Introduction
The current business process plan must be evaluated consistently and updated to ensure efficiency remains high. Here is where Business Process Improvement (BPI) steps in.
Business Process Improvement is a set of techniques and structures to enhance the output of a business process. Such procedures aim to find system defects and make the necessary resolutions to the workflow, increasing production capabilities in the end.
BPI is very helpful in automating central MSP business processes, keeping track of Key performance indicators, and re-evaluating customer on-boarding processes resulting in improved efficiency. Hence, making it crucial for any MSP to succeed, whether it is for a meticulous process or a guide to enhance profitability. Let's understand why it is so important.
Why BPI is important
Business Process Improvement is vital in terms of improving the efficiency of a process. For example, in steps taken to resolve a consumer complaint, the results are not efficient, leading to unhappy customers and even loss of business. Hence, BPI ensures such errors don't occur and keeps the process robust.
It becomes essential to understand where processes are not measuring up for MSPs. When the whole company follows common steps in improvement, there are fewer errors and no deadline missed.
BPI assists in improving quality, customer value, service, cost reduction, and productivity for MSPs. It commonly uses Lean*and Six Sigma* techniques to seek constant improvement in processes or find a new manner to manage a function.
*Lean Six Sigma: It involves five stages consisting; define, measure, analyze, improve and control. The objective of the entire procedure is to identify the leading cause of inefficiencies of a process, service, or product involving large amounts of data available.
*Six Sigma: The primary goal of Six Sigma is improving the quality through detecting deficiencies, their root cause, and increasing repeatable, accurate processes. In essence, Six Sigma is a set of techniques that help measure what needs to get done and then improve on it further.
Benefits of Business Process Improvement
Below are some primary advantages for MSPs undertaking BPI projects:
Increasing Productivity: By noticing missed inefficiencies, BPI ensures the highest level of productivity. A survey by Atlantic IT.Net noted that the workforce spent an average of 520 hours yearly on repeated tasks that would be more productive, automated, and evaluated regularly. For example, repeated tasks such as manual billing, filling forms, and reports are easily automated and improved with BPI to offer maximum fruitful results.
Workforce satisfaction: BPI, in combination with Robotic Process Automation, can remove the need to do tedious, repetitive tasks, which drain employees' energy, reducing the burden on them. With more time, employees can focus on job functions they enjoy, increasing their level of satisfaction. A smooth process makes employees productive, which in turn increases revenue.
Lower risks: When information gets transferred manually, it can result in errors that are time-consuming to fix. Additionally, it increases the risk of fraud, which is why automation with BPI is beneficial.
Compliance: BPI aids in following and submitting regulatory procedures and standard documentation quickly to avoid any legal issues or penalties. Hence, increasing transparency and less time-consuming
High level of customer satisfaction: These days, customers don't prefer outdated technology, proven in a study conducted by Microsoft. Using current automation and BPI tools can reduce costs and time and improve customer satisfaction drastically as employees have more time to focus on getting results for clients.
Integrating Technology: BPI helps decide which software or application is the best fit for specific company requirements. Choosing the right technology is crucial to productivity.
What is BPI: key components
Business Process Improvement is a set of steps that analyses, reviews, and improves all business processes within an organization by creating a blueprint of the processes and removing all inadequacies. Additionally, it focuses on the redesign of the process and initial metrics.
The following are the components involved in undertaking BPI:
1. Mapping the Process: After zeroing in on the process to be improved, the first task would be mapping out every workflow step. Each aspect of the process must be detailed and in-depth to get the best results. Every step is illustrated in a flowchart* or a Swim Lane* diagram to increase the level of clarity.
*Flowchart: A flowchart focuses on outlining the process. It graphically displays the sequence of steps involved in a process. A flowchart has basic symbols representing different functions and shows the sequencing through lines and arrows.
*Swim Lane: A swim lane diagram describes who performs which task in a process, using the metaphoric lanes in a pool. It is a type of flowchart which provides clarity and maps out the whole process, using pool lanes to represent a person or group responsible for a specific sub-process.
2. Analyzing the Process: The chart illustrating the steps of a process gets used to investigate the inadequacies within. A few key questions to ask here is:
- Where are employees and customers getting annoyed?
- Where are the bottlenecks?
- Where are the high costs and low quality?
