We all know what it’s like to be swamped at work. When problems arise, as they often do, teams and customers both can feel frustrated and overwhelmed. But business automation, powered by AI, can help.
New tools, like generative AI and robotic process automation (RPA), make it easier to simplify the way we work. These tools can make self-service effective and seamless, assist team members in their work, and even perform tasks independently so projects and systems are more connected.
It can be tough to know where to start with new technology, but the best place to look first? The pain points your team and customers experience, every day.
So without further ado, here are 4 inefficiencies that business automation can eliminate:
1. Delays and Errors
Some of the most costly inefficiencies that most (if not all) businesses run into are delays and errors.
Low bandwidth, production or communication issues, and errors of any kind can set an entire quarter’s worth of work off-schedule. Plus, depending on your industry, delayed projects or errors can result in missed revenue—or even higher costs.
Business automation can help in several ways. By automating low-level tasks, teams can allocate more time to important projects. Plus, automation tools can verify data integrity or quickly access up-to-date information, so errors occur less often.
In the long run, using business automation to reduce delays and errors can result in much higher productivity and lower costs.
2. Manual Processes
Another way businesses lose valuable time is by relying on manual processes.
Most of the time, we might not even realize that our way of working is inefficient. It can be hard to imagine a better way. But like delays and errors, manual processes slow down teams and make it harder to be productive.
A good example is customer or team onboarding. With business automation, teams can digitize the entire process, so that certain triggers—like a passing deadline or a newly uploaded document—independently move the process along to the next step.
By automating manual processes, teams don’t have to worry about following up, checking a particular system, or doing basic upkeep. Instead, they can focus on deeper tasks.
3. Scattered and Outdated Knowledge
Ever gotten a message like, “Which file is more up-to-date, Final_Version.doc or FinalFINAL_Version.doc?”
Maintaining company knowledge can be a job in and of itself. File updates happen all the time. And sometimes, trying to figure out where information exists can be confusing and frustrating.
To make things easier, advanced business automation tools can update company knowledge for you. AI learns as it’s used, for example, and adds that knowledge to a company Knowledge Base.
Then, rather than search through databases, drives, and folders for the right file, teams can simply ask the internal AI for clarification. This saves time and money in several ways:
- Reduces system switching: When teams know exactly where to find information, and when that information is located in just one place, productivity skyrockets.
- Eliminates the burden of information updates: With AI there to keep information up-to-date, it becomes easier to maintain company knowledge and reduce errors.
- Empowers teams and customers with instant information: When people have the info they need, they can make smarter, faster decisions—speeding up projects and improving CSAT.
Company knowledge and information are the backbone of your team’s work. Business automation can keep it fresh, so you can work smarter.
4. Ineffective Support
Everyone has questions that need answers. Both customers and team members ask for help often—but businesses might not always have enough people or enough time to offer effective support.
Slow, confusing, or unhelpful support can be frustrating. Business automation can help by using AI to answer low-level FAQs or assist agents with how they write responses.
Plus, support is becoming more focused on convenience, and effective support meets customers where they are. Sophisticated tools can streamline voice authentication, so customers get their problems solved faster over the phone, or even process billing via SMS messaging.
With these tools, support can become a true revenue driver.
Ready to work smarter with AI?
All in all, business automation offers countless opportunities for working more productively. As these tools become more and more advanced, organizations can rely on them to scale their operations, stay differentiated, and reduce overall expenses.
If you want to learn more about how AI can help you work smarter, dive into our guidebook The State of Support Automation for more insights.
The Guide to Support Automation
Discover:
- The different types of AI
- A framework for applying support automation
- Tips for choosing solutions