A Step-by-Step Guide: Transform Your Business with Enterprise Process Automation

Are you spending countless hours each week on repetitive tasks? If so, you may feel like you’re struggling to keep up with your workload or too burnt out for meaningful work.

Enterprise process automation can help. It’s a simple solution that eliminates the need for manual tasks, enhances productivity and efficiency, and supports faster, smarter decision-making.

Learn how to create an automation strategy that helps teams reclaim valuable time and supports your enterprise’s unique needs.

What is enterprise process automation?

Enterprise process automation uses technology tools to streamline operations, reduce manual effort, minimize human error, and increase business efficiency. Automation helps organizations get things done faster and more accurately, which is critical to staying competitive and agile amid market changes.

Types of enterprise process automation

Enterprise process automation is complex and includes several distinct types of automation:

• Rules-based automation (RBA) uses predefined rules or algorithms to execute tasks. Specific conditions trigger actions for consistent execution — often defined in “if this, then that" statements. Examples of RBA include automated data entry and invoice processing.
• Integration automation protocols (such as APIs) connect various software systems, applications, or databases to facilitate data flow within a diverse software ecosystem. APIs help connect siloed data and enable real-time data processing, but development and integration can be complex and challenging.
• Intelligent automation uses data analytics, AI, and machine learning (ML) technologies to make quick decisions and perform complex tasks. These tools automatically learn from data and adapt to shifting conditions. Thanks to AI and ML, intelligent automation learns and improves over time to handle more complexity than other types of automation.
• Robotic process automation (RPA) automates repetitive, rules-based tasks by mimicking human actions. You can use this type of workflow automation for data entry, transaction processing, and other routine tasks. RPA is generally quick to implement on your existing systems and helps reduce manual errors. Because it’s constrained to structured data and rote tasks, it’s not as useful for complex processes.
• Business process automation (BPA) optimizes complex workflows and minimizes human involvement. It emphasizes task integration within a business process to execute an overarching automation strategy. While implementation is a bit more involved than with RPA, BPA can boost process efficiency and is able to support more complicated workflows with multiple steps.

 

A step-by-step guide to enterprise process automation

Automating simple tasks can save teams significant time. But what does implementing an enterprise process automation system look like? It starts with evaluating your current processes and creating clearly-defined goals. 

Step 1: Evaluate and map out processes

Carefully review your current processes and workflows to see which ones could benefit most from automation. Start with processes that are the least complicated but most time-consuming — such as entering data across multiple systems or routing invoices to the proper departments — before thinking about how to automate more complex processes.

When mapping processes, it can be helpful to collaborate and share ideas in a Slack canvas. This way, teams can build flowcharts to visualize and optimize each step based on input from those who use these processes every day.

Step 2: Set clear objectives for automation

Once you’ve evaluated existing processes, define your goals. What are you hoping to achieve with automation? How do your goals align with your business priorities?

Set up a Slack channel to gather input from employees and other stakeholders. This can help you refine your goals before selecting a tool. Ask respondents about the tasks that take up most of their time and what automation could take off their plates. Then, create a list of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals so you can measure success later.

Step 3: Select the right automation tools for your needs

To start using process automation right away, look for low- or no-code software, like Slack’s Workflow Builder. Intuitive tools that don’t require advanced technical skills to create and manage workflows can minimize the learning curve and help speed up adoption among teams.

Your enterprise process automation software should:

• Integrate with your existing tech stack. It should also provide robust APIs and pre-built connectors that integrate easily and ensure seamless data flow across the organization.
• Support security and compliance. To protect sensitive information, your solution should adhere to key security protocols, industry standards, and relevant regulatory requirements such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.
• Offer AI enhancements. Choose tools enhanced with AI that you can use to carry out entire workflows just as your team members would. Autonomous AI agents can help your team scale or lend support during high-volume periods.
• Include robust analytics and reporting. Get real-time insights into process performance to identify bottlenecks and respond quickly. Your solution should also be able to generate custom reports so you can monitor KPIs and make smarter strategic decisions.

