Digitalising processes to boost business performance
Over the years, the digitalisation of processes has emerged as a major challenge for companies. Indissociable from their digital transformation imperatives, it is becoming an asset in terms of performance and profitability.
But the digitalisation of business processes, contrary to what you might think, goes beyond simply putting new technologies at the service of the smooth running of day-to-day operations. It actually involves a new internal organisation, one that sometimes comes up against resistance to change from teams.
So how exactly can we define the concept of digitising processes? What are the issues involved? And what steps should you take to implement it in your company?
We tell you all about it.
What is process digitisation?
Process digitisation: definition
Process digitisation is defined as the mechanisms put in place to digitise all of a company's business processes.
It is therefore part of the overall digital transformation of organisations.
While companies are already using new technologies to boost their sales performance and accelerate their growth (setting up a website, using a CRM, etc.), it is the digital economy that is the main focus.), they need to rethink all their working processes if they are to become even more competitive.
The digitisation of processes is leading to a radical reorganisation of operations and optimisation of recurring task sequences, thanks to :
- predefined workflows
- digital technologies
- automation.
☝️ The digitalisation of processes affects all departments. That's why we often hear about :
- digitising HR processes
- accounting processes
- sales processes, etc.
We also often hear about the digitisation of document processes.
Digitisation of processes and workflows
This digitisation of processes goes hand in hand with the notion of workflow.
A workflow is made up of successive stages, and implies that once a given action has been completed, another must be carried out, all within a predefined timeframe. The workflow therefore provides a framework for employees' activities, with everyone knowing precisely what they need to do and when.
But thanks to the digitalisation of processes and the modelling of business processes, certain workflow tasks can be automated using software.
Example of an order management workflow:
The challenges of digitising processes
Supporting the digital transformation strategy
Today, companies of all sizes have realised that digital transformation is inevitable if they are to remain competitive.
But simply swapping pen and paper for software is not enough to begin the digital transition. Organisations need to change the way they think, and instil this new dynamic at every level. And operational processes, which are still too often carried out in the "old way", are no exception to the rule.
👉 The success of a digital transformation strategy therefore involves all the company's components, each of which contributes to improving performance and quality.
Aligning with new ways of working
Digitalising processes seems essential in a context where new ways of organising work are developing, starting with teleworking to name but one.
By digitising processes, day-to-day operations, collaboration and communication are made more fluid, even when teams are working remotely.
Saving time
Digitising processes also guarantees productivity gains, since it means automating recurring tasks as far as possible. Employees can then concentrate on tasks with higher added value for the company...
... and for the sales relationship! For example, by shortening the time it takes to process customer requests, organisations are acting to improve customer satisfaction and experience.
Improving quality and safety
New technologies and optimised operational frameworks reduce the risk of errors. This is because the data circulating between the different stages of a process becomes more reliable and is updated in real time. Repetitive tasks such as data entry and re-entry, which are sources of error, are avoided as far as possible.
In addition, advances in information technology and the degree of automation they allow provide companies with security on other levels:
- compliance with regulatory constraints
- risk detection
- access management, etc.
Reduce costs and generate more sales
Ultimately, thanks to :
- bandwidth savings
- fewer costly errors
- increasing the value of tasks carried out by employees,
- and improved customer relations,
the digitalisation of processes contributes to the growth of corporate profitability.
How do you digitise a process? Example of a digitisation project in 6 steps
1 - Define your objectives
The first step in digitising processes is to determine the company's objectives. These could be, for example
- improving productivity
- improving sales volumes and commercial relations,
- streamlining internal communication, etc.
💡 At this stage, it's a good idea to gather feedback from the various employees. As they deal with operational issues on a daily basis, they are the first to be affected by this digitalisation. What's more, they provide constructive feedback!
2 - Taking stock of the company's situation
Once the objectives have been defined, the company takes stock of its situation. In this way, it :
- identify the business processes already in place within the organisation
- assess the extent to which they can be digitised
- assess whether digitalisation is worthwhile in terms of boosting performance.
