- Alfresco | 25-09-2018
Workforce automation – a job creator
Do you still do repetitive tasks at work on a regular basis? Do you think your time and skills could be put to better use? Do you wonder how to scale your business? Workforce automation may be your answer.
When asked about the secret of their success, company leaders will most likely respond it was all about offering an amazing and innovative product, providing the best customer service or simply providing the best price/value ratio on the market. Although that may be true, these companies never would have scaled at such a fast pace without flawless processes and execution. The art of scaling a business is one of the hardest things to implement. The companies that automate their workforce will thrive and grow, while those who don’t stagnate or get leapfrogged by an incumbent player.
Workforce automation is perceived by many as a way for businesses to lay-off workers and cut costs. While in fact, workforce automation will permit a business to grow and hire more employees. By optimizing their processes, workers are using their creativity, skills and knowledge to create growth instead of repeating the same mundane tasks that could be easily automated.
What’s the best way to implement workforce automation? In fact, it is an iterative process to review how your business operates to continuously improve and optimize. Depending on the business, the first step may be to implement a CRM (Customer Resource Management) system to manage leads, customers, opportunities and your pipeline. The CRM can also be used to optimize your customer service experience and marketing campaigns. And that’s just the start. All of your processes can be automatized, like payroll, billing and HR management. But many times, the processes that most need automation are at the core of the business. Companies that understand how to automate their core offerings have leapfrogged even the largest of incumbents. A few examples:
- Need to book a flight or hotel, most people today will jump online to hotels.com or kayak.com for example; fewer and fewer people will call a travel agent.
- Many banks are automating their loan/mortgage processes and offering it online. Much faster and convenient than to take an appointment at your local bank, fill out the paperwork and wait a few days for an answer.
- Netflix provides a plethora of movies from the comfort of your own home. They completely killed the video store market.
The above examples illustrate that companies that focus on automating their core offerings thrive. They are not laying-off workers by automating their workforce, in fact, their growth is requiring a larger workforce. But beware that workforce automation can be a difficult process to implement. The multitude of tools available and their complexity can be daunting for many. Getting expert help to ensure the project is well defined and implemented is a good idea.
Workforce automation is now a crucial tool for scaling businesses. Be sure to continuously review your business operations for optimization or face stagnation or worst.