Improving ROI with Enterprise Automation

In today’s economic climate, tight labor markets and potential downturns are forcing companies to do more with less. Naturally, enterprises are searching for ways to automate rule-based processes. By utilizing these Enterprise Automation solutions, global businesses can optimize production while minimizing resource consumption. This agility allows them to react swiftly to new opportunities, gaining a significant competitive edge.

Unsurprisingly, automation has become a driving force across industries, with projected capital spending skyrocketing from $25 million to a staggering $500 million over the next five years.

What is Enterprise Automation?

Enterprise automation goes beyond simply deploying automation tools in your workflows. It’s a comprehensive strategy that leverages a wide range of technologies to streamline, integrate, and automate business processes, ultimately reducing manual work. 

The key lies in centralized control. Enterprise automation establishes a central hub for managing automation efforts, ensuring consistency and maximizing efficiency across the entire organization. This strategic approach empowers you to create a unified automation strategy, optimizing workflows and unlocking the true potential of automation.

Types of Enterprise Automation

Enterprise automation empowers businesses to streamline workflows by leveraging a diverse toolkit. This toolbox can include everything from user-friendly low-code platforms to complex, human-like bots.

The ideal automation mix hinges on the specific tasks you aim to automate. Here’s a breakdown of some key enterprise automation types:

1. Business Process Automation (BPA)

This approach goes beyond standalone tasks, focusing on streamlining entire functional areas. BPA utilizes multi-step workflows and typically requires integration with APIs and data exchange across different systems.

Example: Streamlining a new employee onboarding process is a perfect example of BPA. A workflow automation tool manages the entire process – from job offer acceptance to equipment provisioning and orientation scheduling – minimizing the need for manual involvement.

2. Basic Automation

This is your entry point, ideal for automating simple, repetitive tasks like generating reports or sending email threads. Low-code or no-code software platforms often serve as the backbone for these automations.

Example: Imagine a sales department that automates weekly sales reports. A simple script pulls data from the sales database, formats it into a predefined template, and distributes it via email – all without human intervention.

3. Integration Automation

This approach prioritizes connecting different business systems and utilizing this connectivity to automate tasks. Data is seamlessly shared between systems, eliminating errors and the need for manual data entry.

Example: ERP systems often rely on integration automation to exchange data with finance, sales, and customer success departments. Connecting the ERP with a CRM platform streamlines order management by automatically transferring data between systems.

4. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

This falls under the BPA umbrella, but with a human-centric twist. RPA utilizes software bots powered by AI to automate tasks traditionally performed by humans, like interacting with software applications. This non-intrusive approach often requires minimal changes to existing IT infrastructure.

Example:  Healthcare utilizes RPA to automate scheduling, claims processing, data entry, and other tasks, alleviating staff shortages.

By understanding these core components of enterprise automation, you can tailor a strategy that perfectly aligns with your specific business needs and unlocks the true potential of automation within your organization.

The Role of Enterprise Automation in Digital Transformation

While enterprise automation plays a vital role, digital transformation (DT) is a far more extensive undertaking.  DT isn’t just about implementing isolated solutions like ERPs, APIs, or bots. It’s a holistic transformation that rewrites the very fabric of your business, preparing it to thrive in the digital age.

Benefits of Enterprise Automation

Digital transformation is sweeping the business world, and enterprise automation is at the forefront. Here’s why a staggering 70% of organizations, according to McKinsey, are piloting automation technologies, experiencing a range of significant benefits:

Cost Reduction Beyond Headcount

• Moving Beyond Full Time Employments: While cost reduction is a key driver, enterprise automation goes beyond simply eliminating headcount. It streamlines operations by removing dependence on contractors and contingent workers.
• Indirect Cost Savings: Automation optimizes existing technologies, squeezing more value out of your current infrastructure.

Boosting Efficiency and Throughput

• Faster Production Cycles: In manufacturing, automated production lines eliminate waiting times and adapt to changing demands, significantly reducing product cycle times.
• Empowering Your Workforce: Automation frees employees from tedious tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value activities, as over 90% of workers report increased productivity with automation tools.

