How to future-proof your business with automation
By 2030 it’s estimated that between 25 and 46 per cent of job tasks in Australia could be automated, according to a report from McKinsey & Company. 1 While the country is currently in the midst of recovery, automation could theoretically be the key for your business to make positive economic changes through the integration of new services and products that help increase productivity and drive efficiencies.
The coronavirus pandemic has significantly changed the working environment in Australia, and it has also demonstrated the workforce’s ability to adapt to change and embrace new technologies. It provides an opportunity for you to review current processes and systems and assess the potential to automate tasks that empower workers to spend more time on other priorities.
The mass migration to online shopping and remote working that you may have experienced this year has forced many decision-makers to reassess processes and determine the best way to optimise their workforce.
To successfully streamline processes and better prepare for the future, you need to identify areas to automate or digitise that could otherwise threaten business success or become a pain point in the future.
Areas where mistakes can easily be made open your company up to increased risk. For example, mismatched customer details resulting in the wrong billing information being provided to customers breaches confidentiality data protections. This could be circumvented by automating mailing processes and including barcode scanning to minimise the risk of human error.
Investing in technologies that facilitate more accurate delivery information, such as automated address printing systems, can help to minimise the risk of incorrectly mailing items and breaching privacy by mismatching customer details.
Automated database management software can also reduce the time and money spent on repetitive tasks, such as data entry and manually updating customer address databases, which can help to streamline customer communications and management. Through deploying new technology solutions and automating simple tasks, workers can focus more on improving productivity, customer service, and identifying other growth opportunities.
Similarly, automating manual shipping processes can help streamline your parcel shipping operations. Investing in software solutions that automate the tracking and receiving process can help to simplify the process for both senders and receivers. It can also provide more accurate status updates on deliveries and maintain clear records of chain of custody of inbound packages.
Automation provides an opportunity for you to overhaul practices to ensure your business remains resilient for the future.
To find out more about how automation can future-proof your business talk to Pitney Bowes today.