In essence, the root cause needs resolving, not just the symptoms. A few tools that help us find the main issue is cause and effect analysis, Pareto analysis*, and brainstorming with employees involved.
Pareto analysis*: Pareto analysis is founded on the concept that 80 % of the workflow advantages get attained doing 20% of the work; by contrast, 80% of workflow issues are tracked back to 20% of the problems. In essence, such an analysis helps go through numerous courses of action to select the one that has the most benefits with the least amount of work possible. It is a robust decision-making tool.
3. Process Redesigning: The third step would be to redesign the process to remove the problems discovered. By brainstorming and working as a team, finding ideas for improving the current process becomes more accessible. Agreeing on relevant cause tests such as risk analysis and customer experience mapping can aid in making improvements to the process. Once a new approach is selected, a new diagram is needed to map out the steps.
4. Resources Acquisition: After mapping out the new process, resources get procured to implement the improved strategy. The resources needed can be attained more smoothly by communicating with other teams such as IT and HR. Hence, a business case is required to explain the need for those resources.
5. Communication and Implementation of Change: Changes are never accessible. There will be hurdles to cross, but it is well worth generating higher revenue and happy customers. The implementation stage must be planned and managed, including a trial run to avoid further pitfalls. Furthermore, tools such as Kübler-Ross Change Curve* and Kottler’s Theory of Change* are beneficial.
Kubler-Ross Change Curve*: The change curve represents people's experiences when faced with changes and transitions. It is an emotional path that involves different stages a person goes through, like shock, denial, anger, depression, and finally accepting it.
Kottler's Theory of Change*: It is an eight-step process of dealing with change, involving creating urgency, formulating guiding coalitions, developing a solid vision, eliminating hurdles, empowering employees to act, creation of short-term successes, consolidating, and strengthening the change.
6. Reviewing the Process: The final step involves monitoring how the process is functioning to meet expectations. It assists in resolving any new problems when they arise as improvements continuously increase efficiency.
Automation as a part of BPI
Robotic Process Automation is popular and embraced by many MSPs for streamlining processes. It enables enterprises to simulate human actions for tasks in complex operations.
Automation is accomplished by having rules and triggers for reducing manual intervention in some aspects of the process. It needs evaluation constantly to ensure costly errors do not occur. Here is where BPI plays a critical role in continually improving the automated elements.
In fact, BPI helps solve two of the most common pain points of MSPs. The pain points include:
- Manually handling billing: MSPs are burdened with many different bills from various vendors for a variety of clients making it difficult.
- Provisioning delays: Inefficient processes is the number one reason for delays and loss of money and clients for most MSPs.
By removing inefficiencies in processes, automating the right workflow, and feeding accurate information to the bots can solve the common issues of MSPs mentioned above.
A good example of some other functions using BPI and RPA together can be tasks such as automated order processing, responding to regular emails, and managing payrolls to make sure they stay relevant.
How ElectroNeek's RPA can help your BPI needs
MSPs constantly struggle with delays because of Inefficient processes resulting in loss of pay and client confidence. ElectroNeek can assist MSPs BPI needs to ensure the improvement of ineffective and wasteful processes leading to higher productivity and profits.
ElectroNeek provides a unique solution to get the maximum impact from RPA elements required for your BPI needs. It is an intelligent automation platform where business users with no prior IT skill set can analyze employee productivity, discover automation opportunities and build software bots to automate repetitive tasks.
While ElectroNeek Studio Pro helps users to build RPA bots by using the low-code/no-code tools and intuitive drag and drop interface, ElectroNeek SaaS Orchestrator can help in managing all your or your clients' automations from one single room. Automated monitoring and management of bots is a great way of conducting business process improvement, which reduces risks of human factors and potential gaps in the workflows for MSPs.
Additionally, the deep analytics tools can aid in monitoring and identifying errors in processes, making it easier for MSP’s to make incremental improvements in real-time.
Conclusion
It is evident from the above information that Business Process Improvement is a vital initiative for MSPs that want to successfully improve and manage automated and non-automated workflows to ensure profits. BPI, in tandem with RPA, can provide a competitive edge for Managed Service Providers in a cut-throat market.
ElectroNeek's tools ensure your operational excellence and make sure you can finish the steps needed in implementing Business Process Improvement for overall success. If interested, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team for further information.