Scalability for Growth

• Process and Business Scalability: Automation solutions can be replicated across departments and environments, enabling businesses to scale processes efficiently with minimal human intervention.

Enhanced Data Quality

• Error-Free Operations: Automation eliminates human error, ensuring consistent and accurate data across systems. This translates to improved decision-making and regulatory compliance.

Employee Satisfaction and Retention

• Engaged Workforce: By automating repetitive tasks, employees are freed to pursue more strategic initiatives, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention (according to a report, 90% of workers report improved jobs and 66% report increased productivity).

Transparency and Regulatory Compliance

• Real-Time Insights: Automation facilitates real-time data access and provides an audit trail, ensuring transparency and compliance with regulations.

In conclusion, enterprise automation offers a compelling value proposition. It reduces costs, boosts efficiency, improves quality, and empowers your workforce – all critical factors for driving business growth and success in today’s competitive landscape.

Roadblocks of introducing Enterprise automation

Enterprise automation promises a bright future, but the path is not without its hurdles. Here are some key challenges our experts have identified:

1. Choosing the Right Automation Targets

• Many companies struggle to identify the most suitable processes for automation. Focusing on non-standardized tasks can lead to slow ROI, discouraging further automation efforts.
• Prioritize automation projects with a clear and demonstrable return on investment to keep executives and stakeholders engaged

2. Technical Hurdles on the Implementation Road

• Outdated software, data fragmentation across systems, and integration difficulties can significantly hinder automation efforts.
• Consolidating data from various sources into a unified and consistent format (a single source of truth) is crucial for successful automation.

3. The Human Factor: Embracing Change

• Neglecting employee buy-in is a recipe for failure. Effective change management strategies are essential for successful automation implementation.
• Effective automation requires buy-in from all levels of the organization. Foster a collaborative environment where employees feel involved in the automation process.

4. Building a Strong Foundation for Automation Success

• A well-defined governance structure ensures automation projects stay on track, maintain cost-effectiveness, and deliver clear value.
• A comprehensive automation roadmap outlines the path forward, avoiding delays, cost overruns, and a lack of focus on overall business goals.

By recognizing these challenges and implementing proactive solutions, businesses can navigate the automation journey more effectively and unlock the transformative power of automation.

Your Roadmap to Winning with Enterprise Automation

Enterprise automation unlocks a world of possibilities, but achieving success requires a well-defined roadmap. Here, we delve into the key drivers identified by McKinsey and explore how to align them with your organization’s leadership, technological capabilities, and human resources:

Leadership: Setting the Stage for Enterprise-Wide Transformation

• While pilots are valuable for testing automation viability, leadership must establish a clear vision for scaling automation across the entire enterprise. Think of pilots as springboards, not dead ends.

Identifying Opportunities: Building a Strong Foundation

• Assemble a working group with representatives from every relevant department. This diverse team can map out areas ripe for automation, ensuring a comprehensive approach.

Finding the Right Fit for Automation

• Begin by automating well-defined processes in structured environments, such as data collection, standard inputs, and high-volume transactions.

Prioritizing for Impact

• Prioritize automation opportunities based on their potential impact and the ease of implementation. Focus on areas where the benefits outweigh the complexity of building the automated solution.

Optimizing Business Processes

• Before automating a process, map and audit its current state – including both formal and informal workflows. Streamlining existing processes can significantly reduce the complexity and cost of automation.

Defining Measurable Success

• Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives to track your automation progress. These goals can focus on scalability, availability, productivity, and other key metrics.
  
• KPIs: Guiding Your Journey: Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) tailored to each automated process and its stakeholders. Examples include total incidents processed, cost savings, and employee satisfaction. Align your KPIs with your business strategy and industry standards

Technology: Building the Tools for Transformation

• Invest in the right technology resources – people and tools – to effectively scope, build, and maintain your automated solutions.
  
• Seek expert advice to identify the right type of automation (RPA, BPM, etc.) for your specific needs. Choose a compatible set of technologies that integrate seamlessly with your existing systems.
  
