Essential Tools to Automate Your Business Process

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Every business can benefit from automating its business processes online. However, the idea of implementing automation can be daunting if you have no background in it and lack the technical skills to do it right.

Fortunately, there are several tools out there that can help you simplify the process.

By taking advantage of these tools, even if you have very little technical experience, you can eliminate repetitive processes, increase productivity, and focus on high-value work.

If you would like assistance in implementing automation as efficiently as possible, consider reaching out to us here at Trio. Our developers can offer cost-effective development solutions, whether you want to outsource these tasks or augment your staff.

Let’s go over the essential tools for automating your business and how they can drive growth and streamline your operations so that you can better decide on a path going forward to help promote business growth through technology.

What are the Best Tools to Automate Your Business Processes?

Top Business Process Automation Tools Available

There are a couple of different options that you can consider to automate your business, but not each of them may be the right choice for you.

The tools all offer different features designed to help with specific tasks. Here are some of the top choices that businesses use to automate business processes:

  • Zapier: This is an excellent option to connect different apps and automate workflows across multiple platforms. It lets you set up “Zaps,” which are automated workflows that trigger actions in one app when a specific event occurs in another. In doing this, tools like Zapier streamline simple tasks like sending emails or updating spreadsheets.
  • Power Automate: This tool from Microsoft – already built into collaboration tools like SharePoint – allows you to automate workflows within its suite of applications. Power Automate is especially useful if your company already uses Office 365; integration is seamless.
  • Airtable: Airtable is a low-code or no-code platform that combines a spreadsheet’s simplicity with a database’s power. It allows you to organize and manage data efficiently. It’s also great for task management. With its automation features, you can set up custom workflows for anything from task reminders to data entry without needing to know how to code.
  • HubSpot: This CRM tool is designed for businesses looking to automate customer interactions. Its marketing and sales automation features help nurture leads, track sales activity, and streamline communication across your team.
  • Kissflow: Kissflow is another no-code/low-code platform designed to automate business workflows. Its drag-and-drop interface is great for managing approvals, tracking expenses, or monitoring project progress.
  • UiPath: UiPath can automate repetitive, rule-based tasks that usually require a lot of manual effort. This can be anything from data entry to invoice processing, which can free up valuable time for your team to focus on higher-level work.
  • Blue Prism: Blue Prism helps enterprises that need to automate complex processes at scale. It’s highly scalable and integrates AI to help manage unstructured data.

Comparing Automation Software for Business Needs

When it comes to comparing automation tools, it’s important to consider your current processes and long-term goals.

For example, Zapier is perfect if you have a small business needing quick automation between everyday apps to reduce manual tasks. Power Automate, on the other hand, excels in larger organizations that rely on Microsoft products.

Airtable is great for businesses that need a database system with advanced automation capabilities, and HubSpot is ideal if you are looking to automate marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) tasks.

How to Choose the Right Automation Tool

There are a couple of different factors that you can consider when figuring out what the right automation tool is for you.

First, think about the scalability of the tool. Will it be able to grow with your business, or will you need to change to a different tool if something happens, e.g., the tool needs to handle additional users?

Similarly, consider your existing software ecosystem and the integration capabilities of the tool. Will it easily connect with the other systems and applications that you already use? If you change another tool that you use, will you run into issues?

The ability to seamlessly integrate is important to ensure a smooth workflow and reduce friction between systems.

What about its ease of use? Will you need to focus on extensive onboarding processes for your staff? Some tools are great, but they may require a certain technical expertise to use. We have noticed that this is especially true for enterprise solutions.

Finally, consider the support and community. It is very important to have access to a strong network of active users to help you troubleshoot issues and find answers quickly. Alternatively, you may need to reach the software supplier all the time, which could be a lengthy process.

How Can Automation Improve Business Operations?

Benefits of Automating Your Business Processes

One of the biggest benefits of automation is that automated processes save time.

