The Internet has redefined the way people do business. It has made it possible for small businesses to get their products and services to consumers much more efficiently than ever before.
And it’s enabling entrepreneurs of all kinds and sizes to start their businesses without investing thousands of dollars. But as great as the Internet has made us all, it has also introduced new risks for businesses.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss how automation is changing the world of business and what you need to know about this emerging technology today.
What is Business Automation?
Business Automation is a term that refers to automation in the business sector. Automation means using equipment and/or algorithms to automate tasks that previously needed humans to perform. This can include everything from setting up a meeting to creating a sales forecast.
Automation can also mean using machine-learning algorithms to automate decision-making in a business setting. While automation is becoming more common in industries like manufacturing and healthcare, it is also rapidly growing in the business sector. The Internet of Everything has given rise to an ecosystem of new technologies and applications which has led to an exponential increase in the number of machines and devices that are now connected to the internet.
This exponential growth has led to an increase in the number of connected devices that need to be controlled, monitored and automated. This growth has led to the need for a new breed of automation – Business Automation.
History of Busines Automation
For most of human history, business was conducted either by humans or by an organization that acted as a business entity. The methods and techniques used to run businesses in the past were often manual and often involved long hours, physical effort, and special skills. In modern times, business organizations have generally switched to the use of computers and other technological devices to increase efficiency and reduce expenses.
Automation was first introduced into the industrial sector in Germany in the early 1900s and became widespread in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1940s and 1950s. Automation reached a high point in the 1960s and 1970s, due in part to the popularity of the Home Office dataset and the availability of electronic accounting and financial management systems.
These systems were complex and difficult to use and often required the involvement of humans to perform simple tasks like entering data or controlling production. In the 1980s and 1990s, numerous studies were conducted on the impact of automation on jobs. The conclusions of these studies suggested that automation was unlikely to create significant job dislocation.
However, the same studies also concluded that automation could have positive effects on the economy as a whole. This positive economic impact of automation has been called the automation effect.
Example of Business Tasks You Can Automate
Here are a few examples of common tasks that can be automated through business automation:
- Inventory management: creating and managing a supply chain.
- Dispatching orders: sending specific orders to be fulfilled.
- Payments processing: handling payments for a variety of customers.
Benefits of Business Automation
Business Automation has a wide array of benefits, both for businesses and their customers. Below are some of the main benefits of business automation:
Increased Operational Efficiency
Automation has led to significant increases in operational efficiency across a wide range of industries. This has led to reductions in expenses and increases in revenue. Automation also facilitates collaboration and enables “smart” manufacturing which allows for real-time monitoring and control of equipment and inventory.
Decreased Risk
Business Automation reduces the amount of risk associated with operating a business. This can include new risks related to cybersecurity, regulation, and the digital transformation of businesses. Automation can also reduce the need for human oversight and replace certain types of manual or semi-automated tasks with automation.
Improved Relationship With Customers
Customer relationships have traditionally been managed by managers and human beings. With the adoption of automation, customer service is being transferred from humans to computers. This leads to a reduction in the number of complaints and a boost in satisfied customers.
Improved Accuracy of Forecasting
Business Automation can enable forecasters to make accurate predictions. This can include things like the number of customers that will become a sale in a certain period or the price at which a certain product will be sold.
Decreasing the Equipment Downtime
Because businesses are using automation to reduce the overall cost of equipment by using sensors to monitor equipment usage, they can decrease the time that equipment is in use, saving both time and money.
Increasing the Data Security
Because businesses are using automation to ensure that data is properly stored and managed, they can increase the security of sensitive data by checking its integrity.
Risks Involved in Business Automation
While business automation is great for many businesses, it does come with some risks. To begin with, there’s always the risk of being left out of the new business landscape. If you aren’t yet involved in the digital revolution, you may not be able to benefit as much as other industries from business automation. And there are some risks involved in the adoption of automation across the entire business.
Lack of Skills Among Business Staff
When businesses introduce automation, they typically hire additional employees to man the new machines. But as businesses grow, more employees may not be able to handle the increased workload. This may lead to a decrease in overall business efficiency, and a possible increase in the rate of customer complaints.
Lack of Understanding
Between Managers and Employees
When businesses introduce automation, they typically have operations managers and production managers who understand how automation works at a high level, but who may not have a comprehensive understanding of why it’s being used.
Thus, when things go awry, managers may have difficulty identifying the cause of errors. This can lead to a lack of accountability and a failure to properly respond to customer needs.
Between Managers and Owners
Owners of small businesses may not fully understand the benefits of business automation. Thus, they may be afraid to adopt it or maybe apathetic about the effort required to implement it. This may cause owners of small businesses to fail, and to fail quickly.
Lack of Visibility Into the Use of Automation
Automation is a black box. We don’t know exactly how it works, nor do we know what its benefits are. Thus, when businesses introduce automation, managers and executives may not understand its full impact on the business. This lack of visibility may lead to miscommunication and inefficient decision-making.
Lack of Resources
For Business Continuity
When businesses cut corners to stay ahead of the curve with technological changes, they typically do so at the expense of business continuity. Business continuity refers to the ability of a business to continue to operate when others may not be able to. Companies that are unable to sustain business continuity may find themselves out of business very quickly.
For Change Management
Although businesses are always adapting to meet changing business needs, some changes are necessary while others are desired changes. And there are risks that some changes may be difficult to implement or may have unexpected side effects.
How to Achieve Business Automation Success
The best way to achieve business automation success is to choose the right problems to automate. Many problems in the world can be solved with automated software, but individuals must often decide which automated problems they want to tackle.
For example, if you want to automate the process of hiring staff, you may want to look into hiring employees based on their skill set rather than on the job vacancy. And of course, the biggest advantage of all is that automation allows businesses to reduce their costs.
What Are Your Business Needs?
Businesses need to identify the needs that are specific to their business. These needs should be identified as accurately as possible – both in terms of what is needed for the business to function and how much is needed to meet business goals.
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a process that takes all the planning and scheduling efforts detailed above and moves them into a strategic direction. A good strategic plan will prioritize the needs of the business, identify the necessary technologies to meet those needs, and then put those technologies in place. put the plans into action
To bring a business plan and strategic planning process to fruition, a business must first be truly operationally challenged. As we’ve discussed, operational challenges often stem from the lack of necessary technology. Therefore, the best way to overcome operational challenges is to use technology to meet operational needs.
Bottom Line
Nowadays, businesses are constantly finding new ways to automate processes. This is great, as it means that people can focus on running the business instead of being involved in manual processes that might no longer be necessary.
Businesses are finding more uses for automation than ever before. Given the benefits that automation has to offer, businesses need to implement automated processes in their organizations.
Businesses that do not will likely experience increased operational requirements, missed revenue, and organizational disruption. Automation can help businesses to save time and money, increase productivity and have better customer relationships.
