5 Ways that Business Process Automation Can Support Employee Morale

Employee satisfaction and morale are critical factors that impact staff recruitment, retention and overall productivity in organizations. While business process automation is primarily aimed at enhancing efficiency and reducing costs, it also has important implications for how employees experience their work. When implemented effectively with employee experience in mind, process automation technologies can help boost morale by streamlining workflows and enabling employees to spend more time on meaningful tasks. This blog will explore 5 key ways that automating processes supports employee morale.

What is business process automation?

Business process automation refers to the use of software, robotics and other technologies to handle repetitive tasks, workflows and other routine processes in a company that were previously performed manually by employees. By automating inefficient or rule-based processes, organizations can significantly improve productivity, accuracy, and compliance. Common business processes that are automated include data entry, invoice processing, form filling, report generation, claims adjudication and customer service queries. 

Automation is done using tools like robotic process automation, optical character recognition, business process management suites etc. This allows the work to be performed at high speeds with 24/7 reliability and with minimal human intervention. Automating repetitive tasks frees up employees to focus on more strategic work and problem-solving. It also ensures consistency, reduces errors and helps businesses scale more effectively to handle growing workloads.

What are business process automation services?

Business process automation services refer to the use of technology to automate manual, repetitive tasks and workflows in a business. Here are some key aspects of business process automation services:

• They aim to streamline business processes and make them more efficient by reducing or eliminating manual input and tasks. Processes like data entry, invoice processing, customer onboarding etc. can be automated.
• Automation is typically done through software robots or bots that can perform structured tasks automatically based on predefined rules and conditions. Tools like RPA (robotic process automation), optical character recognition etc. are commonly used.
• By automating routine workflows, it allows employees to focus on more strategic work that requires human judgment, problem-solving skills etc. This can boost productivity.
• Automation ensures consistency and accuracy since automated workflows are not prone to human errors. It also offers scalability since the same automated process can handle increasing workload.
• Common business process automation services offered by companies include deploying automation software/bots, analyzing workflows for automation opportunities, training employees on automated systems, and ongoing maintenance and support.
• Industries like banking, insurance, healthcare widely use BPAs to automate processes like data entry, claims processing, customer on-boarding and more.

Ways that Business Process Automation Can Support Employee Morale

Here are some ways that business process automation can potentially support employee morale:

Reducing Mundane, Repetitive Tasks

One of the primary ways that business process automation supports employee morale is by reducing mundane and repetitive manual tasks. Many routine office duties like data entry, invoice processing, form filling and transaction management involve low-value, repetitive activities that employees find dull and demotivating. 

Fortunately, leading business process automation companies like Automation Anywhere and UiPath have developed robots with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities that can handle these routine tasks, freeing employees to spend more time on engaging work that challenges them and allows their intellectual skills and talents to shine. 

When bots and automation take over repetitive grunt work, employees have opportunities to focus more on problem-solving, analytics, customer service, and strategic thinking. This serves to improve job satisfaction and prevent burnout, as employees spend less time performing tasks they find unfulfilling and draining.

Providing Flexible Work Options

Business process automation consulting firms are enabling organizations to provide more flexible work options to their employees through technologies like robotic process automation (RPA). Process robots can perform repetitive tasks around the clock, allowing knowledge workers greater flexibility in where and when they work. This supports work-life balance and attracts top talent who value flexibility. 

Automation empowers employees with the ability to occasionally work from home or change their schedules as needed. It also opens opportunities for remote or blended work. Consultancies like Slalom Consulting advocate that a combination of RPA, cloud computing, and mobile technologies can decentralize workflows and empower distributed work. This level of flexibility and trust builds strong loyalty between employers and employees. Autonomous systems handle routine tasks, freeing employees to structure their work in a way that suits their preferred lifestyle and productivity.

