Running a business involves many repetitive tasks, such as calculating payroll, tracking expenses, monitoring inventory, and updating records. While these routine processes are essential, they can quickly become time-consuming and frustrating. That’s why process automation is such a valuable solution for organizations across industries, streamlining operations and saving time.
Process automation can free up resources, reduce errors, and significantly enhance overall productivity. By allowing teams to focus on more strategic and complex tasks, businesses can unlock even greater benefits, such as improved operational efficiency, fewer mistakes, and higher customer satisfaction.
As more organizations embrace emerging technologies like AI and automation, understanding where and how to implement them becomes essential for achieving successful outcomes. Here’s how process automation can help your business operate more efficiently.
What is process automation?
Process automation uses technology to handle repetitive tasks and workflows without needing human input. It’s great for things like high-volume data entry and calculations, which is why you’ll often see it in tools like CRM systems, payroll software, or even personal assistant apps like navigation tools and email filters.
At a basic level, companies can apply process automation to individual tasks or entire processes. But process automation systems may also include other automation types and tools:
- Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software programs called “bots” to mimic human actions, like keystrokes, and automate high-volume repetitive tasks for faster, more consistent outcomes. Some platforms use RPA frameworks for developer tools.
- Business process automation (BPA) combines tools and technologies, such as workflow automation, to execute repetitive processes with minimal human involvement. Its goal is to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience.
- Intelligent process automation (IPA) uses AI, machine learning (ML), RPA, and BPA to manage complex workflows and streamline and scale decision-making across organizations. Examples include AI innovations like autonomous agents and assistants.
How process automation streamlines business operations
It’s common for employees to spend too much time on administrative activities like data entry and email. When they’re not actively monitoring emails or updating records, switching contexts from one program to the next and searching for information can drain productivity.
Process automation handles these repetitive tasks, freeing up your teams to focus on higher-value work that impacts the company’s bottom line, like strengthening customer relationships or developing new skills. By adopting AI tools to scale workflow automation across the organization, leaders can drive significant results.
For example, TomTom, a multinational technology and consumer electronics company, resolves IT incidents 50% faster using automated workflows in Slack. On the procurement side, an approval and contract management process that used to take five or six clicks now takes one — all thanks to automation. Even day-to-day tasks like expense and approval workflows have become more efficient, saving employees valuable time.
Process automation vs. robotic process automation (RPA)
Process automation is a broad term for using technology to streamline parts of a business process. Leaders often turn to it to automate individual steps — or even entire workflows — for both simple and complex repetitive tasks. The goal? To eliminate bottlenecks, reduce errors, and boost productivity, transparency, and communication across teams.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) takes a more focused approach, automating specific repetitive tasks like sending template-based email replies or copying and pasting data between systems. It’s a cost-effective, easy-to-deploy solution that works without needing to change existing software or workflows. For instance, Slack can be seen as a process automation tool with an RPA framework.
While RPA is great for quick wins, process automation provides more flexibility for businesses looking to streamline end-to-end workflows. Let’s break down some of the key differences:
- System integrations: Robotic process automation acts like a bridge between software systems that don’t connect directly. For example, you have customer data in PDFs and want to add it to a CRM. Process automation works better with modern platforms that have built-in integrations and application programming interfaces (APIs).
- Tasks and processes: RPA excels at straightforward, rules-based actions like entering data into forms, but it can’t manage decisions such as approval workflows with if-then triggers. Process automation coordinates multiple steps and may use rules, triggers, and workflow orchestration tools to complete employee onboarding or payroll activities.
- Scalability: RPA works well with older systems that lack APIs, but any software or interface changes can break the automation, making it a challenge to scale. On the other hand, process automation supports modern technologies, tools, and workflows, allowing companies to automate processes across the organization.
When used together, these technologies offer businesses the flexibility to pivot quickly when software systems or processes change. Using this concept as a guide to enterprise automation, businesses can gain insights into scaling their automation efforts.
Why process automation is important for businesses
When businesses automate workflows, teams can solve problems faster, close more deals, and improve overall performance without sacrificing quality. Here’s how companies in various industries are accomplishing these outcomes through process automation:
- Customer service: Slack’s custom bots, searchable knowledge bases, and software integrations helped Intuit improve customer satisfaction by 12% in just six months. Now, support agents are resolving cases 36% faster and save 9,000 hours a year.
- Technology: Grab, a mobile and delivery company with more than 10,000 employees, automated thousands of workflows, including a Slack automation that freed up 150 minutes per day. This adds up to over 100,000 productivity hours annually, enabling the team to better serve more customers.
- Retail: Coles, an Australian supermarket chain, streamlined omnichannel operations by automating inefficient workflows and optimizing incident management in Slack. Engineers now take just 30 minutes to fix bugs, compared to the 12 hours they used to spend.
- Construction: Procore, a construction management technology company, completely automated its employee lifecycle management with Slack. The workflow automation now sends a Jira ticket straight to a dedicated Slack channel when an employee joins or offboards. HR teams can view lifecycle checklists or deprovision software accounts through custom Slack integrations.
