How to Choose the Right Automation Tool
Published: 19/10/2018
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We are reaching out to all decision-makers across various industries. You can no longer ignore process automation. What matters now is selecting the right business automation tool. It will either make or break your business. Timesheet Portal will assist you in making an informed decision.
Every company, regardless of its size or sector, has automated some aspect of its business. In fact, adopting automated tools is essential for success in today's world. As modern technology advances daily, the number of processes requiring human involvement continues to decrease.
Certainly, this means a plethora of automation solutions are available in the market, each targeting different processes. Some overlap in functionality, while others are specific and unique, and some can be interconnected to enhance their capacity. However, such variety makes it challenging to select the tools that will benefit your business the most. This is why we have compiled a list of key criteria for an automation tool, which we are pleased to share.
Making a decision is not easy when you have to invest in a commitment. If you ensure that your chosen software meets these seven criteria, you are unlikely to make a mistake:
It’s customisable
It minimises the need for human involvement
It is designed to scale with you
It has a reporting module
It is capable of speeding up your existing processes
It can be applied across different parts of your business
It integrates with other tools you have.
This may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. All of these aspects are easy to verify by signing up for the tool’s free trial or getting a demo from the vendor. However, let us explain why we’ve selected these items specifically.
Implementing automation minimises human error, thus setting expectations for complete accuracy in data-related tasks. However, achieving this can be challenging for businesses with unique and complex processes. Therefore, it’s advisable to avoid off-the-shelf software in favor of customisable solutions.
Good software won’t require you to change your processes entirely (unless you are proving their irrelevance to your business). However, it will shorten and streamline them. In other words, you want the digital solution to enhance your existing processes without needing to optimise them first.
The primary purpose of adopting automation is to reduce the number of steps you, the user, must take by transferring them to business intelligence. If the tool requires you to jump through multiple hoops just to make it run, you should seriously question its long-term effectiveness. Chances are, this is not the right business automation tool and won’t provide the seamless experience you seek.
Since every business has different goals, the tracked metrics will also differ. While there are key indicators that every organisation wants visibility of (e.g., income generated over a certain period), there will always be specific metrics that matter only to that business. For instance, a construction company might want to know how much money was spent on a particular material, breaking the cost down into material, shipping, and VAT.
This is why it’s crucial for the automation tool to offer customisable reports. This allows for visibility into both general metrics and the specific figures that matter to your organisation.
Finding the right solution is often time-consuming in a market as vast as business automation tools. No one enjoys wasting time on business matters. Therefore, once you go the whole nine yards to obtain software, you don’t want to go through that process again anytime soon. The key to ensuring this is to find a solution that can scale with you.
Don’t assume you need a new tool for every challenge your business encounters. This could result in significant financial losses, especially if the issue only needs to be addressed after it is resolved. Most business automation tools are crafted to be long-term solutions and operate on a subscription basis. Therefore, it’s important to invest in a solution that can tackle multiple challenges simultaneously.
Given the competitive and saturated market, it’s uncommon to find tools that focus on just one area of the business at a time. To remain competitive, automation solutions provide various modules and features. Each of them is applicable across different departments and operates in distinct processes. Your task is to consider the specific problems you wish to solve and then explore additional features to determine if they can be utilized elsewhere in your organisation.
Everything, including functionality, has its limits. While effective software can serve you well for years, your business may eventually outgrow the solution’s capacity. However, like every problem, there is a relatively simple solution to this: aim for highly integrated software.
Integrations enhance the platform’s native functionality by connecting it with other solutions. When linked, various solutions communicate with each other and share data, enriching the insights gathered. This creates new automation opportunities that neither tool would provide if used separately.
By this point, you have likely recognised the key signs of effective business automation tools and are prepared to find the right one. However, to create significant, noticeable change in your organisation, consider assembling a digital toolbox from the beginning instead of acquiring digital solutions randomly as the need arises.
Focusing on building a toolbox rather than adopting stand-alone solutions allows you to create a perfect, sustainable system. This system will become the core of your business. By outlining your goals, the challenges you face, and the software you currently have, you can begin to map out the necessary tools.
For example, if you want to automate the invoicing process, you will need a timesheet solution and an accounting system that integrate with each other. You may also realise you need to find a better way to distribute those invoices, as you have a vast database. In this case, you will want both solutions to integrate with a CRM as well. What you include in your digital toolbox, or how many solutions you’ll need, depends solely on your needs and goals.
Business process automation is now an essential part of every organisation. However, the market is heavily saturated with various types of business automation tools. Finding the one that will genuinely transform how your company operates is challenging. While what you’re looking for depends on the problems you’re trying to solve, ultimately, you want to invest in a product that will last a long time. Ideally, it will support you across different aspects of the business and grow with you.
It is recommended to adopt multiple business automation tools simultaneously. Ensure they are integrated with each other, as this will maximise their impact and enhance the coverage of your processes. Furthermore, interconnected solutions provide expanded options for automation and analysis.
Are you ready to begin building your business automation toolbox? Start with timesheet software.