This stage also involves questioning the company's degree of maturity when it comes to digital transformation, in order to determine which aspects need to be redoubled in order to speed up the process.
☝️ The tools already deployed internally are no exception to this assessment. Ask yourself the right questions:
- Are they sufficient to achieve your objectives?
- Are they being used to their full potential?
- Do we need to invest in new software?
3 - Plan the process digitisation project
A process digitisation project is a project in its own right.
It therefore requires the appointment of a project manager. This person is responsible for drawing up a roadmap specifying :
- the priority actions to be carried out to achieve the predefined objectives (e.g. research into new software),
- the deadlines for carrying out these actions.
4 - Choosing the right tools to support change
As part of a project to digitise processes, the acquisition and deployment of new software depends on the type of solutions already in place within the company, but also on its objectives:
- CRM to improve commercial relations and performance?
- Project management software to ensure the reliability of all the processes associated with the company's projects?
- HRIS to digitise HR operations?
- BPM (business process management software) to digitise workflows and optimise business processes?
💡 That's what Iteropallows you to do , a very easy-to-use BPM designed to design, configure, automate, deploy and improve your processes in just a few clicks and with no training thanks to low-code. You can create customised workflows by integrating all your stakeholders, and connect the software to your existing information system for complete centralisation.
The list goes on...
✅ Getting the right equipment is the first step towards fully digitising your processes... provided you get them to talk to each other properly! To do this, there are some very easy-to-use "no code" software packages that do not require any special IT skills: EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) software, whichis very easy to use and requires no special computer skills.
Lobster_data and Lobster_pro are perfect examples. Developed to integrate data and digitise processes, these two all-in-one, collaborative and secure software applications help you to easily create interfaces between your systems (ERP, CRM, etc.) and applications to enable them to communicate with each other. With no programming required and compatible with all industry standards, Lobster solutions enable you to build your data flows and integrate your business processes in a simple, drag-and-drop way.
☝️ Electronic document management ( EDM) is an essential component in the digitalisation of business processes. Thanks to the resulting dematerialisation and automation, it :
- optimises the company's various operations (accounting, human resources, etc.),
- avoids the proliferation of documents and the manual tasks that go with them,
- facilitates the transmission of information, and therefore communication and collaboration between teams.
🛠️ One example is the Nexia EDM, which helps large companies to dematerialise, automate and manage their processes. This easy-to-use SaaS solution manages, distributes and archives all the company's documentation: supplier and customer invoices, purchase orders, expense reports, incoming and outgoing mail, etc. Document searches are also made easier by a high-performance AI-enabled search engine.
5 - Communicating and supporting teams
Throughout the process digitisation project, it is advisable to communicate as much as possible with the teams, right from the requirements gathering stage.
👉 As a reminder, it is they who are most affected by this transformation, and their feedback is of great benefit to the business.
The same applies when it comes to opting for new software. It's best to have them tested by the employees concerned, in order to gather feedback based on their actual use in day-to-day tasks.
Finally, once the new tools and processes have been deployed, it is important to provide the best possible support to the teams to minimise any resistance to change ("everything worked perfectly before, so why change anything?").
This involves not only communication, but also training to explain how to fully exploit the potential of the new digitised processes.
6 - Evaluate and adjust as necessary
Finally, the company must not rest on its laurels. It monitors the indicators that have been set up beforehand to measure the effectiveness of the processes: for example, metrics linked to time savings , with the aim of determining whether the teams are really saving bandwidth.
By monitoring these indicators, the organisation is able to identify areas for improvement in order to fine-tune its strategy for digitising processes, and thus improve further.
Digitising processes is a major undertaking which, as well as being outside the scope of a single IT project, has a strong human dimension. The whole organisation is involved, particularly the operational teams.
☝️ For their part, senior management must prepare the ground by supporting the change, removing obstacles and explaining the benefits to be gained.
The key to this is increased profitability and performance.
Article translated from French