The most common question heard from organizations deploying Business Automation solutions is “Where do we start?” Sometimes, an executive has engaged a Business Partner to run a pilot program, other times Purchasing has acquired some Robotic Processing Automation licenses, or maybe there’s a salesperson in the Conference room explaining how you can automate using a product you already own.
However, according to one Automation expert I spoke to recently, none of those cases is a reason to Automate.
Mike Prentice, who is Director of Automation and Modernization at Integro, an IBM Business Partner, joined a virtual event in October, cosponsored by AIBM and AIIM, called, “It’s Time To Realize The Promise Of Automation.” Mike has been working with organizations for many years on automation projects and has a developed a simple and clear methodology around Customer Journey Mapping. It’s a concept that provides an organization with a clear set of steps that help to document a process in very human terms. And what makes it human is empathy.
As he explains it, the process involves getting stakeholders in a room and breaking down a process to its essential steps. At every step, the goal is to understand not only what the customer is feeling, but what the employees executing that process are feeling. It’s a holistic approach that assures that everyone in the process is heard, and it often provides a guide as to what would be good to automate that aligns to the business goals of the organization.
Here is the excerpt from the AIIM event, and at a solid 15 minutes, it’s an easy lesson in knowing where and how to start on the Automation Journey.