In many companies, the same processes and tools have been used by departments for years. For example, Excel files, manual administration and separate systems linked together via intermediate steps (e.g. by Excel). This way of working may have been efficient in the past, but is this still true by today's standards? In this blog, we take a closer look at possible indications to invest in automation.
These signs indicate that the time has come to consider automation in your business.
1. You spend a lot of time on repetitive administrative tasks
Do you recognize this? Your team frequently spends hours entering data, checking files or correcting errors. This is a sign there is room for automation. Digital solutions can automate these repetitive tasks, as well as eliminate human errors. This allows your team to focus on what really matters.
🔹 Example: A manufacturing company uses a graphics tool to design its labels or packaging for the numerous (read: hundreds) of products in its range. The data to be included on such label is extracted from various systems. Think, for example, of safety phrases, product names, a barcode and instructions for use in various languages. This info is looked up in the relevant system and ‘copy-pasted’ to the label design. This manual process can be fully automated, even when certain data change, new labels are designed automatically.
2. Your current software feels like a limitation, instead of a solution
Standard software has its limits. Perhaps you miss functionalities that would really improve your workflow, or you regularly have to look for ‘workarounds’ to make the system still work for your specific processes. If you find that your software is working against you rather than helping you, it's time to look at a customized solution. Sometimes a piece of custom software alongside your standard package does wonders....
🔹 Example: A company struggling to schedule maintenance for offshore wind turbines often runs into the limits of standard software, which can’t account for specific needs like weather dependency or production loss. A customized tool tailored to their unique workflow would offer a far more effective solution.
3. Your data is fragmented across different systems that do not communicate
A typical company often has a CRM system, an accounting package or ERP, a PIM system and a few Excel files. If your employees have to maintain similar information in different system, it not only takes time but also increases the risk of human error. Employees who regularly work with data from different systems, because their work process does not fall within a single system, lose valuable time collecting the necessary data in, for instance, an Excel sheet. Today, it is possible to develop applications that combine data from different standard applications for workflows that do not fall within a single standard application.
🔹 Example: A custom-developed platform that automatically generates technical product sheets in PDF format in different languages. Product features are extracted from an R&D database, product pictures from the PIM system, safety warnings from the ERP system and translations from a translation database.
4. Your business grows, but your processes don't
What used to work in a small team now becomes stagnant because your business has grown. Manual processes that used to be workable become unsustainable as volume increases. This is the time to look at digitization.
🔹 Example: An HR department that is monitoring job applications manually, but is struggling to keep an overview with an increasing number of candidates, could benefit from a digital recruitment management system.
5. Your customers and employees expect more
Consumers have become accustomed to fast, digital interactions. In their jobs, those same consumers are often faced with processes that are slow and cumbersome, which is demotivating. For the same reason, customers in the B2B world also expect a better, digital customer experience. If you don't offer that, you run the risk that customers will eventually drop out and leave for a competitor who does offer a smooth, digital experience.
🔹 Example: A B2B company with a web shop that does not offer functionality for regular customers to automatically upload orders from their own system is losing ground. There are a lot of digital solutions to provide both customers (or dealers) with a pleasant customer experience. This noticeably increases customer loyalty and helps you gain market share.
What is the next step?
If you recognize any of these signs, it's time to think about an automated solution. But this does not mean you have to start a huge project right away.
On the contrary! Start small but evolve quickly.
Start with:
- An analysis where real improvement is desired
- Defining the bottlenecks and priorities (definitely don't try to do everything at once)
- A small first step, such as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), to test the impact
