In a time of rising energy prices and inflation, CEOs and CTOs of businesses both large and small are looking for impactful ways to reduce spending and maximise efficiency. Business automation tools are an increasingly popular way of driving those efficiencies. 54% of CEOs surveyed by PWC in 2022 say that automation is a key part of their organisation’s long-term business strategy.
Some employees have worried that automation will reduce jobs and opportunities. But as automation technology has developed it has become clear that automation won’t replace jobs. There may be some rebalancing as to where jobs are needed. Businesses may find they need fewer admin staff but more tech and IT staff to maintain systems. However, the overall number of jobs will remain and what people do in those jobs should be much more interesting and engaging.
Why automate?
Investing now in business automation tools and software is guaranteed to impact your bottom line in the right way and will have other benefits too. Not only does automation drive efficiency and reduce costs it also:
- Increases your workforce productivity
- Minimises human error
- Provides a superior customer experience
- Scales processes with ease
- Makes it easy to meet compliance and regulatory requirements
- Provides greater accountability and security
5 areas of your business that will benefit from automation
As we go into 2023, here are the top five most popular and beneficial aspects of your business to automate:
- Administrative processes
It’s estimated UK workers lose up to a third of their working year, around 80 days, to administrative tasks like data entry, order processing, billing, and inventory management. Business process automation can help simplify admin processes and allow your employees to focus their skills and energy on more productive, profitable tasks. - Customer service
In 2022, shopping using online e-commerce platforms has become the norm. Over 60 million of us shop regularly online. Businesses are scrambling to attract consumers, but poor customer service can quickly put customers off. Automation makes it easy to connect with customers through chatbots and automated replies, allowing you to provide 24/7 support. It’s also easy to collect customer feedback using automated satisfaction surveys allowing you to pinpoint areas for improvement. - Human Resources
Your greatest asset is your people. By automating HR and recruitment processes you can ensure you’re getting the most from your workforce. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can help streamline hiring, fill positions quickly and target high-quality candidates. Training, collaboration and onboarding software can improve employee experience and upskill staff so you can get better ROI and build your employer brand. Automation can also improve data analysis for better workforce planning. - IT and cyber security
An estimated 31% of UK businesses now experience an attempted cyber-attack every week. Automation tools can free your IT staff up from routine tasks such automated network management, and server administration so they can focus on improving your networks. Automation can also help you respond more quickly to attacks, backup your data regularly and improve overall cyber security. - Sales and marketing
Automation is an excellent tool for supporting sales and marketing functions by making them more agile and allowing your sales and marketing staff to spend their time generating revenue and being more creative. Automation sales software can help you prioritise leads, send targeted emails, and scale up smoothly and marketing automation can support digital, email and social marketing initiatives.
Popular business automation tools you should try
There are hundreds of different business automation tools and software available. Whilst some are specialised for different industries such as healthcare, education, or manufacturing or are targeted towards large and medium-sized businesses, there are solutions out there for small business automation. Consider exploring further the following types of popular automation tools:
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Digital Process Automation
- Order Processing Systems
- Chatbots
- Applicant Tracking Systems
- Workflow Automation Tools and Collaborative Software
Fruition Consulting can help you take steps to automate key business functions so you can meet your goals in 2023
Our mission is simple, to help our customers accelerate their digital journey and achieve their business goals, effectively, within budget, sustainably and in a way that is built to last.
Automation can provide quick gains when it comes to efficiency and productivity but with so many different tools and software solutions on the market in can be difficult to anticipate which will provide you with the best return on your investment and help ensure you meet your goals both now and in the future.
Fruition Consulting is perfectly placed to support and guide you, from an initial strategy to project implementation. Our access to the best technology talent in the country means we can provide you with the people you need, when you need them.
Get in touch to find out more.
