What Is Digital Process Automation (DPA)?

Today, more than always, organizations are depending on digital process automation technologies to reduce costs, develop efficiency, and give much-needed flexibility in precarious times. Organizations are no longer capable of wasting money on time-consuming and boring tasks with leaner operating budgets. For example, according to one study, office workers spend almost 69 days per year on administrative tasks, costing organizations $5 trillion per year.

Moreover, it is not just office workers that are impacted by ineffective workflows. CEOs also spend about 20% of their time on work that could be automated. To be honest, in the modern economy, no organization can expect to optimize its workflows or bottom line without centering automation into its processes.

Digital process automation (DPA) means the process by which organizations automate one or more tasks into a workflow. In this article, we will disclose what digital process automation is, narrate some benefits and examples of common uses of DPA, and conclude by purchase orders. 

Digital Process Automation (DPA) defined

Digital process automation, or DPA, is a process whereas digital technology is applied to automate one or more tasks involved in a business process. Organizations hourly use the software as a means of automation to optimize its workflows. Even, the use of DPA does not forcibly mean that whole processes are automated. Rather, processes are often partially automated, which means that some form of human interaction is still required.

Digital process automation is mostly distracted with business process automation because business process automation is a process used to build, automate, and execute an organization’s business processes. The difference is largely between scope and timing. DPA, however, ideally happens after a process has been digitalized to some extent. 

Examples of DPA

There are many various examples and use cases of digital process automation in organizations. Let’s see two examples, employee and/or customer onboarding and buying orders, for a better perception of how DPA works within a given process. 

Purchase orders

Purchase orders are best for digital process automation since they are interactive and have the effect of significant workflow delays. Organizations normally process many purchase orders requests every month, both one-time and recurring. POs ideally demand one or more permission and may be sent back and forth variant times for revisions.

These transitions may result in lag and minimized productivity. Organizations can streamline their PO verification processes with DPA. For example, once a PO is presented, digital process automation software may propel the request to the eligible stakeholder for verification and notify the requesting party when it is verified. 

Benefits of Digital Process Automation

DPA provides organizations many effective benefits. These benefits include: 

• Improved employee satisfaction. DPA enlightens employees’ roles and responsibilities. Points at which human interaction and intervention are needed are known throughout the organization. Industry key process automation software allows employees to search for assistance and communicate seamlessly with managers, team members, and as well. Organizations can also simply update employees concerning workflow changes.
• Enhanced customer service. Automation approves employees to focus less on time-consuming and boring tasks and spend more time helping customers. DPA solutions also enhance the customer experience by providing them more enjoyable and efficient interactions with an organization. For example, by automating the new account opening process, banks can enhance the customer experience
• Increased compliance and security. Manual and paper-based processes are not only inefficient, but also, they lead to lost security breaches, documents, and low levels of compliance. DPA tools like Master Data Management (MDM) create an easy to reserve, secure, and entry of important information and documentation electronically.
• Shorten operational costs. Employees can perform tasks faster and focus their time on less repetitive and higher-value functions using an automating task.

Organizational flexibility. The prevalence of COVID-19 this year describes just how important it is for organizations to be able to shift goals rapidly. For example, work from home is the ability for employees if needed. Or the ability to switch to the virtual learning model and back again for higher education institutions. Nevertheless, when things return to normal, organizations will need to run to react to the challenges like changing consumer favoritism and demands in real-time.