When you let automation technology handle routine, repetitive tasks, you can focus your time and resources on other activities. This ultimately leads to business growth through technology.

Also, automation is far more accurate than manual processes. This makes it particularly useful for tasks that are prone to mistakes, like data entry and reporting.

Similarly, automation provides consistency, making sure that tasks are completed the same way every time, without oversight. This leads to improved efficiency as your processes become more streamlined and predictable.

The result of all of this together is that automation enables scalability, allowing your business to handle more tasks without requiring additional personnel or resources.

Ways to Automate Repetitive Tasks

There are a couple of different ways you can automate repetitive tasks. Some of the most common automation that we have come across include email follow-ups, social media posts, and data backups.

Email follow-ups are usually triggered after a customer interacts with your website. This can be something like filling in a form to sign up for a newsletter or making a purchase.

Social media posts still need to be manually created, but they can be created ahead of time, then scheduled and published using automation tools so that content is live at the best possible time.

Data backups are by far one of the most common automation tasks that we deal with. They can be automated to occur at regular intervals so that all information is saved. We recommend this for all web apps we work with. 

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Streamlining Workflow with Automation

We’ve already mentioned that automation can help streamline workflows. It does this by improving communication between different people and departments, allowing them to access real-time updates.

Here at Trio, we use tools like Trello, but Asana and Monday.com are also popular for managing projects, assigning tasks, and monitoring completion with features like automated notifications and task assignments, improving business efficiency.

How Trio Can Help You Choose and Implement Automation Tools

The Role of Expert Developers in Automation Implementation

At Trio, our expert developers work with you – ensuring that they get the full picture – to assess your business needs. Once they have done this, they can give you recommendations on the best automation software for you.

They can either help you with the more technical aspects of integrating existing software solutions or build customized automation solutions for web apps and mobile apps that fit seamlessly into your existing systems.

Our developers are also available for continued management and support so that you do not have to worry about issues that crop up or make changes to their scalable solutions as your business needs evolve.

What is Business Process Automation (BPA)?

Understanding the Concept of BPA

Business Process Automation (BPA) refers to the use of technology to automate complex workflows and tasks that span across departments in order to boost efficiency.

BPA typically focuses on automating workflows such as employee onboarding, invoicing, or customer service, where multiple steps or systems are involved.

Key Use Cases for Business Process Automation

There are three main use cases for automation in business process improvement: HR, marketing/sales, and finance.

Human resource benefits can be derived by integrating process automation platforms into processes like onboarding, time tracking, and benefits administration. Sales benefits through lead management and automated follow-ups.

Finance benefits from things like automated invoicing, expense approvals, and financial reporting. Some may argue that automating these business workflows is critical because of the positive effect of accuracy and timely processing.

How BPA Integrates with Other Business Tools

Whether it’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, or Human Resources (HR) management tools, BPA helps streamline operations by connecting different departments and functions.

For example. in the context of HR management, BPA can connect HR tools to payroll and employee benefits systems.

When a new employee is onboarded, all relevant data – such as contact information, salary details, and benefits preferences – can be automatically shared between systems.

This ensures consistency, reduces redundant data entry, and keeps the entire onboarding process smooth and efficient.

How to Implement Business Process Automation?

Steps to Automate a Business Process Successfully

The process of implementing business rules and business process automation is relatively simple in theory.

First, you want to conduct an audit to identify the key processes that you want to automate as part of a digital process automation strategy. Usually, these are repetitive and time-consuming, and they are currently suffering from inefficiency.

Then, you need to select the right tools.

As we have mentioned above, this can either be an existing tool with the relevant functionality, or you can reach out to Trio to create a custom tool through collaborative software development with some of our trustworthy developers.

Once you have the appropriate tool, we would recommend that you begin by automating a small part of the process. Test this implementation thoroughly, and make any changes that you think you need before you start expanding.

