Business Process Automation

Productivity and innovation are two hallmark traits of human civilization. From the stone age to the industrial revolution, we kept innovating our tools and processes to make our everyday lives easier. Henry Ford’s first assembly line for making Model T cars is considered to be the first form of business process automation. 

After this historical event, many businesses have been relying on business process automation tools since the early 70s and 80s. They have been using them to automate as many rudimentary and repetitive processes as possible. This trend continues today, resulting in higher efficiency and productivity in countless work environments. 

Do you know that repetitive and rudimentary tasks are ruining the productivity and efficiency of your business? 

Today, automating business processes is getting the highest priority among organizations. Companies can now do more and make their tasks as efficient and effective as possible. For this reason, they are considering business process automation software to scale their tasks, solve unique problems, and maximize productivity. 

Let us get more clarity on business process automation;

With the advent of technology, there has been increasing pressure on organizations to become more innovative and competitive. Otherwise, you must have seen many businesses going obsolete during the pandemic era that didn’t consider technology in their strategy. 

Business process automation tools are quickly becoming necessary for organizations of all sizes. From reducing costs to improving efficiency, it’s no wonder businesses are rushing to use these tools.  

Here’s why you should consider business process automation tools; 

Saving Tons of Time for Organizations

These tools can help you automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks. Your business can free up employees’ time to focus on other critical tasks. For example, automated direct mail can automate the entire mailing process and save countless hours on every campaign. 

You can utilize this vital time on tasks such as customer service or developing new products or services. Repetitive tasks often leave the scope of human error. The human mind gets bored with repetitive tasks and loses focus. Automating your tasks can eliminate the possibility of errors from manual input or simple oversight. 

Save Money in the Smart Way 

Every business has to face vast operating costs to handle so many tasks. Automating business processes can help you reduce your operating costs and eliminate the need for manual labor. You can use business process automation tools to automate payroll, direct mail marketing, and inventory management tasks. These tools will also save you from hefty penalties and fines for non-compliance with regulations. 

By automating compliance processes, you can have the assurance that you will meet all regulatory requirements. 

Improvement in Customer Satisfaction

Customers can benefit from streamlined ordering processes and customer service by automating them. This step would enable you to win better customer satisfaction and loyalty. The ideal business process automation tools are best for responding to customer inquiries and problems faster. 

Improvement in Workplace Experience 

Do you want to retain your team? Then, you must stop giving them monotonous tasks that make them bored. Automating business processes will allow them to communicate and collaborate effectively. Employees can focus more on the work that they must do. 

Better Scaling Opportunities

As your business grows, every process will become more complex. It will take a lot of work to manage them manually. You can use business process automation tools to scale your operations here efficiently. 

It will help you grow more quickly and efficiently since you don’t have to worry about scaling. You can be swift enough to adapt to changing market conditions with business process automation. 

Business Insights 

You will gain crucial insight into your operations when you automate business processes. It is possible to automate the collection and analysis of data. To make more informed decisions, you would be able to learn the different trends and patterns in your operations.

Streamlining Various Processes 

Business process automation software can help you streamline various tasks. You will have more clarity, accountability, valuable insights, notifications, and faster turnarounds. It would eliminate wasteful activities and focus on enhancing exercise.  

Stay Competitive Among Others 

We know that you are already facing a lot of competition from your competitors in the market. They may also be using business process automation tools to streamline their operations. So what are you waiting for? 

Embrace business process automation to stay relevant in today’s fast-paced business environment. You can also gain a competitive advantage in the market by automating your processes. 

So how do you implement automation in your business? 

Typically, you need to consider these three aspects of your organization; 

• Business logic and rules
• Structured data
• Unstructured data 

Let us break down each of them to have a clear understanding; 

Business Logic and Rules 

This data refers to the resources and guidelines that define your business; 

• Data
• Documents 
• Stipulations 
• Reasons 
• Etc. 

