The automation of your business endeavors is a crucial step in scaling growth and expansion. After all, there are so many different opportunities that arise through automation. No one business can keep up with every inch of what is needed to continue building on success.

There are plenty of brand- and business-specific tasks that need individual minds to continue prospering. Automation helps those minds focus on their specified talents instead of monotonous tasks.

So, what are the most effective areas for business process automation?

1.   Communication

The automation of online communication provides several key benefits, and saves crucial time responding to customers and dispersing information. Whether it’s social media, email, routing requests, or notifications, automating these tasks saves employee time and allows you to disseminate information faster.

Communication is crucial for government entities and private businesses alike. For example, both Pennsylvania and Maryland use Facebook to push critical alerts and information about COVID-19. However, the consistency needed to enact a successful social media campaign or always respond to inquiries immediately takes a level of dedication that is exponentially demanding. Therefore, automating communication offers businesses the best of both worlds.

We have worked with clients to automate multiple forms of communications. Applications can automatically generate an email to customers after a form is submitted. Routing requests, such as customer inquiries, can automatically be sent to the appropriate resource. Automated notifications can be sent to approvers once a specific step in a workflow has been reached.

2.   Workflows

When activities follow the same basic workflow or process, many steps can be automated to expedite the workflow or reduce staff time spent processing routine activities. This automation frees up staff time so they can focus on critical knowledge-related tasks.

Many agencies administer licenses, certifications, and other time-limited documents. Momentum consultants have helped our clients automate workflows when a document expiration date approaches. These workflows kick off with an automated notification. Submitted renewals are automatically routed for feedback, review, and approvals. When the renewal requires several documents, we’ve worked with clients to automate creating a renewal packet that contains all the necessary documents. Finally, this type of automated workflow includes tracking renewals and progress so organizations can see what is coming up and where the in-flight renewals are.

For example, our consultants recently helped a client implement Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) software for several government clients. One recent project implemented new CRM software and incorporated automation that included automated responses back to constituents, automated assignments to the appropriate resource based on key issues, and automated tracking of responses. Through this software, thousands of citizens have received the information they needed when they needed it. Our client was also able to expedite and track their responses.

3.   Forms

Data entry can be tedious at best and is a security risk at worst. Even the best worker makes mistakes, and human error during the data entry process can pose problems for any organization. Fortunately, many data entry tasks can be easily automated.

For example, automation can ensure the system provides the correct forms for the activity and pre-populates form data for the user. Automated address validation allows users to start to type a business or address and then recommends matching locations or offers an address validated against the U.S. postal service. Some data, such as the customer’s name and address, can be automatically populated on forms, reducing the need to re-enter the information manually. Even the form itself can be automated. Multiple similar forms can be combined, and the appropriate questions posed to the user based on their input to previous questions.

If forms are part of a workflow, then subsequent activities can also be automated. This combination allows organizations to gain multiple efficiencies and maximize the benefit they receive from automation!

Automating Your Business Processes

Many organizations have workflows that follow the same process or ask users to enter basic data into forms. All organizations have communication needs, whether to customers or internal staff. Many of these tasks can be automated to expedite processes or reduce staff time spent completing routine activities. Momentum consultants have helped our clients with all the above examples plus other forms of automation. We understand the unique challenges faced with automation in both the private and public sectors.

Automating your business processes saves time and facilitates a seamless workflow while minimizing the chance for human errors. Contact Momentum today to discuss areas of your organization that are ripe for automation.