Automation is a very helpful thing for business leaders to invest in and encourage. There is no one way to automate and there are no limits on how much you can automate, but you should choose what workflows you automate carefully. Here are six types of automation tools you can use to streamline your company’s workflows.
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1. Cybersecurity Tools
A large amount of cybersecurity work can be successfully automated, from system scans to computing infrastructure monitoring and from network firewalls to system updates. You can also target more specific security features and workflows for automation, such as user access review, revocation tracking and data cleanup. Remember that many cybersecurity automation tools can be used in cloud computing or on-premise computing, but the cloud may require additional protections. You should also keep in mind that you need to regularly monitor your automated cybersecurity tools or their results to ensure they’re working as intended.
2. Business Process Automation Platforms
Business Process Automation (BPA) platforms can be used to review or support the work employees do on complex, multi-step processes. These platforms are typically used to automatically detect errors and send alerts to employees to review their work. This feature helps improve the efficiency and accuracy of your business’ workflows. Most BPAs are relatively sophisticated and highly customizable, so businesses can easily use them to support multiple workflows and set them to meet their specific needs.
3. Workflow Management Software
Like BPAs, workflow management software is meant to improve the efficiency and accuracy of your business’ processes. You can use them to automate an entire workflow or certain aspects of a workflow. Employees can still work manually within the workflow. You can also use them to determine whether there are any redundant tasks in a workflow and remove them. This software is best suited for workflows that utilize large amounts of data. A workflow management program creates a form that holds the workflow’s data. Then, the program generates a set of tasks and a path that the data automatically follows to complete the process.
4. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for multiple kinds of automation tools, including machine learning algorithms, chatbots and digital assistants. These tools can help various teams, including human resources and customer service. They can also be used to take over specific types of tasks, including sending customer reminders and analyzing data. Depending on the intricacies of your workflows, you may choose to use simple AI to target specific repetitive tasks or more sophisticated programs to perform more complex actions, such as collecting data and creating predictions based on it.
5. Project Management Applications
Project management applications provide a hybrid model where some aspects of the workflow are automated and others are still manual. This ensures people working on the project can collaborate and work on tasks that require creativity, experience, knowledge and care while the automation tools take care of rote or repetitive tasks. These tasks include sending update notifications, onboarding, offloading, collecting data and standardizing the workflow. Many project management applications are highly customizable, so you should be able to choose what you want to automate.
6. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
CRMs are similar to project management applications in that they allow people using them to work manually while letting automation take over as needed. People who use CRMs typically set them to automatically collect and organize customer data. Then, an employee using the CRM can review that data or use a machine learning algorithm to analyze the data to generate predictive insights and highlight potential leads. The employee can also choose how and when to distribute the data to other teams or employees.
Before you invest in any automation tools, you should study your existing tools and workflows. Consider what workflows would benefit the most from full or partial automation and what tools would work best for your company’s needs. Make sure employees are aware of how you plan to implement automation and how it will benefit them.
