11 Dec Business process Automation and how it improves workflow in an accounts department
Business process Automation and how it improves workflow in an accounts department.
As we touched on previously, the workplace has changed dramatically over recent years – it has become heavily digitised. Technology for all its benefits – with its ability to influence growth and the evolution of business practices – has come with its own set of problems. It could be having the opposite effect of its purpose – it may be costing time.
Business process automation can stop you wasting time – it enables the automation of complex business processes through the use of technology. If utilised to its full capabilities it can make an incredible difference to the amount of time your employees have to focus on more productive, forward-thinking tasks. This is made possible by creating better workflows for those more mundane jobs that would have otherwise been an entirely manual process.
Again, as previously explored, most job roles have a sense of process to them – a repetitive list of steps that stay the same in the process that ensure the task is completed correctly. Business process automation takes one of those steps and makes it automated by working from a trigger action, followed by a list of pre-scripted events taking place through parameters you have outlined. This will successfully stop your employees from wasting valuable time doing mundane activities. Let technology bear the burden it was built for.
We will now look at how business process automation works and affects an administrative role.
Business process Automation (BPA) within an Accounts setting
A day in the life of an accounts team.
- You receive paper invoices that you have to manually key into an accounts system
- Followed by timesheets from staff.
- Later that day the team is given stock info that needs inputting onto the system.
- It is then bought to your attention that an invoice is late.
Let us take a look at how we can use BPA to improve a day in the life of an accounts team.
- Problem – It is brought to your attention that an invoice is late.
- Trigger – Invoice appears as late on the system.
- Action – It is time consuming chasing up debts and late-paying customers. Automated credit control apps track your numbers and automatically send out emails customised to the problem – just like when your bank messages you about an unarranged overdraft. When an invoice is late it will send out an automatic chaser email, for example. This reduces your credit control time and speeds up cash collection.
- Problem – You are presented with staff timesheets in paper form and it will take you hours to check them.
- Trigger – Once digitised put a trigger on the timesheets – perhaps the clock in time and clock out time.
- Action – Timesheets are approved automatically.
- Problem – You receive paper invoices that you have to manually key into an accounts system.
- Trigger – No trigger to this one.
- Action – Automated bookkeeping– ‘Optical character recognition’ (OCR) technology makes it possible to digitise the output and pull it through into your accounts software simply by taking a photo of your receipts, expenses, and invoices.
With the help of automation, businesses across the globe are finding that it is possible to utilise every minute of the workday; being productive as opposed to spending time doing what needs to be done to allow you to continue.
Need help introducing automation to your workplace? You don’t know where to start?
We at Urban Network have the expertise necessary to guide you through the minefield that finding the right tech for you can be. We can support you with your needs now and into the future – if you need help with your IT, want an overhaul of your current tech, or even just need some advice, please contact us now.
