Table of Contents
Summary
Not every business process is a good candidate for automation. Before automating, assess the process based on factors such as frequency, complexity, customer impact, business value, and the level of human judgment involved. A process map can help you understand the current state and identify which activities are worth automating—and which are better kept human-led.
So much is being said about Business Process Automation these days. Organisations of all sizes are looking at automation as the future of efficiency and an integral element for laying the foundation of their digital transformation initiatives.
But does Business Process Automation work for any process? Can you simply automate anything and everything and save millions of dollars and hundreds of man hours? While there are many processes where automation works its magic, there are a few where automation doesn’t deliver.
What is Business Process Automation?
Business Process Automation (BPA) uses software and technology to automate individual tasks, workflows, or larger business processes that would otherwise require manual intervention.
Automation can be particularly useful for repetitive activities such as data entry, document generation, approvals, notifications, and moving information between systems. Microsoft also recommends evaluating automation opportunities based on factors such as repetition, standardised rules, frequency, error risk, and expected efficiency gains.
Which Business Processes Are Not Suitable for Automation?
Check out the list of 4 types of processes that are not suited for automation:
1. Uncommon, Infrequent Processes:
Routine, manual, and high-volume processes are perfect for automation. When frequent processes are automated, the results are as expected: resource and time saving, significant productivity improvement, and efficiency gains. For instance, automation proves to be a game-changer for a time-consuming, manual data entry process.
On the flip side, automating uncommon, infrequent processes translates into a minimal return for the business. Even if a 5-day process, performed once in two or three months, is reduced to a 5-hour process, the impact on the business is not that substantial.
2. Customer Help Desk
We have all been on that customer service call, which doesn’t seem to end. It is painful to wait and answer random questions to finally get our query resolved. When help support is automated, and calls get segregated to be handled by various departments, the process becomes efficient, but it is not effective.
An automated voice doesn’t serve the same purpose as a human taking the call. Long waiting times make customers feel uncared for, and they end up feeling frustrated. The rule of thumb while selecting the process for automation should be not to try to replace humans. Further, a process needs to become both efficient and effective once automated.
3. Simple Processes
A small process that has five or six steps, requires very few resources, and can be executed within 15-20 minutes manually is again not a great choice for automation. If a manual procedure itself is not causing any delay or error, then there is no opportunity to get the time-saving and error-reduction benefits of automation. For the automation to truly shine and deliver on its promise, the process should be complex or lengthy enough.
4. Unstandardised processes
Automating non-standardised tasks, which require your staff’s thinking capabilities, can be counter-effective. Processes that are creative or are largely dependent on people’s analysis and experience come in this category. For instance, take the example of employee feedback or the exit interview process. Here, the human element is important to talk to employees and understand their viewpoints. Automation doesn’t fit in such places.
Processes that demand human attention and intervention should not be considered for automating as a whole, but parts of the process that will help reduce manual work or improve efficiency can be considered for automation.
Make the Right Automation Decision
The right automation decision starts with understanding the process before deciding what to automate. BPM software can help you map your existing processes and understand the current state, including the activities, handoffs, decision points, bottlenecks, and variations involved.
Once the processes are mapped, you can assess automation opportunities based on factors such as frequency, business impact, customer impact, complexity, manual effort, and the level of human judgment required. This helps you focus automation efforts on processes where they can deliver the greatest value.
With AI, you can do this assessment much faster. PRIME BPM’s AI-powered process mapping tool, MapAI, can quickly convert existing process knowledge in formats such as images, videos, PDFs, documents, or even audio recordings into ready-to-use current-state process maps. It saves you 90% of process mapping time.
You can then use an AI-powered process analysis tool to gain automated insights into which processes or activities are the strongest candidates for automation based on factors such as their frequency, effort, and impact.
This makes it easier to move from understanding the current process to identifying the right automation opportunities—rather than automating simply because a process can be automated.
Want to see how to do this with AI? Take a quick tour of PRIME BPM AI Agents.