process automation is inevitable.
More and more companies recognise the key benefits of digital process automation and opt to modernize their legacy systems, improve the customer journey, and update their management software to ensure business continuity and success.
At Fabrit, we stand beside companies that aim at becoming industry leaders with the help of intelligent automation.
You can read our clients’ success stories here.
Are you ready to upgrade your business process? Let’s talk!
