Small business automation tools: Increasing the visibility of information
Small business automation tools provide SMEs with the ability to streamline day-to-day business processes that eat-in-to the working day. Repetitive bi-directional data entry means that management are constantly evaluating yesterday’s results and performance, reviewing financial reports and endless amounts of important data. To perform their leadership duties they require frequent visibility of critical information to aid decision making and improve business processes and employee performance. If information is not correctly processed and available when it is needed how can informed decisions be made to help the business progress and improve ROI?
With the evaluation of yesterday’s results and performance a variety of reports and documentation need to be manually compiled and distributed and, on occasion, data needs to be gathered from multiple systems and databases. This is costly, prone to errors and increases exposure to financial risk. Time delays can occur and management are reacting to information that has happened in the past – wouldn’t it be more effective to receive business critical information in real-time on an event or scheduled basis?
In addition, valuable employee time is absorbed by everyday repetitive business tasks such as bi-directional data entry, creating and distributing reports or communicating information to customers, suppliers or internal employees. The reliance put upon employees to conduct these repetitive tasks expose organisations to the potential risk of costly errors and eats into a businesses profit margin.
Small Business Automation Tools: Business Process Automation software for SMEs
Small business automation tools enable organisations to streamline the processes that are repetitive, time-consuming an prone to error. Process automation through BPA software frees employee time enabling them to concentrate on tasks that add real value to the business. By automating everyday office tasks such as data entry, data driven communications, report creation and distribution or a multitude of other time-consuming business processes, SMEs can make significant cost savings and productivity gains, helping management teams to make informed decisions.
Small business automation scenarios to increase ROI
We’ve put together 10 small business automation processes that practically any business can introduce to improve ROI and enhance employee productivity:
- Automated creation and distribution of management reports (scheduled or event driven)
- Sales and marketing reports
- Inventory reports
- Financial Reports
- Manufacturing reports
- Real-time alerting when business rules are broken via email/SMS
- Unauthorised discount notifications
- Incomplete customer record notifications
- Inventory level notifications
- Simplified approval process flow
- Purchase order authorisation workflow
- Timesheet approvals
- Discount authorisations
- Contract terms
- Automatic notification of key transactions
- Key customer put on credit hold
- Large order received depleting stock below agreed levels
- Payment received
- Dynamic monitoring of key financial metrics
- Bank balances
- Dynamic monitoring and notification of financial milestones
- Aged debt milestones with real-time alerts via email or SMS message sent to senior management
- Automatically checking the financial health of customers and suppliers to reduce exposure to financial risk
- Credit checks
- Credit referencing
- Application integration to achieve up-to-date information across multiple systems and applications
- Business applications such as:
- Sage ERP e.g. Sage 200
- SAP Business One
- Microsoft Dynanmics Business Central
- Access Dimensions and other industry specific systems and applications
- eCommerce platforms e.g. Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Amazon etc.
- Marketing services e.g. dotdigital, MailChimp, HubSpot etc.
- Courier Services e.g. DPD, UPS, FedEx etc.
- Information services
- Business applications such as:
- Automated reminders for submission of key documents for regulatory, industry or company created compliance
- SOX compliance
- Industry standards such as ISO
- Automated exception management reporting
- Account placed on hold with a detailed purchase history attached to an email notification
This list of small business automation scenarios is just the tip of the iceberg, highlighting the endless amount of employee activities and business processes that can cost your organisation valuable time and money. All SMEs are heavily dependent on employees extracting, formatting and distributing key information to and from a variety of business applications. Yet, despite its commonplace, people have limitations, they’re prone to illness, take holidays, make mistakes and eventually leave your business for new challenges.
How much money could your business save through business process automation?
Automating business processes that are unique to your organisation can deliver endless benefits by reducing operational costs and allowing employees to concentrate on activities that are important to the success of your business. If you are looking to improve ROI and increase employee performance, isn’t it about time you had the information you need when you need it most?
How much money could you save through business process automation? For more information on automating business processes download the brochure below or call us on +44 (0)330 998 8700.
