How to Ensure You Get the Most from Intelligent Process Automation

With AI and automation technologies growing in popularity, organizations are looking for ways to apply them to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and enhance customer experiences. Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) stands to become an important part of this puzzle.

IPA is a combination of technologies that automate a wide range of business processes, from simple repetitive tasks to complex end-to-end workflows. IPA combines AI with automation strategies like Business Process Management (BPM) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to learn and adapt to changing business needs. Effectively, you are adding AI into processes that are already part of existing BPM and RPA approaches. This integration gives these processes the ability to adapt their behavior based on the data mined from their current business processes.

Organizations can achieve the Holy Grail of having processes that quickly respond to changes without the need for human intervention. Take automated customer inquiries, for example. IPA transforms customer service processes by automating responses to common customer inquiries. By using AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants, organizations are able to deliver instant responses to frequently asked questions, which not only improves response times but also enhances customer satisfaction. However, importantly, IPA isn’t simply a case of slapping a chatbot in front of users. Rather, IPA involves integrating the chatbot into the customer inquiry process. As with any technology implementation, careful planning is essential if organizations are to fully reap the benefits of IPA:

1) Consider the process you want to automate carefully. Most organizations would love to automate as many processes as possible, but the reality is not all are suitable for automation. To start, organizations should identify processes that are repetitive, time-consuming, and prone to errors. A great source of intel is an organization’s employees – as they will be the first to speak out about repetitive and boring tasks. Organizations can also conduct process mining and review the analytical data stemming from ERP and CRM systems. This will allow organizations to better understand where bottlenecks lie and what the most problematic processes are.

2) Prepare with design and modeling. Once an organization has identified the processes they want to automate, the next step is to design and model the process. By using standard languages like Business Process Model and Notation (BPNM), organizations can understand each process’s elements, identify inefficiencies, and develop a plan for automation. This step alone is often an eye-opener on the different ways processes could be automated and optimized.

3) Choose the right IPA solution. An important step of any IPA journey is to choose the right tools for the job. There are a number of different IPA solutions available, so organizations need to select one that is right for their specific needs. The types of processes to be automated, the size of the business, and the budget are all important considerations.

4) Plan and execute roll-out. Once an IPA solution has been selected, organizations need to put in place a deployment plan. Often, this will involve training employees on how to use the solution and integrate it with existing systems.

5) Continually monitor and adjust your IPA implementation. After deployment is complete, organizations should monitor the performance and adjust as required. This will help to ensure the chosen IPA solution meets expectations and delivers the desired benefits. While AI has been added into the mix with the intent that it will help workflows automatically adapt, it will still require fine tuning until it works effectively within the constraints of an organization’s workflow.

See also: The State of the Digital Process Automation Market

Why Intelligent Process Automation needs effective process orchestration

Process orchestration also plays an important role in helping organizations navigate complexity on the road to automation. Many processes are complex and span different departments and systems. Process orchestration tools are highly suited to managing complex workflows, ensuring that each step is executed in the correct sequence and that data flows seamlessly between systems.

For example, IPA often involves the automation of various tasks within a process. Process orchestration tools ensure these automated tasks are triggered at the right time and that they interact correctly with human tasks and other automation components.

Process orchestration and BPMN aren’t just supplementary to IPA – they are the foundation upon which successful automation and optimization are built upon. By using these tools, organizations can orchestrate, optimize, and continually improve their processes, giving them the best opportunity for the IPA initiatives to succeed.