• Explore the need for API development to connect various systems and provide access to essential data sources.
  
• Ensure your data is automation-ready by categorizing and organizing it based on accessibility and importance. Verify access to required data sources and ensure alignment with your overall data strategy.

Change Management: Cultivating a Culture of Continuous Improvement

• Aligning Stakeholders: Foster strong communication and collaboration between leadership and employees to achieve strategic alignment around automation goals.
  
• Transparency and Communication: Keep your employees informed about the goals of automation and how it might impact their roles. Open and honest communication fosters trust and reduces anxiety.
  
• Investing in Your Workforce: Develop training programs to equip at-risk employees with the skills they need to transition to new roles and higher-value tasks.
  
• Embracing Agile Change: Implement Agile methodologies to promote flexibility and employee involvement throughout the automation process. This allows for iterative adjustments and ensures a smooth transition for your workforce.

By following this roadmap and prioritizing the alignment between leadership, technology, and your human resources, you can set your organization on a path to successful enterprise automation and unlock its transformative potential.

Innovative Technologies for Smarter Enterprise Automation

Over 60% of organizations are wielding a powerful combination of automation technologies to accelerate their digital transformation journeys. But with a vast array of options available, selecting the right tool for the task can be daunting.

Here’s a breakdown of some key enterprise automation technologies, their automation levels, and potential applications:

1. Intelligent Automation (AI, Machine Learning, NLP)

Ideal for: Complex tasks with inherent variability requiring real-time adjustments.

How it works: Combines AI (machine learning, natural language processing, generative AI) with RPA to create intelligent workflows that automatically trigger actions based on changing conditions.

Examples: Customer service chatbots, supplier selection automation, vehicle route planning with real-time traffic updates.

2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Ideal for: Repetitive tasks with clearly defined steps.

How it works: Software mimic human actions by following pre-programmed scripts,  to automate repetitive, high-volume tasks traditionally performed by human employees.

Examples: Data extraction from forms, form filling, report generation.

3. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) & Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR)

Ideal for:Transforming unstructured data like scanned documents or handwritten text into machine-readable format.

How it works: OCR captures and converts images into text, while ICR takes it a step further by deciphering different handwriting styles. 

Examples: Processing loan documents, patient records, invoices.

4. Data Preparation and Analysis Tools

Ideal  for: Streamlining the data preparation process for analysis and decision-making.

How it works: Automates tasks like data extraction, cleaning, and integration from various sources.

Examples: Self-service data analytics platforms that prepare datasets for easier analysis.

5. Internet of Things (IoT)

Ideal for: Automating actions based on real-time data collected from interconnected devices with sensors.

How it works: Devices communicate with each other and make automated decisions without human intervention.

Examples: Self-driving vehicles, predictive maintenance in manufacturing, automated inventory management in supply chains.

6. Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR)

Ideal  for: Training, remote monitoring, and optimizing physical processes in warehouses and assembly lines.

How it works: AR overlays digital information onto the real world, while VR creates a fully immersive virtual environment.

Examples:Interactive training programs, remote equipment monitoring, optimizing warehouse layouts and assembly lines.

By understanding the capabilities and limitations of each technology, you can make informed decisions to select the right tools and unlock the transformative power of automation within your organization.

Conclusion

A lot of companies use “band-aid solutions” for automation, but these can be easily duplicated by competitors. A unified enterprise level automation, however, offers a path to long-lasting value and differentiation.

To achieve genuine success with automation, organizations must prioritize a human-centered approach. This means empowering employees and fostering a collaborative environment alongside implementing powerful technology. In addition to that, strategic leadership is essential for ensuring that automation initiatives are in line with the overall business goals.

By prioritizing these elements, companies can unlock the nearly limitless potential of enterprise automation and gain a sustainable competitive edge. Robylon AI is making waves in process automation solutions, offering a powerful platform that can configure and optimize workflows across different departments and domains. Schedule a free demo today and discover how Robylon AI can help your company achieve its automation goals!