You can cleverly automate some of these aspects. Yet, an in-depth review is vital before inputting them into business process automation tools. 

Structured Data

This data refers to the information saved in your computer’s or other device’s software—for example, phone numbers, ZIP codes, social security numbers, etc. 

You can easily rely on business process automation tools to work on this data. 

Unstructured Data

This data refers to data that is subjective, random, and hard to organize. Unstructured data typically contains a lot of text and requires a lot of concentration to work with  Yet, this data is vital to helping you make the most significant decisions for your business. 

Now, let us come to the stages of business process automation, 

The implementation of automation won’t happen overnight; you will need a plan and multiple steps. 

Here’s what we would suggest; 

Process Analysis

You must begin by reviewing your processes and determining what requires automation. Then comes selecting the technology that would help you to do so. 

Right Implementation 

You must set up your processes, customize them, and use the new technology. It is vital to monitor everything throughout the business process automation. Record everything and organize user testing to ensure the new system is reliable.

Integration with Your Existing System 

Once you complete the testing phase, perform an API integration. It would help your existing system to communicate with the new technology.

Ensure Maintenance and Support 

Now, you need constant maintenance and support to reduce the bottlenecks and flaws in your business processes. Continuous testing and updating are vital to automating business processes. 

What Business Processes Can You Automate? 

Business process automation is more significant than a handful of tasks. Yet, we would like to consider the following factors to determine the need for automation; 

• Multiple people are necessary to execute tasks. 
• The high volume of tasks.
• Time-sensitive tasks. 
• Huge impact on other processes and systems. 
• Need for compliance and audits. 

What Are Some Best Practices That I Can Follow for Business Process Automation? 

As a beginner, you need more than just business process automation tools to guarantee success. Here are some key pointers that you should consider to automate your business processes; 

• Have clearly defined goals when you are automating a business process. It will help you save a lot of time in automation. 
• Always measure the results while automating business processes. Many organizations are not satisfied when they don’t see overnight success. 
• Invest sufficient time in training employees to adapt to the automation process. 
• Embrace a long-term outlook to experience a decent ROI.
• Rely on readymade solutions whenever possible. 

Here are some characteristics that your business process automation should have; 

• The process must have consistency across your organization. 
• The process must be repeatable. 
• The process should only have a little room for error. 

I Have Heard About Robotic Process Automation. How is it Different from BPA? 

Is there a difference between robotic process automation and business process automation? The two tools differ in some crucial ways.

RPA involves the use of computer code or bots to perform specific tasks. Typically, bots mimic human activity by performing one specific task. Using a bot, for example, can simplify copying and pasting data and filling out forms.

Here’s how business process automation tools are different from RPA: 

• A BPA has to solve an end-to-end process, while RPA focuses on individual tasks. 
• Business process automation tools work with a low-code framework that reduces the need for coding to automate processes. You will get a visual user interface that removes the need for users to code. 
• You will find unique capabilities in a BPA which are nonexistent in any RPA. These include enhancing collaboration, processing modeling, provide data and insights. 

The easiest way to distinguish between RPA and BPA is by evaluating the scope of automation. If the automation is taking place in an isolated and specific manner, then it’s highly likely that you are working with an RPA. If the automation process has multiple steps, it’s a BPA. 

It is still a reliable marketing tool among businesses, even in the digital age. Even 82% of millennials view direct mail pieces as more trustworthy than digital messages. 

Direct mail marketing can give you a median ROI of 29%. Choosing physical mail for your marketing efforts could be a significant factor.  

Don’t think businesses still use traditional direct mail practices to launch their campaigns. Those days are long gone! Technology plays a significant role in streamlining direct mail campaigns worldwide. 

Nowadays, businesses are using software tools and systems to automate the process of editing, sending, and tracking their direct mail campaigns. You can also use this software to tweak and target the content of your direct mail pieces depending on data and insights about the recipients. 

