What Factors Should Companies Consider For End-To-End Digital Process Digital Automation?
Digital automation is not a mere buzzword that companies can blindly follow. It is not the same as digitizing and acquiring new technologies entering the market now and then. Companies must be careful while making business process automation decisions in digital form for reasons.
Table of Contents
Let Us Begin with the Question; What is Digital Automation?
Digital Automation is an alternative approach to traditional automation methods such as Application Program Interfaces (APIs).
Here, the technology accesses systems using the user interface of applications and facilitates rapid virtual integration of business processes autonomously without any human intervention.
Digital Automation of organizations integrates the business process in one or more software systems and uses inputs in a digital format.
Automation VS. End-to-End Automation
Organizations are not using a uniform pattern in digital automation.
When a company has concerns about sales in a particular region and aims to automate sales in that geographical location, choosing to run marketing or operations manually, there will be an imbalance and lack of uniformity.
This action will drastically impact the value chain and customer satisfaction. A combination of manual, semi-automated, and automated processes may not meet organizational objectives.
Companies that opt for end-to-end intelligent automation can improve the existing operations and grab the emerging opportunities quickly to expand their activities.
A company that aims at comprehensive business process automation must consider vendors and third-party agencies with end-to-end automation for collaboration and business operation. A company should either insist on third-party vendors or assist them in getting completely automated to influence a competitive edge over their competitors.
According to IT research firm Gartner, simple digital automation greatly varies from end-to-end automation or Hyper-automation. Gartner defines Hyper-automation as “a business-driven, disciplined approach that organizations use to identify, vet, and automate as many business and IT processes as possible. They are describing it as one of the top strategic technology trends.
According to Gartner, the hyper automation-enabling software market will reach $600 billion (US) in 2022.
The Outcome of End-To-End Automation
- It helps organizations to achieve a complete digital transformation
- Creates new business models
- Automation aids organizations in outperforming competitors
- Strengthen organizational capabilities to Expand business operations to new and innovative areas
- Organizations to extend and explore new markets.
Complete automation of the business process leaves no scope for manual or semi-automation of the business process, which may focus on optimization of technology usage of a region or automating the business process of a specific vendor. Ad hoc measures to automate a section of business operations result in delays, errors, and redundancy, leading to misuse and waste of technologies and resources.
Let us take the classic example of automation in globally reputed carbonated soft drinks A and B.
These two brands compete for a market share with distinct marketing, media, communications, and branding strategies.
Let Us Examine the Digital Optimization Process of a Soft drink Manufacturing Unit.
unturned to get the upper hand over its opponent -product B.
How should product A go about end-to-end automation to enjoy an edge over its competitors?
Pepsi should review the existing technologies, licenses, and platforms it holds in hand and examine whether or not they are essential in achieving its set goals.
The CTO must exercise meticulously in identifying age-old technologies that are no longer in use, and the company is renewing such licenses duly when they are expiring.
The IT department should identify redundant software, declare them obsolete, and keep them aside, exempting them from auto-renew licenses.
Organizations must weigh each new technology and platform by examining their role in business optimization, including the value chain, to ensure that all the internal wings within the organization, including its third-party agencies stick to end-to-end automation to ensure efficiency.
Let us consider the manufacturing business process automation and how end-to-end automation helps achieve efficiency and organizational goals.
Supply ChainWorkflow Automation
Soft drink companies generally adhere to the production for stock model.
The carbonated drink brands may have to use tools that predict market demand for soft drinks during the summer season in tropical countries when the consumption will be very high.
Demand forecast for carbonated drinks may vary in countries where people consume soft drinks as part of meals. Companies may have to accumulate demand figures using automated tools that may predict the magical figures.
Companies establish a manufacturing unit in a region where there is demand for their products to minimize spending on transportation to reach a far-off destination.
The company must initiate workflow automation, including automating the procurement of ingredients, manufacturing process, bottling, quality check, labeling, and packing of the outcome to place them in trucks to dispatch them to kiosks, restaurants, supermarkets, and cinema halls where consumption is high.
The organization must use a combination of automated tools for predicting market demand and ERP platforms that optimize its resource planning and execution.
The organization must use a combination of automated tools for predicting market demand and ERP platforms that optimize its resource planning and execution.
The company may also have to use CRM tools to predict customer behavior and analytics to serve customers in personalized ways. End-to-end automation helps organizations design strategies for procurement, inventory management, production, distribution, sales, supply-chain management, marketing, customer service, and after-sales service in totality.
An end-to-end business process automation is nothing but choosing the right mix of tools that may help companies predict demand and customer behavior that remains tricky and challenging to understand. Companies need the right technologies to ensure smooth procurement and production.
Companies should choose platforms that optimize resources, including men, materials, technology, and capital. Companies need solutions that promote user interfaces to drive customer satisfaction.
How do Companies determine the Right Mix of Tools, Technology, and Platform?
Companies engage experts as consultants to advise them on the right mix of automated tools and technologies with a track history of proven success.
Companies brainstorm sessions and workshops with end-users and experts can identify redundant technologies to eliminate them. Platforms that comply with regulatory norms and optimize company resources to drive profits are equally important.
Companies can engage their R&D division and internal sources to explore automation solutions.
Final Thoughts
Digital automation must transform the company’s business process to improve efficiency and drive customer satisfaction. End-to-end digital automation of the business process improves operations and helps organizations to draw new business models to outperform competitors.
Summary
End-to-end digital automation is a business-driven, disciplined approach that organizations use to identify, vet, and automate as many business and IT processes as possible.
The Digital automation software market may reach $600 billion (US) in 2022. An end-to-end business operation automation includes the company’s third-party vendors and agencies throughout its value chain alone, result in comprehensive automation.
This process improves efficiency and drives customer satisfaction.
