How Automation is Changing the Workplace

In the digital economy moving at breakneck speeds, automation in business has evolved from being a trending topic to a revolutionary change in how businesses operate. Whether it’s a small business or a multinational corporation, organizations are utilizing automation to improve their business processes, decrease mistakes, save money, and increase output.

But how is automation changing the landscape of work? What jobs went away, and what jobs are being created? Most importantly, how can your organization use workflow automation tools to remain competitive?

This article will discuss computing’s profound effects on work, as well as some of the key driver tools that will change work, and, ultimately, how business can develop a plan to automate work functions that can sustain growth.


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What is Business Automation?

Business automation involves technology performing recurring tasks or processes with very little human intervention. Tasks can take many forms, from sending follow-up emails and setting meetings, to complex tasks, such as reviewing data, creating invoices, and customer relationship management (CRM) requiring automation.

Business automation advantages are reducing a human’s risk of mistakes, improving efficiency, and giving employees more time to focus on more strategic, creative and customer-facing work.


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The Growth of Workflow Automation Tools

One of the key developments in the automation discussion is the emergence of the centralized workflow automation tools. Workflow automation tools are platforms that allow people to automate entire process workflows by joining different applications, tasks and actions together seamlessly. Tools that have gained popularity, such as Zapier, make (formerly Integromat), Microsoft Power Automate and HubSpot Workflow, enable businesses to:

1.Automate email marketing

2.Streamline the customer onboarding process

3.Sync data across various platforms 

4.Generate reports  

5.Monitor projects in real-time

These tools help business eliminate repetitive manual work and leave teams to focus on work that adds value.

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How Automation is Changing Job Roles

It is fair to be concerned that automation will displace human jobs, but it’s not an absolute possibility; automation is replacing repetitive and predictable tasks, while also spawning new roles that require creativity, problem-solving, and strategic thinking.

1. Eliminating Repetition
Administerial work like data entry, inventory tracking, and even simple customer support questions, are now handled by automated systems or chatbots. The result is less labor cost and a quicker process.

2. Upskilling and Reskilling
Employees are being encouraged to shift their thinking towards developing digital and analytical skills. Many organizations are investing in initiatives aimed at upskilling to prepare employees to adapt to new technology and collectively understand how to leverage workflow automation tools.

3. Improving Collaboration
Automation creates an avenue for improving collaboration through the centralization of communication and documentation. Tools like Slack, Asana, and Trello are now compatible with automation software to keep all up to date without manual updates.

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Benefits of Automation in Business

1. Productivity Improvement
Automation takes care of the routine work, so teams can do more in less time. For example, sales reps can use CRM automation to nurture leads automatically and free up time for closing business.

2. Cost Savings

Organizations will see reduced cost while eliminating repetitive manual labor. In addition, the automation process also is decreasing unnecessary errors that result in expensive fixes.

3. Increased Scalability

As a business grows, the processes and systems become more complicated. Utilization of automation allows for scalability without the increased number of employees consistent with increased workloads.

4. Enhanced Customer Experience

Automated communication, chatbots, automated emails, and order status are just a few of the automated systems providing faster and easier customer service while improved satisfaction and loyalty.
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Sectors/Industries Most Affected by Automation

Automation is impacting nearly every sector of work, but different sectors experience more or less impact based on the work.

1. Manufacturing

Automation is letting industrial organizations completely reinvent the way they manufacture work. Robots and AI are helping manufacturers create smart factories where sensors and connected automation creates a system that optimizing production lines and decrease downtime.

2. Finance

Automation is helping organizations manage work more like auditing, invoicing, payroll and fraud detection. Most financial software, like QuickBooks and Xero are now leveraging a blend of integration and automation features to lessen the administrative work involved.

3. Healthcare

Automation is also impacting patient scheduling, electronic health record (EHR) management, and even diagnosis in the healthcare sector. AI systems and software is assisting healthcare professionals to make better informed decisions in faster ways.

4. Marketing

Anything in digital marketing is using automation. Whether it is email campaigns, scheduling social media posts, SEO reporting, or lead generation; all of it is relying on automation. Email marketing tools like Mailchimp, Hootsuite for social media, and HubSpot for lead generation are creating automated systems that utilize marketing automation.

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Challenges of Automation in the Work Environment

While there are many benefits of automation, there are challenges as well, and not just for the organization.

1.Employee Pushback

Many employees are afraid of losing their jobs or are made uneasy by new technology. Organizations are responsible to communicate their vision for how automation and machine learning will work hand-in-hand with employees in their jobs. Businesses should also offer training in order to help ease employee fears or hesitation.

2. Start-Up Costs

The steep cost of a start-up can be daunting to any organization, especially smaller businesses. The costs include plans to implement business automation software, training, and money to integrate and configure the technology.

3. Risk of Cybersecurity Attack

The more businesses embrace, adopt and rely upon business automation, which is heavily dependent on digital infrastructure, the risk of cyber-attacks increases – which will require a strong and efficient cybersecurity protocol being executed to safeguard your data.

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Best Practices for Managing Business Automation

If you are considering implementing automation in your organization, let’s review a few best practices to enable a smoother path to business automation.

1. Identify and Map Repetitive Tasks

Begin by mapping your business processes. Identify which tasks are repetitive, time-consuming, or erroneous. These should be explored for business automation.

2. Choose Workflow Automation Tools

Select workflow automation tools that easily incorporate into your existing software systems scale up as your business needs require. In addition; verify the tools have drag-and-drop workflows, custom triggers, real-time analytics, and customer service.

3. Invest in Training

Invest in training for your current employees to prepare them to work in a new workforce digital future. Prepare staff for continuous learning and foster a workplace culture in anticipation of the shift to business automation.

4. Measurement and Optimization

Define measurable goals for your organization’s automation project, and then continually monitor performance. In fact, leverage your data and analytics to measure and optimize workflows.

The Future of Business Automation

The future of business automation falls on the backs of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotic process automation (RPA). To put it in simpler terms operationalized AI, ML, and RPA will make a business more agile towards better decision-making, enhance ability towards further personalization, and design an organization towards maximizing predictive analytics.

We will likely see businesses leveraging AI models with virtual assistants, voice-only command workflows to facilitate what we do at our desks, and completely autonomus supply chain and purchase orders that require no human resources. The businesses that will come out the best will be the ones that can build a bridge between human intelligence and machine intelligence.

Automation tools are improving workflows and boosting productivity. When combined with Big Data and Analytics: Making Smarter Business Decisions

Conclusion

There is no denying automation is transforming the workplace. We recognize the challenges that can sometimes be barriers to using business automation, yet, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The ability to use workflow automation tools combined with new technology offers maximum efficiency, cost savings, and competitive advantage to your business.

Businesses can get established and be organized — with strategy and training for your organization — to leverage the benefits of automation. Good organizations will continue to remain the focus of the shift and opportunity to become nimble, not as a replacement to people, rather as an enabler to empower them to do more meaningful things.  — Utilizing technology as a tool, we continue to evolve and— to work in a digital age (business automation).

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