Automation For Business Efficiency

Introduction

Applications that read the latest data from the cache will always be fast! To make this happen we created an automated process for a customer, which wrote each record into the cache whenever the data changed. This use case showcases the power of automation.

Automation is the use of technology to perform repeated tasks that are normally done by people or a process and is critical to achieving business efficiency.

This blog post is for sales operations, managers, and small business owners who are constantly thinking about employee experience, productivity, boosting revenue, and using the Salesforce platform to run their business.

How does automation help

Based on the Salesforce “Trends in Automation” report automation saves time by 66% and costs by 46%.
In a sales operation we automated, web-based leads were assigned to a qualified sales executive, based on region and product expertise. Automating this process had advantages for the business:

1. The sales executives do not have to weed through a large number of leads to figure out what leads to follow up on, saving time for the whole sales team.
2. Lead assignment to a sales rep will be instantaneous. The faster the lead is processed better the chances of converting the lead.

Automated processes avoid delays caused by priorities, and lack of resources that people-based processes have. This is called “think time”.

Considerations for automating a capability

Why automate a process

To automate a business capability, planning, and good knowledge of the process along with a clear idea of goals and objectives is essential.

1. What would be the resulting employee or customer experience
2. Impact on the overall business efficiency
3. Long-term cost-saving benefits
4. Helping the business low-code strategies

Collaboration is critical especially if automation crosses functional boundaries.

How to automate

Availability of data and tools is part of planning for automation. Salesforce provides a good automation tool called Flow Automation.
Efficient access to data such as the Salesforce CRM objects makes automating business processes easier and more performant.
The steps in the automation, complexity, and amount of custom code that are needed to achieve the end result have to be considered.

Efficiency of the process

Automating an inefficient and complex process provides little value, as the inefficiencies and delays would continue and making it more difficult to fix. We should consider the following metrics before automating

1. Efficiency
2. Complexity
3. Performance

Assessment of the capability and process is important prior to automation. Catching and addressing bottlenecks or complexities should be part of the planning. The blog Maximize Efficiency At Low Costs talks more about business efficiency.

Benefits of automating business process

In our analysis automation helps a business is these core benefits:

1. Stability in business processing enables meeting demand easily under changing conditions
2. Boosts business efficiency by saving time and costs.
3. Eliminates repeated tedious work and enables employees to do more strategic work.
4. Faster execution of tasks and processes.

Conclusion