6 Business Process Examples and Automation Ideas | CMW Lab Blog

Business Process Examples and Automation Ideas that you can employ to drive your business to the next level. So, kindly read through…

What is a Business Process?

A Business Process is a set of related, structured activities and steps performed by the people or equipment in an organization in order to achieve the basic organizational goals like Profit maximization and Customer satisfaction.

Business processes may be repeated many times at all organizational levels and may or may not be visible to the customers.

A Business process is often regarded as a flowchart or

The importance of Business Processes to small, medium, and large businesses cannot be overemphasized as it helps your business function to be more orderly and streamlined, and thus facilitating Business Process Management as well as improving the organization’s efficiency and productivity.

However, it must be noted that a Business Process can either be Manual or Automated. A Business Process is considered manual when the process is achieved by human i.e without the aid of any assisting technology or automation model. While an Automated Business process is that which is achieved using an automation model or assisting technology. What differentiates the two is that Automated is modern and it is more accurate, standardized or optimized compared to the manual method. We will discuss more about and automation ideas later in this article.

Basic Steps of Business Process Implementation

Step 1: Define Your Goals

At this stage, you will first define the basic purpose of the process as well as the reasons for creating it.

Step 2: Plan and Map Your Process

Here you ruminate on effective strategies you can adopt to achieve the set goals

Step 3: Set Actions and Assign People that will handle it

Who are the best individuals to handle the tasks? What are the machines they will need to execute the plan? These and more are what you will make decisions about here

Step 4: Test the Process

The goal here is to first scrutinize the process at a low-key level and see how it faired.

Step 5: Implement the Process

If you are convinced with the results you get after testing the process, then it is time to run it on a global level. At this stage, you must communicate properly with all those who will be handling the tasks and you will also need to train them for better results.

Step 6: Monitor the Results

Try reviewing the process and check for any threats it may later bring, and find a way to mitigate the risk.

Step 7: Repeat

If you were able to achieve the set goals with the process, continue to replicate it and always track its effectiveness and progress along the line

Business Process Example

As earlier said, business processes occur at all organization levels and it varies from one industry to the other. For instance, the business process used in the mining industry would be quite different from the one in Finance, Health, Aviation, Security, etc. since the nature of their business is not the same. Here are business processes examples of some industries and firms:

INDUSTRY/FIRMBUSINESS PROCESS EXAMPLEManufacturingOrder processing, engineering change control, product assembly, product line process, quality assurance, maintenanceFinanceInvoicing process, risk management process, the billing processHealthMedical assessment process, drug approval process, financial process.BankingCustomer onboarding process, credit check process, the risk assessment processTravelAgent billing, trip booking, leave management process, business travel management process.ProcurementPurchasing, invoice reconciliation, account receivableAdvertisingCost estimating, cost approval, cost reviewingSales and MarketingProduct delivery process, product development process, the marketing research process

What are Some of the Terms Related to the Business Process?

A Business Process can be linked with several business concepts and terminologies, which includes Business Process Automation, Business Process Modeling, Business Process Reengineering, Business Process Simulation, Business Process Monitoring, but to mention a few.

However, in this context, we shall be laying more emphasis on Business Process Automation so as to help you understand how it works, as well as its importance to your business.

Business Process Automation Explained

Business Process Automation involves the use of assisted technology such as software & apps in performing business processes and activities, with the sole aim of minimizing cost and increasing productivity. When a business has its processes automated, it stands a chance to reap some benefits like greater efficiency, minimal error, reduced labor stress, cost minimization, profit maximization, better customer satisfaction, among others. A great example of common process automation found in businesses is the sales process automation and IT process automation.

Business process automation is not restricted to data management and record keeping alone; it allows you to exercise absolute control over various business issues like facility management, marketing, customer relationships, employee analytics, staff recruitment, standardization, but to mention a few.

Why Automate Your Business Processes?