Once you are happy, you can start training your employees on how to use the new workflows in place. Generally, something like a webinar is suitable.

Challenges in Business Process Automation Implementation

Some common challenges in BPA implementation that we have seen clients encounter include resistance to change from employees and integration issues with legacy systems.

Many clients who have worked with other development firms have also found the need for ongoing maintenance.

Best Practices for Effective BPA

The best way to approach BPA is to begin with a single process. Once you have confirmed success – from technical integration to your employees accepting the process – you can expand your automation efforts.

Similarly, you should try to involve your team.

Whether it is your new employees or long-term stakeholders, their involvement in the planning and implementation process will encourage them to accept the new way of doing things, increasing your chances of success.

Once you have implemented your new processes, make sure that you review them regularly so that you can continue to optimize them to maximize productivity.

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

Differences Between RPA and Traditional Automation

Traditional automation usually just involves backend processes that optimize workflows, like automated data entry.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) involves automating processes that are almost ‘human.’ This can be things like filling in forms, moving your files, or even logging you in and out.

It generally involves more complex artificial intelligence (AI) than traditional automation.

Common Use Cases for RPA in Business

We have seen RPA widely used for automating customer service responses, processing payroll, managing data entry, and even processing invoices.

One particularly common use that we have seen would be something like a chatbot powered by RPA, which can quickly handle basic customer queries, freeing up your human support team for more nuanced cases.

In accounting, RPA is also used relatively often to take over the tedious work of invoice approvals, checking figures, and updating databases.

How RPA Enhances Business Process Automation

RPA, in combination with BPA, leads to even greater efficiency.

While you may have a BPA system in place, there would still be manual tasks that need to be completed. These could be highly error-prone and time-consuming.

RPA can help you complete these processes faster and more accurately without the need for human intervention.

How to Measure the Success of Your Automation Efforts?

Key Metrics for Evaluating Automation Success

There are a couple of metrics that you can compare before and after your business automation has been implemented to figure out if it was a success.

You can look at the amount of time that your employees are spending on certain tasks to see if they are able to focus less on repetitive things like data entry, and you can look at your data sets to see if they are becoming more accurate.

Although it is more difficult to determine, productivity is also a good indicator of successful automation. If your team is able to get more done in less time, you should be on the right track.

Finally, and most importantly, cost savings should be considered. This is usually done through reduced overhead, but team productivity can also contribute.

Tools for Tracking Automation Performance

Google Analytics is great for monitoring web-based automation, helping you see how users interact with automated features on your site.

HubSpot lets you track marketing and sales automation efforts, offering insight into lead generation and customer follow-ups.

If neither of these is suitable for you, perhaps consider something as basic as Trello to track metrics such as task completion, letting you see which automation is making the biggest impact on your team’s productivity.

Improving Customer Satisfaction Through Automation

When you automate tasks like sending follow-up emails, handling customer queries, or updating order statuses, your customers get faster responses and real-time updates.

This not only saves your team time but also makes your customers feel valued and supported without you needing to put in any additional effort.

However, it is important that you are very careful with how you do this. We’ve found that if your automated responses are not personalized and targeted enough, you can come across as spammy, which can do the opposite of what you’d like.

How Can Automation Improve Business Operations?

Overview of how automation impacts day-to-day business activities and overall efficiency.

Automation takes care of the small, repetitive tasks that eat up your team’s time so they can focus on the bigger picture.

This boosts overall efficiency by ensuring tasks are completed consistently and accurately without needing constant oversight.

Our team of knowledgeable developers is available to assist with scalable software development and automation, whether your goal is to automate simple operations or completely revamp your workflow.

We can help you through the entire process, from considering what to automate first to budget and timelines.

Get in touch with us to schedule a call.

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With over 10 years of experience in software outsourcing, Alex has assisted in building high-performance teams before co-founding Trio with his partner Daniel. Today he enjoys helping people hire the best software developers from Latin America and writing great content on how to do that!
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