Process automation, What are your company’s plans for the next five years? Maybe you’re going to enter a new market. Perhaps you plan to launch a game changing product. You could be targeting a new type of customer.
These plans are of course crucial for the future of your company. But let’s step back and think about the bigger picture. Because the future of work is being built today — and it’s going to be very, very different to what’s come before. From the way we do our jobs, to the tools we use, through to the places we do it, so many of our workplace processes are shifting.
And to adapt successfully (and succeed with your company’s specific plans), it’s going to be vital to think about the future of work process automation.
Why’s that? Let’s find out.
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What is the automation of workplace processes?
Workplace process automation has been happening for decades, but it is currently accelerating at a greater pace than ever before. Today, it’s possible to automate so many tasks which once needed heavy manual involvement from your teams. Think of things like accounting, project planning, R&D, approvals, IT helpdesk tickets… and practically all other workplace processes.
Using sophisticated workplace automation software, you can now hand those jobs over to workflow and process software and save yourself a lot of time!
Why is the future of work process automation changing now?
In 2022, Gartner, the tech research outfit, reported the emergence of ‘hyperautomation’. This is the idea that businesses are seriously scaling up their approach to automating workplace processes, finding many more opportunities to automate tasks that were once the exclusive domain of human workers.
Not so long ago, the automation of workplace processes focused mainly on quite simple tasks. Think leave requests, expense receipt filing, basic approvals.
But today, with the emergence of robotic process automation and AI-powered tech, it’s possible to automate much more complex tasks. And this is changing the future of work process automation before our eyes.
The growth in workplace automation is driven by more than just technology. Workplace processes are also being automated to help address challenges like:
- Labor shortages: The jobs market has never been tighter, so companies are desperate to automate as many workplace processes as possible since they just can’t find the staff.
- Increased international competition: In our ever more globalized economy, competition is incredibly intense. For businesses to stay ahead, they need to look at ways to automate workplace processes.
- Inflation: With all business costs rising, companies need to manage expenses as much as possible — and automation offers a powerful way of managing those costs.
4 ways the future of work process automation helps you
Let’s look at some of the ways that the future of work process automation can help you adapt to the future of work.
- New expectations for customer experience
The ways that customers interact with brands in future will be very different to how they interact with you today. People will want anytime, anywhere contact, responsive customer service (via several convenient channels), and easy-access self-service. The idea of calling up or emailing a brand for support will soon seem outdated.
By automating workplace processes to improve the customer experience, you can keep up with modern consumer expectations. With robotic process automation, for example, you can build sophisticated chatbots to solve queries. With process mapping, you can build out customer journeys. With workflow technology, you can create self-service forms for all kinds of requests, enquiries, and applications.
CX: How to improve the customer experience with eSignatures
- Facilitating hybrid and remote working
Remote and hybrid working is, without a doubt, here to stay. The trouble is, when staff are out of the office, it can be a lot harder to complete workplace processes (especially if they involve face to face interaction).
Once again, automation helps. Remote staff can trigger workflows and fill in forms to kick off workplace processes without having to be in the same room as their coworkers.
Read this: How to improve hybrid work with process automation
- Achieving sustainability goals
More and more organizations are making environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments to reduce their impact on the planet. And automation technology is well suited to supporting ESG ambitions.
When you automate workplace processes, you can eliminate huge amounts of waste, energy, and paper. Using digital forms (rather than paper ones), sending contracts for eSignature (not via motorbike courier), or storing files digitally (instead of in air-conditioned rooms), are all opportunities to reduce your environmental impact.
- Remaining agile in a disruptive business landscape
We’re living through a period of almost continuous disruption — from emerging business models to environmental challenges, international competition and social and economic shifts. To survive and thrive you’ve got to find ways to remain agile — and that often means minimizing waste and working smarter.
Once again, process automation software helps companies stay resilient and agile in a challenging business environment. By saving time, money, and resources, you win back people-hours, attention, and energy to focus on more challenging problems.
Get ready for the future of work process automation with Nintex
Whatever your company’s plans are for the coming years, it’s going to be vital to step back and consider how you’ll automate your wider workplace processes. The benefits of process automation — and the fact it can help you adapt to a changing world — mean it’s simply a no-brainer for any business that wishes to succeed.
Get ready for the future of work process automation with Nintex — one of the world’s most popular process automation platforms. Implement a variety of tools from mapping to process discovery and so much more that will prepare you for the automated world of the future.
To learn more about the future of work process automation, contact the Costa Consulting and start your automation journey today.