Do you still doubt the capabilities of Business Process Automation? Consider these:

• Business Process Automation brings about Increasing Value Per Work – When you automate your business the burden on the employees will reduce and they will be able to channel their strength and exuberance to other essential assignments and tasks. This will, in turn, enhance their focus and productivity.
• Business Process Automation leads to Higher Employee Satisfaction – There are some business processes that are extremely complicated and if you leave them for the employees to handle, it may demotivate them and may even reduce their productivity. But the case would be reverse when you automate it because the employees will only be required to perform little tasks.
• Business Process Automation Minimizes Human Error – As long as human beings are involved in a process, the error is inevitable, and some errors can be colossal at times. Automating your business will help eliminate every form of human error, and thus giving you a more accurate result.

Other Benefits of Business Process Automation Include:

• Streamlined communication
• Cost minimization
• Improved workflows
• Increased flexibility
• Better customer satisfaction
• Consistent maintenance of a work standard
• Increased product/service quality
• Increased administrative control.

6 Amazing Business Processes and Automation Ideas

Numerous automation experts opine that automating a business brings about higher productivity, while it frees both the employees and the managers from most of the hectic and time-consuming tasks in the firm.

Here are examples of how automating your business can help make life easier at work:

1. Hiring process

No business organization can operate without a set of employees, and this is why hiring is a must for them. Recruitment and selection process is very delicate and critical because it can make or mar an organization.

To make the

Again, when you automate your hiring process, you will be able to reduce the cost and time incurred in the process.

2. Employee analytics

You can use automation systems in reading a variety of employee data to improve employee happiness although rather than waiting for the annual review.

3. Employee help desk support

Customers are the soul of your business, and your ability to provide excellent support to them will determine their level of loyalty. The traditional support system is not that effective compared to the automated systems, especially now that technology is widespread. Therefore, you can automate your help desk support using special tools and systems like live chat, Chatbots, email client, etc. This will enable your customers to reach you faster, and thus giving you an edge.

4. Task or Project Management

Make use of Task management software to ensure adequate workflow in the organization. This software provides a dashboard that will display the tasks and activities every member of the organization is expected to perform at a specific time. You can use automation tools for various aspect of your business such as marketing workflow, web content workflow, sales workflow, purchase requisition workflow, writing workflow process and content workflow management to mention a few.

5. Social Media Management

Every business is expected to have a dedicated account on the major social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, etc.

However, operating social media accounts can be daunting at times, because the handler would need to be posting new updates every hour, which could be consuming much time.

Therefore, to minimize the time spent on Social Media Management, you can use

6. Auditing

Perhaps your business deals with complex operations or major investments that demands thorough auditing, you don’t need to put the stress on your employees as BPM tools are readily available to help you out within a few minutes and with a fewer errors.

Conclusion

Having shown you some of the Business Process Example and Automation Ideas, we guarantee you of increased productivity and efficiency at your workplace, provided you incorporate them adequately into your business.

Helena Haidu is an Online Marketing Manager at CMWlab. and a passionate advocate for empowering executive managers onward to workflow automation and running their businesses efficiently.

