Business process automation (BPA) software is expected to grow to a massive market worth of $19.6 billion by 2026. It’s no wonder why BPA is so popular; it helps organizations increase productivity, helps employees step away from repetitive tasks and focus on strategy, and helps identify process bottlenecks for better efficiency.
BPA isn’t just a smart investment for businesses. As companies implement business process automation, they’re finding that there are gains for customers, too. Here’s how companies can create a win-win situation with benefits for themselves and their customers.
What Is Business Process Automation?
In simple terms, business process automation is using advanced automation technology to make your business more efficient. This can include automating repetitive tasks, using AI and predictive analytics to find patterns and make accurate forecasts, and increasing productivity. With such a wide range of tasks suitable for automation, it’s unsurprising that more than 50% of organizations said they were planning on implementing automation software in their businesses in 2023.
While BPA is great for the business itself, one of the most underrated advantages of BPA is how it also benefits customers. According to the Harvard Business Review, BPA is one of the fastest ways to improve efficiency and productivity in sales, marketing, commerce, IT, human resources, and—not surprisingly—customer service.
How Does BPA Benefit My Customers?
As companies become more efficient with BPA, they can pass on the benefits to their customers in ways they didn’t expect. Here are some of the advantages of BPA that your customers can benefit from:
Increased Efficiency
BPA software automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and this efficiency boost allows operations managers to focus on more strategic aspects of their role and allocate resources effectively. Increased efficiency also means that employees can focus on the customer journey and refining customer touch points rather than handling menial tasks, because the need for human intervention is either greatly reduced or entirely removed.
Enhanced Productivity
With automation handling routine tasks, operations managers and their teams can devote more time to high-value activities, such as analyzing data, optimizing processes, and implementing improvements. Our own clients have seen time and time again how streamlined workflows and automated processes lead to higher rates of productivity.
Scalability
BPA software enables businesses to handle larger volumes of work without a proportional increase in staffing. As the company grows, processes can be easily scaled up to accommodate the increased workload. This means that your company can grow while you continue to support customers and keep up the quality of your products.
Enhanced Customer Experience
With improved efficiency and accuracy, BPA can positively impact the customer experience. Faster response times, better order processing, and reduced errors contribute to greater customer satisfaction. For example, in an Ernst & Young case study, an insurance company implemented business automation practices. They used AI to scan and read documents, and 70% of the documents fed into the system are correctly extracted and interpreted. This allowed agents to focus on building strong customer relationships based on trust and focused attention.
Increased Security
Business process automation doesn’t carry the risk of human-introduced errors, making the data more accurate, compliant, and safe. This is, of course, beneficial for the business, as it protects against lawsuits, data loss, project derailment, and other detrimental effects of data insecurity. Customers also benefit because their data is safer, and they’re less likely to experience money loss, identity theft, compromised data, and other severe stresses. This is especially important in industries such as healthcare and banking.
FAQs About BPA
Interested in learning more about business process automation? We’ve got you covered. Here’s what professionals like you are asking about BPA (as well as a few others we’ve covered).
How does business process automation software work?
Business process automation software works by performing repetitive tasks, routing information to the correct people, monitoring current processes, collecting data, and suggesting improvements.
What are the key features to look for in business process automation software?
A key feature to look for in a BPA software is analytics. You’ll need to have metrics and concrete, objective data to show the value of the changes you’re making. You may also want to look for features such as an easy-to-understand UI, integration with your existing software systems, and scalability to help your organization grow with your newfound efficiencies.
Can business process automation software be customized to suit specific business needs?
Yes! Business process automation can be customized to your business, which makes it more effective at monitoring and improving your company’s unique processes.
How can business process automation software enhance data security and compliance?
Business process automation software is much more accurate and reduces human errors, making data more secure and compliant.
What is the difference between business process automation software and robotic process automation (RPA)?
Robotic process automation focuses on automating one clear, specific task, whereas business process automation software focuses more on processes, systems, and high-level efficiencies. While there may be some overlap, BPA is generally much higher-level, and RPA tends to be granular.
Business process automation offers multiple benefits to departments across your organization, as well as to your customers, making it a win-win investment for you and your clients. And with Vasion, your company can achieve BPA success in a single SaaS solution. Contact us today for a free consultation.