Automation is a wide term that can be applied to modern workplaces in a variety of ways. What aspects of your workplace have already been automated?
There was a time when “automation” was associated with robotic-equipped advanced production plants. While the substitution of machine labor for human labor is a common example of workplace automation, it is far from the only one.
Automated features in typical software applications, as well as more visible implementations like self-driving automobiles or autonomous robots, are all prevalent in modern enterprises of all sizes.
What is workplace automation?
Automation is frequently misunderstood to imply towering robotics, yet it can be as simple as a set of tools contained within conventional commercial software applications. At its most basic level, automation entails putting in place a system that can do repetitive and easily replicable operations without the use of human labor.
“There are many different types of automation,” said Fred Townes, chief product officer at READY Education. “The most crucial thing for small enterprises is repetition. When you discover something you perform repeatedly that brings value, you should consider automating it.”
Automation tools hosted and maintained by remote service providers might assist even a garage business that operates on a limited budget to facilitate faster work completion.
Examples of common workplace automation
Employees are freed up to work on tasks that are more valuable than those that can be handled by computers when repetitive business procedures are automated. Higher-order jobs that require a bit more adaptability can now be completed using more advanced forms of automation, such as machine learning.
Because of their ability to learn over time, these software systems can sift through large amounts of data rapidly and effectively before contextualizing it in a way that aids internal decision-making.
1. Email Marketing
Many small business owners currently utilize email marketing as a kind of automation. There are many Constant Contact small enterprise software that allow users to customize the settings of their email marketing campaign and then have it run automatically.
As soon as a contact is added to the software, an introductory email can be uploaded and delivered. The software is set up to send a follow-up email a few days later, but only to people who opened the first one.
2. Customer Service
With the development of tools like chatbots and automated text message marketing solutions, customer support departments are also undergoing an automation makeover.
These customer-facing technologies simplify normal customer support encounters by quickly responding to popular questions. Customers are only referred to a person if the chatbot is unable to meet their demands.
3. Human Resources
Because HR tasks, such as payroll and timesheets, are predictable and repetitive, digitization can improve a department’s productivity. It is feasible to automate performance management, paid holidays, and absentee record-keeping by decreasing human error, such as an HR employee forgetting to amend submitted timesheets.
If quotas are met or missed, the software can alert the HR personnel while keeping accurate records updated in real time. There are also tools that use Google Forms to automate onboarding, such as prewritten emails, event schedules, and the distribution of training materials.
Automation improves productivity and profitability
The bottom line of business process automation is, ironically, the bottom line. Process automation saves time and allows resources to be diverted to other areas. As a result, businesses can remain smaller and more agile.
Businesses of all sizes benefit from increased efficiency, productivity, and cheaper expenses, which all translate to higher profit margins. The extent to which automation transforms the economy as a whole is yet to be seen, but it appears that we’re on our way to a future with more automation.
