Automation counteracts manual processes and routines that kill your business

Automation, so you don't waste your resources on unnecessary tasks. For those who want to spend more time on their business and less time on manual processes and routines, the possibilities of automation are a great relief. So why wait? Start reviewing your workflows you too, right now, as the next step of your digitisation journey.

In the first part of 2020, it became clear to many organisations what level of digitalisation they have reached. As staff work dispersed and take tasks to new locations, it becomes clear what works and what feels unsustainable in the long run. This has triggered a start to review structures and ask the question: Why do we work the way we do and how can we change the way we work to something more efficient?

When that kind of issue comes on the agenda, your business is one step closer to RPA, Power Automate and UI Flow. Let's come back to those three concepts, but first look at the current state of digitization.

Automation as part of the transformation

Most businesses have already started to digitise their processes. However, the levels are different. Some consider themselves to be at a high level when they have video meetings once a month with the salesperson in Germany. Others realise they have a lot more to work on even though the lion's share of the organisation is already moving in a digital landscape most of the time.

Although the organisation has a strategy, it is important to regularly gather and ask: What is the purpose of the digitisation work? The fact is that this work, like organisational development, will never be "finished" - it is an ongoing project.

The causes of digitisation can be categorised as follows:

• Making your own organisation more effective
• Improving for customers and employees
• Redesigning the business model

Automation of flows is possible under all three points. Point one is a good place to start when you want to free up resources and understand the benefits of RPA. For example, why should someone have to sort paper or manually change the location of data when you can let an automated process do it?

Microsoft Power Automate is the tool for automation

Automating parts of your business is no longer just about letting a robot build cars. It's about controlling detailed flows in the most imaginable and unimaginable business processes, and the robot is not a physical machine - it's software.

RPA can range from facilitating a tedious repetitive routine to delivering powerful results at unlimited scale, helping businesses achieve measurable digital success faster.

Let's return to three concepts that you encounter when the idea of automation arises:

• RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is the umbrella term for automating various workflows. RPA acts as one of your employees, opening the user interface of your existing applications and automatically running structured processes.
• Power Automate is the Microsoft tool that creates automated workflows between your favourite apps and services to sync files, get notifications, collect data and more.
• UI Flow is a feature that allows you to record your processes by clicking through them manually. It creates an automated flow that repeats the tasks you have recorded in Windows, various web applications and even older software that does not support APIs.

Many organisations already have access to Power Automate in their MS365 licenses, so they can easily start automating today.

But how should you think about getting started and what can you expect?

Instant results with Power Automate

Automation usually starts when an organisation faces cost-cutting requirements, perhaps staff reductions or a new person comes in and says "you should automate certain flows". A new perspective leads to the question: What can we do differently that will make us more efficient?

With access to Power Automate, your organisation does not need to have its own developers, but can use so-called Citizen Developers. These are the colleagues who are a bit more curious, can imagine writing a snippet of code and sit in the middle of the business. These people become the engine that starts the automation process and are the ambassadors internally that spread the word about why automation is needed.

When the human factor is eliminated from old inefficient and self-defeating processes, the effects are immediate. In the best case, your business will be more efficient, less costly and better - with an improved quality of work environment for your human employees as a side result.

Do you want to spend more time on your core business and replace manual processes with automation? Or are you curious about the possibilities of RPA? Contact us and we will help you!