Step 4: Develop a phased implementation plan

Once you’ve selected the right automation tools for your needs, create a phased implementation plan with detailed milestones and deadlines. Begin with a small pilot project — automating one of your simplest processes — to test your chosen tools and identify any potential challenges.

Once the pilot project is running smoothly, expand upon it with more complex process automations, following the cycle of testing each automation before rolling it out across your organization or department. As you begin a wider rollout and more people start using automations, schedule regular team huddles or create a dedicated channel where people can ask questions and share feedback.

Step 5: Train your team on new automation tools

It’s important to provide training and ongoing support to your teams as they adopt new tools and technologies. Clearly explain the benefits of automation and invite employees to be part of the implementation process by offering opportunities for testing and providing feedback. Encourage continuous open communication and address concerns and problems as they arise.

Salesforce’s Trailhead Academy is a free online resource you can share with your team for access to valuable on-the-job skills and training they can use right away.

Here’s how different types of teams can automate workflows to increase efficiency:

Benefits of enterprise process automation

Enterprise process automation offers numerous benefits for businesses, employees, and customers alike. From improving regulatory compliance to streamlining data entry, automation can transform and optimize your business performance.

Top benefits include:

• Enhanced cross-functional efficiency. Enterprise automation helps organizations reduce the time and effort spent on repetitive tasks. This frees up workers to focus on more strategic, higher-value activities. For example, a cloud computing company used Slack’s Workflow Builder to transition from a traditional IT ticketing desk to an automated system in Slack, resulting in 34% faster ticket resolution.
• Simplified regulatory compliance. You can use enterprise automation solutions to help comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards by ensuring process consistency and data accuracy. Automation also helps companies scale operations to handle increased workloads without the need to increase manual effort.
• Better customer experiences. Business workflow automation directly benefits customers. For example, autonomous AI agents can help ramp up service and personalization efforts — such as handling processing workflows — so customers get faster service, accurate answers, and targeted suggestions.
• Improved decision-making. Teams can set up automated workflows to get real-time data and smart recommendations to support business decisions, inform strategic planning, and improve operations. Agentforce in Slack, for example, lets employees deploy and engage with trusted AI agents across departments. These agents can then provide CRM data to help a sales rep close a deal or provide quick troubleshooting tips to IT teams.

 

Enterprise process automation is within reach.

Discover new ways to get more done and boost your business productivity with enterprise process automation. While building automated workflows may sound like a highly technical process, Slack’s Workflow Builder makes it easy for anyone to learn. Empower your teams to automate routine processes and keep work flowing within a centralized work OS. Experience less context switching, more time savings, and fewer human errors.

Learn more about Workflow Builder and discover how automation helps Slack users achieve a 28% increase in time savings.

FAQs

How does AI automation differ from traditional process automation?

AI-powered automation is more intelligent than traditional, trigger-based process automation. AI automation enables data analytics, pattern recognition, and the ability to make recommendations and decisions on the fly.

Unlike traditional process automation that’s limited to structured data, AI automation tools can handle unstructured data, including images, videos, and voice recordings. It can be trained to automate more complex processes and adapt to new situations without human oversight. Examples of AI-powered automation include image recognition systems, predictive models, and chatbots capable of having complex conversations with humans.

What are the first steps for businesses new to automation?

If you’re new to automation, start by evaluating your current processes and workflows to identify how you can benefit. Focus on simple yet time-consuming tasks, as these are typically the easiest to automate right away. Next, define clear goals for automation and gather feedback from employees and stakeholders to refine your goals.

When choosing a tool, look for low- or no-code software with an intuitive interface and integration capabilities for easy adoption. Ensure your solution is customizable enough to meet your needs. Your tool should enhance efficiency, security, and adaptability for business growth.

Can small businesses benefit from enterprise process automation?

Absolutely. While the word “enterprise” typically denotes larger organizations, small businesses can reap many benefits from automation. Automation can drive increased efficiency and cost savings for small teams while creating new ways to innovate and scale. Automation tools are especially helpful for small customer service teams that want to increase response times and create faster, more personalized experiences.