Many businesses use direct mail tools like PostGrid to streamline their campaigns. It helps them to achieve higher efficiency, accuracy, and consistency. You can manage the entire direct mail process, from drafting and sending letters, postcards, and other formats to tracking the response and measuring the effectiveness of your campaign. 

Save time and resources by automating routine tasks. Business process automation tools will help you print, sort, and mail. You can create more effective and targeted direct mail campaigns with automation and data. It would enable you to deliver the right message to the right audience. 

Let’s put direct mail automation in real-world applications! 

Many industries can rely on direct mail for business process automation. Here are some examples that can reach their target audience with direct mail; 

E-Commerce Businesses 

Automating business processes with direct mail can help e-commerce businesses to reach potential customers with products and services. They can run promotions through targeted and personalized direct mail campaigns. 

Retail Industry 

Direct mail with business process automation can help retailers to drive more traffic into their stores. They can provide offers, discounts, coupons, or promotions through direct mail pieces. 

Real Estate Industry 

Direct mail automation is necessary for realtors to generate leads and promote their services. The business process automation lets them launch targeted campaigns to reach potential buyers or sellers. 

Healthcare Businesses 

Business process automation becomes possible for healthcare providers by using direct mail. They can reach out to patients and promote their services or special programs. 

Financial Services 

Direct mail automation can be helpful for financial businesses to promote their services, such as loans, credit cards, or investment opportunities. 

Nonprofit Organizations

Automating business processes is vital for nonprofits to send targeted messages to donors and supporters. They often rely on a reliable direct mail tool like PostGrid Print & Mail API. 

You know about the industries implementing direct mail for business process automation. 

Finding a reliable direct mail company that can automate your business becomes vital. 

So, are you looking for a reliable partner that can ensure business process automation? 

You’ve got the PostGrid Print & Mail API to automate business processes completely. We help design, create, print, and send personalized direct mail to a targeted audience. 

With us, you can take an innovative approach to traditional marketing. It helps you to save time, resources, and money and enhance your ROI. 

What Makes Our Solution Desirable for Business Process Automation? 

• Cost-effective 
• Highly targeted 
• Personalizable solutions 
• Suitable for mass mailing 
• Good brand recognition
• Easier to scale 
• Improved ROI 

Integration is a Breeze with PostGrid 

Companies can easily integrate our solution with various systems, such as CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and marketing automation tools. It allows them to have automated business processes in their direct mail campaigns. You can also free up your teams from repetitive tasks by providing PostGrid. 

Our tool can integrate easily with HubSpot, InfusionSoft, SalesForce, ActiveCampaign, Zoho, Act-on, Pipedrive, GreenRope, etc. You don’t need any help from a programmer or coder to integrate our solution. The Zapier integration makes everything incredibly easy. 

Automation Brings Superior Personalization

Our platform enables businesses to personalize their direct mail pieces with the help of insights and insights. You can study your target audience to improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. 

Tracking Campaign Results 

Our direct mail platform lets you track and report with real-time tracking features. It allows your business to evaluate your campaigns’ response rates and success. 

Highly Flexible Solution 

PostGrid’s Print & Mail API provides a highly scalable solution to businesses that can use customizing according to their specific business requirements. 

We follow a simple process of three steps to ensure business process automation with direct mail; 

Create the Mail 

First, and our clients must create personalized postcards, letters, or checks. They can either upload their templates or rely on our HTML template editor. Then, they can import contacts to our platform using their CRM or uploading. 

Trigger & Automate 

You can use our REST API to automate creating and sending of direct mail pieces. It is possible to trigger campaigns without coding when using our webhook integrations. We help you to automate business processes across all your software systems. You can also use our merge variable system to personalize every direct mail piece to ensure maximum impact. 

Tracking Progress 

After launching successful campaigns, you check real-time campaign analytics and obtain detailed reports. A single dashboard will help you to manage everything in your offline campaigns. We give you the power of an automated business process. 

Sign up now to automate business processes today!