Step-by-step guide to implementing process automation
Once you understand the basics of workflow management, it’s time to automate your first process. Here’s a simple step-by-step plan to help you get started with process automation:
- Identify repetitive tasks. Review routine processes to see which ones have many time-consuming, high-volume, or error-prone tasks, such as payroll processing, employee time-off requests, or customer support ticket routing.
- Collaborate with IT and team leaders. Map current workflows using flowchart visualization tools, like Lucidchart, that integrate with your work operating system. Highlight decision points and look for automation opportunities.
- Explore platforms. The easier a workflow automation tool is to use, the more likely your organization will be to adopt it. Consider low- or no-code solutions that teams can jump into right away. Just as important are things like cost and integration capabilities, so weigh all your options to find a solution that best aligns with your needs.
- Choose your automation solution. Test systems and vendors and use evaluation forms to assess the tools’ user interfaces, workflow templates, and AI-powered features. You and your teams should find the solution intuitive and valuable.
- Craft an implementation plan. To ensure a smooth rollout, it’s important to create a change management plan. Employees should understand the reason for the new technology, be given accurate training or learning resources, and know when they’ll be expected to use it. Consider creating a process automation resource hub for your teams where they can get familiar with new tools.
- Track performance. Set up a system for monitoring error rates and time saved for each new workflow automation. Collect employee feedback, review data, and adjust automations for improved outcomes.
- Scale across your company. Once you’ve implemented automation for one process or system, you’ll better understand how to apply the technology to other departments and processes. Give team leaders and IT teams time to review and refine existing workflow processes and implement new ones as needed for increased efficiency.
Overcoming common challenges in process automation
Implementing process automation can be tricky, especially if employees are reluctant to use new systems or the integration doesn’t go smoothly. Take a proactive approach to keep costs in check and schedules on track:
- Encourage organizational buy-in. Help employees navigate the transition to new technology by communicating the benefits and addressing potential adoption barriers. Identify new-tool advocates who can help build enthusiasm and answer colleagues’ questions. As much as possible, highlight the ways process automation will make employees’ lives easier by streamlining their workflows.
- Automate complex processes. Overhauling complicated workflows all at once can disrupt operations. Instead, start by automating small steps of complex processes. For example, automate high-volume repetitive tasks, such as status updates or data entry, and high-impact activities, like invoice processing or lead qualification. Once a single segment runs smoothly, expand to the next automation.
- Develop an integration strategy. To determine your integration needs, create a road map of existing software capabilities. Note whether legacy systems have APIs, webhooks, file transfers, or no connection method. If your applications have modern integration capabilities, you could use solutions like Slack connectors to automate processes between legacy and modern software. Consider prioritizing upgrades by focusing on systems with the most repetitive processes.
- Address data and security concerns. Data protection, privacy, and regulatory compliance issues can be challenging when automating payroll processing or onboarding processes. Review current data handling policies, audit monitoring practices, and check industry rules before implementing new workflow automation systems. Look for solutions that streamline security by providing immediate access control and data encryption services.
- Plan to scale. When choosing workflow automation tools for your business, select options that will help your company adapt quickly when needs or priorities change. For instance, teams can use standardized templates to automate new processes without starting from scratch, while simple workflow builder tools let them make changes without dismantling an entire automation.
- Provide training. Consider offering microlearning sessions for complex topics like AI and automation. For example, after participating in a three-week AI-focused program, Slack employees doubled their daily use of AI. Support from leadership during a new-tool implementation can further empower employees to embrace new technology rather than reject it.
The future of process automation
Process automation capabilities continue to expand, and enterprises are preparing for the next transformational evolution. For starters, Slack’s State of Work survey found that around 68% of IT, 57% of design teams, and 43% of customer service agents already manage repetitive tasks through process automation.
Meanwhile, Deloitte found that three out of four companies have deployed some form of robotics process automation. In 2023, Gartner reported that this technology had entered the early maturity stage, signaling that it’s becoming more reliable and cost-effective, and that companies not using it risk falling behind.
Here’s what’s on the horizon for process automation:
- Improved capabilities. RPA vendors will continue diversifying software capabilities to include more complex task and process automation tools, such as conversational AI and workflow orchestration.
- Advanced technologies. Machine learning, intelligent document processing, and natural language processing will help leaders automate inconsistent and complex processes. Deloitte found that 46% of companies plan to deploy these solutions in coming years.
- Intelligent automation. This emerging technology can learn and adapt over time, making it a highly expert-recommended capability — one that business leaders should consider implementing. Yet integration remains a significant challenge, underlining the importance of selecting an automation platform with comprehensive integration capabilities.
Automate repetitive tasks for increased efficiency
Process automation helps leaders simplify workflows across their organization, enhancing efficiency and improving employee and customer experiences. But they should make sure that any automation tools they choose integrate seamlessly with their existing systems and are easy for teams to use before implementing to see the best results.
With Slack’s AI-powered work OS, teams can create custom workflows and automate entire business processes to streamline everything from onboarding new employees to approval management processes. More efficient workflows can lead to increased productivity, satisfaction, and revenue for your business.
Learn more about how Slack AI helps businesses work smarter and faster.