5 benefits of automation and why you should learn to start loving the machines

I love a good sci-fi movie and have always enjoyed the dystopian ones in which the machines take over the world.

Movies such as The Terminator and The Matrix show what could happen if artificial intelligence (AI) becomes too smart and decides humans should no longer be part of the equation.

That kind of thinking has also filtered into real life, with many people fearing that the machines will ‘take their jobs’ and render them homeless.

As usual, the truth is a lot more mundane and benign than Hollywood would have you believe.

While it is true that machines are replacing some jobs, they are often the type of job humans would rather not do. Dangerous and physically-demanding tasks can be usefully transferred to robots and humans can be “reskilled” into new areas of work.

In an office environment, you might say there is nothing to worry about. It isn’t a cavernous coal mine or an underwater drilling operation, it’s computer work! What have you got to be afraid of?

However, boredom can also be a killer. Every month, knowledge workers spend countless hours performing manual data entry, routing and archiving. These tasks are not just unfulfilling for workers,  they are also costly for businesses.

This is where automation comes in. Thanks to advances in technology, software can now assist knowledge workers such as accountants with many of the menial tasks they are assigned.

A simple of example of automation in action would be in invoice approval.

With DocuWare’s solution, workers can capture paper or digital invoices, index their data with zero manual entry and route them through a defined, digital queue based on cost centres, amounts, PO numbers and other variables. Following this, the data can be sent back to applications such as SAP, Sage, Microsoft Dynamics or Quickbooks, which all seamlessly integrate with DocuWare.

Benefits of automation

I’ve spoken before about the importance of digital transformation, and no journey towards digitisation can be complete without process automation. In order to stay competitive in the modern business world, companies must capture, index, route and archive more information than ever before.

Here at Docuworx, we are proud to be an official platinum partner of DocuWare, which we believe provides the world’s best workflow and automation solutions. Here are some key benefits that automating processes can deliver:

1. Drive efficiency

The common expression ‘I’m only human’ says it all. No matter how great your workforce is, they are going to make mistakes. However, automation limits the potential for errors in business processes, driving efficiency. With DocuWare, you can build configurable, ad-hoc workflows for smarter work environments and add document management capabilities quickly.

2. Reduce risk

With the many high-profile hacks and breaches happening worldwide, compliance is at the forefront of many CIOs minds. Using DocuWare, you can implement rules, logic and standards to secure and enhance control over business-critical information.

3. Improve profits

Every company in the world wants to get maximum return on investment and improve profits. DocuWare allows you to go ‘beyond bottom-line efficiency’, leveraging data analytics to contribute to top-line growth, revenue and profitability.

4. Enhance use of workforce

Automation also frees up your workforce so that they pursue more ‘high value’ tasks. Rather than wasting time with repetitive, menial tasks, your employees can dedicate more time to seeking out value-accretive initiatives for the company.

5. Gain deeper insights

Companies are dealing with more data than ever, but at the same time they often don’t know how to get the most out of it. DocuWare’s automation solution centralizes valuablee document and process knowledge into one system, integrating directly with your ERP for a complete picture of your business and deeper insights.

Augmentation rather than replacement

Going back to my earlier point, movies about killer robots are fun, but we need to stop seeing machines as threats in the workplace and instead focus on the myriad benefits that automation can bring about.

We are rapidly moving into a future in which we will be augmented rather than replaced by AI. One thing that is absolutely certain is that we cannot ‘switch off’ technology. And if that’s the case, we are much better off befriending it.

At present, countless work hours are spent tediously entering and managing data. This is not only causing your staff major headaches but also slowing your business down. To learn more about how Docuworx can help you speed up your vital business processes, contact us today.