Simplifying Customer Service

Business process automation consulting firms are helping companies deploy chatbots, virtual agents and digital assistants to simplify routine customer service tasks. By using artificial intelligence to field common FAQs and requests, these automated agents take the pressure off human employees who may otherwise be bogged down with high volumes of straightforward inquiries. 

Consulting organizations like Genpact promote how automation empower employees to spend more of their time on more complex customer needs that require empathy, problem-solving and creative thinking. With bots handling basic questions, employees have bandwidth to cultivate meaningful relationships with customers by resolving complex issues. 

Simplified customer service through automation reduces stress for employees while also improving the overall customer experience. It frees up employee bandwidth to develop important soft skills and allows them to feel more satisfied in their customer-facing roles.

Making Software User-Friendly

Leading business process automation services are helping to simplify and improve customer service experiences through technology. Companies like Blue Prism offer robotic process automation (RPA) capabilities that allow organizations to deploy virtual agents and chatbots to handle common customer queries independently. These automated interfaces rely on AI to recognize patterns in unstructured data and respond to basic customer questions without human involvement. This frees up employee time previously spent on mundane inquiries. 

With automation services managing routine customer requests, human employees can instead focus on building relationships through more meaningful problem solving. By reducing repetitive work, business process automation services give customer support staff the bandwidth to develop critical soft skills like active listening and empathy. This improves employee job satisfaction within customer service roles and enhances the brand experience.

Automating Compliance

Compliance requirements can impose heavy administrative burdens on companies and their employees if managed manually. However, various business process automation services now offer solutions to streamline compliance activities. Services from companies such as Thoughtonomy provide robotic process automation tools that can autonomously gather, organize, and analyze compliance-related data across multiple internal systems. Their automation capabilities help monitor regulations and file mandatory reports without human intermediaries. 

When routine compliance tasks are automated, it reassures employees that their organization has robust controls in place. The automation of auditing and document management through RPA reduces menial work for compliance teams. As a result, employees feel supported in meeting compliance requirements while focusing primarily on high-level duties. Overall, automating compliance processes with the aid of automation services lifts unnecessary stress from employees.

How to Decide Which Business Processes to Automate

Here are some key factors to consider when deciding which Business Processes Automate:

• Repetitive tasks - Look for processes that involve a high volume of repetitive, rule-based tasks. These are good candidates for automation since robots can handle repetition better than humans.
• Well-defined processes - Processes that have clear steps, inputs, and outputs are easier to automate. Ill-defined or knowledge-based work may be harder to codify into an automated workflow.
• Prone to errors - Error-prone tasks can benefit greatly from automation. Robots don't get tired, stressed, or make mistakes like humans.
• Labour intensive - Processes that require a lot of human time and effort are good targets, as automation can significantly boost productivity.
• Paperwork heavy - Processes involving a lot of data entry, document processing, or routine form filling lend themselves well to automation.
• Bottlenecks - Identify processes that cause delays or chokepoints in critical workflows. Automating these can speed things up.
• Standardizable tasks - Recurring tasks done the same way each time by different people are ideal candidates for standardization via automation.
• Measurable impact - Consider processes where the benefits of automation like time or cost savings can be easily quantified.
• Mid-value tasks - High-value work may not justify automation costs yet, while low-value tasks may not yield sufficient return. Consider mid-range tasks.
• Strategic fit - Prioritize processes important to your business goals, competitive differentiation or customer experience over niche tasks.

Conclusion

Automating mundane activities through Business Process Automation tool employees to focus on more engaging and challenging work that leverages their skills. It supports flexible working options, simplifies repetitive tasks like customer service and compliance activities. When implemented properly by focusing on user experience, it empowers employees to work more efficiently. Leading BPA companies are developing solutions that are tailored to organizations' specific needs and workflow requirements. 

If the human impact is carefully considered in automation efforts, it can transform employee experience and engagement in a company. Process automation, therefore, should not only be seen as a business optimization strategy but also as an important driver for positively influencing workplace culture and morale.