In today's business environments there are a great deal of tasks that often require little thought, and are completed by employees manually, many times throughout the day. Examples of these are keeping track of payroll, generating reports, entering contact information or recording invoices for clients. Every business has tasks like this and as the number of tasks and people involved grow, so too does the risk of error. With custom software solutions, many of these errors can be eliminated.
Benefits of Using Custom Software Solutions for Business Process Automation
Custom software solutions, that automate many of your businesses processes, can offer a variety of benefits:
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Communication is Streamlined
Automating the process of communication allows everyone to access all information at once instead of having to track down various updates. This makes it possible for every person involved in a project to keep track of what has already been done and this makes individual tasks easier to keep up with. -
Accountability is Increased
When processes are standardized and data is accessible, accountability is automatically built into the picture. Nobody can play "pass the buck" and it gives employees the incentive to do what they need to do and provides managers with the ability to quickly and accurately analyze business processes and information. -
Costs and Manual Errors are Reduced
When tasks, especially routine ones, are done manually human error comes into play. By automating these tasks, you eliminate the potential for error almost completely. In addition, time is saved and man-hours are freed up, as tasks that are currently being done by employees can now be automated. By automating these tasks you no longer have to pay someone to do these tasks and can instead utilize their talent in other areas of the business. You may also be able to eliminate a position or two, saving the salaries you were paying for the tasks to be completed. -
Tracking Progress is Easier as Data Becomes Streamlined
Automation allows for better tracking of the progress on any project because data is streamlined and easily accessible. As a manager, you should have the ability to track the details of every project within your company, without having to request manual updates. This gives you the opportunity to make adjustments quickly if needed as problems become apparent immediately.
What Can Be Automated?
Not everything can be automated obviously, as businesses certainly do rely on the talent of their employees in some of the most important aspects and functions. Many things, however, can be automated in order to save time, effort and money as we see below:
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Customer Service
Consider the number of calls you answer every day regarding the same questions. Often these are things like hours of operation, mailing address and other routine requests. By using a custom software solution to answer the phone and automatically provide answers to these routine questions, you free up time to perform other tasks or answer phone calls that require human interaction. Caution, if your business thrives because of customer service and human interaction, you may not want to automate this one. -
Payroll
Many aspects of payroll can be automated such as signing in and out, adding up hours, preparing deductions and even printing out checks. Not only does this free up time but it also helps eliminate errors in calculations and provides a means to have tax information at hand when needed. -
System Backup and Updates
Being able to back up every part of your system automatically helps eliminate the chance that some part will be forgotten or lost. Backup and updates can take place during the hours your business is inactive, making it unnecessary to deal with a slow system or one that is inoperable for a period of time. -
Contact Management
Having a way to automatically enter contact information for both customers and business associates makes it possible to have everything handy when needed. If several areas of your system require this information, integration through custom software can eliminate the need for manual data entry into multiple systems. -
Document Management
This can include things like form creation, invoices, email and all other kinds of paper communication. By automating many of these, you eliminate the need for paper files, which take up space that is better used for other things. You make it unnecessary to hire office staff to fill out the same forms over and over again or prepare the same letters numerous times, with only slight variations of name and address. Billing becomes easier and so does keeping track of payments sent and received. Accounting can be simplified greatly with automation. Document management can also eliminate the need to email spreadsheets around for multiple updates that are highly error prone.
Final Words
People will never be replaced completely in the business office, but by investing in custom software solutions that automate the mundane tasks of daily business, you can provide a more productive and efficient environment for those employees who help keep your business running successfully.
