Automation can help your business in many ways, from document creation to customer service to email communication and invoicing. Business automation, including robotic process automation (RPA), AI, and machine learning, allows you to increase efficiency and accuracy across nearly every function of your organization.
However, deploying such tools can seem complicated, especially when you’ve been operating on legacy systems for years. So, where do you begin?
Here we discuss how to choose the right automation partner and solution that seamlessly integrates with your business and scales as you grow.
Determine Your Company’s Automation Needs
First and foremost, you must determine which automation tasks would most benefit your company. To identify your automation needs, start by looking at your business processes.
Ask yourself, what are my most time-consuming and repetitive tasks? Do they include data entry, email communication, customer service, order processing, document management, or invoice approval? Automation can help with that.
For example, if you’re an e-commerce retailer, you can use automation software to optimize the order process. So, once a customer places an order through your website, automation can notify your warehouse or supplier, track the order and update your inventory accordingly.
But what if you’re not sure exactly where automation fits into your organization?
Intelligent process discovery solutions like Disqover can help you identify opportunities to increase efficiency and improve quality. The great thing about automation software is that the right service provider can support you in the discovery process and tailor a solution to your needs.
Look for User-friendly Experience and Design
No one wants to use software that is difficult to navigate. On the other hand, when automation software is easy to use, your employees will be more likely to adopt it and find ways to incorporate it into their workflows.
The user interface should be intuitive and straightforward, without too many bells and whistles. Additionally, the automation software design should be visually appealing, so users don’t get discouraged. Intuitive, browser-based control panels that don’t require coding experience are ideal.
A good automation software provider will offer a seamless experience and easy design for your team to adopt. So, ask your automation service providers about the user interface and look for customer reviews that verify their claims.
Speed and Scalability
Another factor to consider when selecting your business automation solution is speed and scalability. Traditional robotic process automation (RPA) platforms required significant licensing investments, expensive infrastructure, specialized technical expertise, and substantial implementation time. But that model doesn’t work for most modern-day organizations.
Your business needs a solution that can be implemented quickly. You also need automation software that meets your business needs today and grows alongside you over time, without complicated resource requirements.
Fortunately, Automation-as-a-Service (Aaas) providers offer modern solutions for businesses like yours. The right provider can set up your automation within a day or two, seamlessly integrating the software into your current systems.
Providers may also offer continued support to help your employees adopt the technology and answer questions along the way. Then, as your business grows, AaaS providers will scale the technology to meet your changing needs without costly replacements or new infrastructure.
A Robust Set of Integrations
The ability to easily integrate automation solutions with your current applications is crucial to your success. Therefore, the solution you select should have a robust set of integrations that allow it to connect with the tools you’re already using.
High-quality Aaas providers like our qBotica team offer integrations with popular CRMs, accounting software, and ERPs, making it simple to get started with automation. For example, we recently implemented RPA solutions into a Fortune 500 company’s ERP, computer systems, and software applications, helping them process one million+ invoices each year.
Ideally, the best automation platform should connect all your systems, including email, marketing, sales databases, and project management apps. This way, you can maintain the infrastructure you’ve already built while simultaneously optimizing it with the aid of automation.
Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning
You may only need robotic process automation (RPA) solutions at first. But when you’re looking for an automation provider, it is essential to find one with experience in AI and ML. The best providers will have a team of experts that can help you take full advantage of these technologies if and when you’re ready to deploy them.
AI uses cognitive science to learn and make decisions independently of human intervention. This is done by making a computer system “see,” “hear,” and “read” as humans do. ML takes what AI learns and makes predictions based on data sets. It also detects patterns so automation can act accordingly. Together, AI and ML create automation that truly thinks for itself.
qBotica’s document processing solution uses RPA and AI frameworks that automatically learn from each document, getting smarter and faster with each use.
Customer Support
When selecting an automation service provider, you need a partner that delivers stellar customer service. Even though some of the most popular marketing automation systems are simple to use and highly reliable, minor issues or inconsistencies may occur from time to time. That is why you need an Aaas provider that delivers reliable and high-quality assistance.
So before you choose an automation company, make sure to ask about their support services. For example, do they have a help desk? What hours do they operate? Are there any special features or services they offer (such as unlimited phone support, online chat, etc.)?
When you work with an automation provider that’s there for you around the clock, you can feel confident that the results will be well worth the investment.
Get the Right Automation-as-a-Service Partner
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the thought of adding automation software, you’re not alone. Many companies feel this way when they first start exploring automation capabilities. However, when you work with a service provider that understands your needs and guides you through the process, you can integrate automation rapidly and efficiently.
Schedule a discovery call today, and let us show you how we can help make your business run smoother, faster, and more effectively than ever.
