Implementing technology to streamline corporate operations is becoming increasingly popular. Many organizations have quickly joined the automation revolution to boost productivity, enhance customer service, reduce costs, and enable remote work. In fact, a McKinsey study found that 80% of companies that transitioned most of their employees to a remote work model due to COVID-19 increased automation.
With remote work here to stay and productivity, customer service, and cost always top of mind, business process automation (BPA) is the future of business…but what is it and what does it do?
What is Business Process Automation?
Business process automation uses advanced technology to complete repetitive tasks with minimal human intervention, allowing your employees to focus on higher-level business objectives.
BPA solutions typically consist of document capture, workflow automation, and robotic process automation (RPA) software.
Document capture software efficiently extracts critical information from documents during the scanning process and passes it off to the correct system for electronic storage. Workflow automation expedites document-based tasks while robotic process automation uses software robots to streamline repetitive tasks across various sources, such as websites and desktop programs.
When combined, these technologies have the power to automate all kinds of processes throughout various departments within your organization.
What Departments Can You Streamline with BPA?
BPA expedites many business processes and can digitally transform your organization. Companies in numerous industries, such as government, healthcare, financial services, and insurance, implement BPA to create new efficiencies and streamline their repetitive tasks.
Here are a few common use cases:
Accounts Payable
Manually handling invoices is time-consuming, leads to late payments, and strains vendor relationships. Fortunately, your AP department can implement BPA and automate tasks like invoice data extraction, 3-way matching, approval routing, and exception handling.
By streamlining your AP processes, you can achieve quicker invoice processing, reduce errors and duplicates, ensure compliance, and lower overall labor and operating costs.
Human Resources
Business process automation technology connects disparate systems, so your HR department can seamlessly capture employee information and quickly route, approve, and track files throughout the onboarding process.
Mailroom
Physical mailrooms are slow, messy, inefficient, and take up valuable real estate. They also require onsite labor, making remote work impossible. According to an Owl Labs study, 84% of employees believe working from home makes them happier. And since happier employees are more productive, enabling remote work is incredibly beneficial for organizations.
That’s where a digital mailroom comes in. A digital mailroom combines BPA technology with business process outsourcing services to streamline the capture, data extraction, and routing of emails and paper mail to the correct recipients – wherever they’re working. No more physical mailroom or onsite employees spending their days opening and sorting mail!
What Are the Benefits of BPA Technology?
When organizations implement BPA solutions, they improve more than just their processes. They improve their bottom lines, workplace experiences, and customer satisfaction levels. Here are a few benefits of adopting business process automation technology:
- Increase productivity
- Save time
- Reduce costs
- Enhance employee morale
- Boost customer experience
- Ensure compliance and audit preparedness
- Gain insight into processes
- Eliminate human error
How Can You Get Started with Business Process Automation Today?
Speak with a MetaSource BPA expert who can help you assess the challenges and opportunities of your business processes, identify technology options, and estimate the potential impact and cost justification of implementing a BPA solution.
To learn more about BPA – including the signs your organization needs it and the best practices for implementing it – download our guide: Is It Time to Prioritize BPA Within Your Organization?
Is It Time to Prioritize BPA in Your Organization?
Learn if now is the right time to embrace business process automation (BPA) technology to eliminate manual tasks, save money, and boost productivity.