Business process automation is a crucial element of any modern day business as they bring about increased efficiency and productivity in the workplace. They also help businesses at all levels to serve their customers in an orderly and swift manner. However, the thrust of this article is to provide you with some practicaland Automation Ideas that you can employ to drive your business to the next level. So, kindly read through…A Business Process is a set of related, structured activities and steps performed by the people or equipment in an organization in order to achieve the basic organizational goals like Profit maximization and Customer satisfaction.Business processes may be repeated many times at all organizational levels and may or may not be visible to the customers.A Business process is often regarded as a flowchart or workflow of logical steps, and it serves as a primary foundation for several related ideas like Business Process Management, Process optimization, Process mapping, Process Simulation, Process Automation, etc.The importance of Business Processes to small, medium, and large businesses cannot be overemphasized as it helps your business function to be more orderly and streamlined, and thus facilitating Business Process Management as well as improving the organization’s efficiency and productivity.However, it must be noted that a Business Process can either be Manual or Automated. A Business Process is considered manual when the process is achieved by human i.e without the aid of any assisting technology or automation model. While an Automated Business process is that which is achieved using an automation model or assisting technology. What differentiates the two is that Automated is modern and it is more accurate, standardized or optimized compared to the manual method. We will discuss more aboutandater in this article.At this stage, you will first define the basic purpose of the process as well as the reasons for creating it.Here you ruminate on effective strategies you can adopt to achieve the set goalsWho are the best individuals to handle the tasks? What are the machines they will need to execute the plan? These and more are what you will make decisions about hereThe goal here is to first scrutinize the process at a low-key level and see how it faired.If you are convinced with the results you get after testing the process, then it is time to run it on a global level. At this stage, you must communicate properly with all those who will be handling the tasks and you will also need to train them for better results.Try reviewing the process and check for any threats it may later bring, and find a way to mitigate the risk.If you were able to achieve the set goals with the process, continue to replicate it and always track its effectiveness and progress along the lineAs earlier said, business processes occur at all organization levels and it varies from one industry to the other. For instance, the business process used in the mining industry would be quite different from the one in Finance, Health, Aviation, Security, etc. since the nature of their business is not the same. Here are business processes examples of some industries and firms:A Business Process can be linked with several business concepts and terminologies, which includes Business Process Automation, Business Process Modeling, Business Process Reengineering, Business Process Simulation, Business Process Monitoring, but to mention a few.However, in this context, we shall be laying more emphasis on Business Process Automation so as to help you understand how it works, as well as its importance to your business.Business Process Automation involves the use of assisted technology such as software & apps in performing business processes and activities, with the sole aim of minimizing cost and increasing productivity. When a business has its processes automated, it stands a chance to reap some benefits like greater efficiency, minimal error, reduced labor stress, cost minimization, profit maximization, better customer satisfaction, among others. A great example of common process automation found in businesses is theandBusiness process automation (BPA) allows businesses to organize their personnel and systems through workflows and thus facilitating the move towards achieving the set organizational goals.Business process automation is not restricted to data management and record keeping alone; it allows you to exercise absolute control over various business issues like facility management, marketing, customer relationships, employee analytics, staff recruitment, standardization, but to mention a few.Do you still doubt the capabilities of Business Process Automation? Consider these:Numerous automation experts opine that automating a business brings about higher productivity, while it frees both the employees and the managers from most of the hectic and time-consuming tasks in the firm.Here are examples of how automating your business can help make life easier at work:No business organization can operate without a set of employees, and this is why hiring is a must for them. Recruitment and selection process is very delicate and critical because it can make or mar an organization.To make the hiring process seamless, you can make use of Automated hiring tools that will read through applications submitted by the employees speedily. These tools are also capable of searching for related keywords in each application so as to easily identify the candidates that best suit the available position in your organization.Again, when you automate your hiring process, you will be able to reduce the cost and time incurred in the process.You can use automation systems in reading a variety of employee data to improve employee happiness although rather than waiting for the annual review.Customers are the soul of your business, and your ability to provide excellent support to them will determine their level of loyalty. The traditional support system is not that effective compared to the automated systems, especially now that technology is widespread. Therefore, you can automate your help desk support using special tools and systems like live chat, Chatbots, email client, etc. This will enable your customers to reach you faster, and thus giving you an edge.Make use of Task management software to ensure adequate workflow in the organization. This software provides a dashboard that will display the tasks and activities every member of the organization is expected to perform at a specific time. You can use automation tools for various aspect of your business such asandto mention a few.Every business is expected to have a dedicated account on the major social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, etc.However, operating social media accounts can be daunting at times, because the handler would need to be posting new updates every hour, which could be consuming much time.Therefore, to minimize the time spent on Social Media Management, you can use Social Media automation tools that will allow you to schedule your posts for let’s say a day, a week, or a month.Perhaps your business deals with complex operations or major investments that demands thorough auditing, you don’t need to put the stress on your employees as BPM tools are readily available to help you out within a few minutes and with a fewer errors.Having shown you some of theandwe guarantee you of increased productivity and efficiency at your workplace, provided you incorporate them adequately into your business. CMW Tracker makes it a snap to model your own business process and get it up and running quickly.