Digital Process Automation Explained | Examples and Tools
Jonathan D. Rhyne
Digital Process Automation Overview
The logical successor to Business Process Management, Digital Process Automation (or DPA) is similarly concerned with ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes but takes the idea further by focusing on external users including customers, vendors, etc. This means designing better user experiences and reducing as much friction as possible in your digital operations. Some key tenets of DPA:
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Mobile-first interfaces
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Process transparency for users
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Offloading customer tasks to automation
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Triggered reminders and notifications
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Easy collaboration
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Rapid user response and adaptation
So, while digital automation and bpm software may have focused on getting the process right, Digital Process Automation assumes the process has been optimized and focuses on making the experience better.
What Can Be Automated?
Any process that involves a trigger, data collection, information routing, and activity tracking can be digitally automated.
Triggers
Triggers can be human-initiated or machine-initiated. For instance, someone is making a request or an event occurring in a CRM system.
Data Collection
Data collection often involves a form being completed, but it can also involve data being automatically extracted or received from a system.
Information Routing
Moving data between people or systems involves business rules and logic that dictate where data needs to travel next.
Activity Tracking
Tracking what happens from end-to-end in a process allows processes to be audited and measured for performance.
Examples of Digital Automation
A wide variety of processes across all departments can be digitized. Below is just a sampling of the processes Nutrient Workflow customers have moved to the cloud, providing a faster, better, more standardized experience for employees and customers.
| IT/IS
New Account Setup
New Project Requests
Finance
Expense Approvals
Salary/Wage Changes
Marketing
Campaign Approvals
Brand Management
| Facilities
Office Relocations
Resource Scheduling
Facility Access
Move Requests
Sales
Quote Approvals
Proposal Approvals
Product Discounts
Legal
Legal Holds
| HR
Benefits Changes
Timesheets
Employee Onboarding
Employee Offboarding
Vacation Requests
Purchasing
Capital Approvals
Invoice Approvals
Product Pricing
Operations
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Identifying Areas of User Experience Improvement
You may have gone through a business process review or similar effort to identify processes that are performed inefficiently, are rife with errors, or need to adapt to changes in the organization. We’ve covered the topic on our blog and in our BPM Guide extensively. However, once you work through process optimization and automation you’ll need to look at the experience users have when interacting with the process including:
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User Flow : Have you documented and understood the user flow or journey for each member in the process?
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Screen Size : Do forms and other elements display well on mobile? Are you aware of all devices in play?
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Forms : Are they clearly understood and as brief as possible? Are labels and instructions clear? Is the layout easy to move through for users?
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Alerts/Reminders : When someone is prompted to take action, are the instructions clear about what they need to do next?
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Context : Are users aware at all times of where they are in a process and what will happen next?
UX/UI Resources
Nutrient Workflow’s Approach to DPA
Nutrient Workflow’s business process automation (BPA), which we also refer to as “workflow automation,” gives workflow designers full control of all elements exposed to users during the flow of a process. This means powerful form design that outputs mobile-friendly forms by default. It means that the user portal can be configured to ensure users can find what they need quickly. It also means that anyone involved in a process, whether it’s a vendor submitting information for a new project or a student requesting classes for the next semester, can see exactly where they are in the process and what’s coming next.
Finally, we build collaboration into every process. Whether two service representatives need to chat about a current request or a financial analyst needs to talk with a site manager about a potential purchase, discussions, and documents can easily be shared at any time.
We also partner with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) vendors to ensure a seamless experience when a customer’s needs require an approach for capture, interpret inputs, and then process them as if being performed by a real agent.
Digital Automation Resources
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What is digital business automation? (TechRadar)
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Digital Process Automation (SearchCIO)
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Robotic Process Automation and Digital Process Automation: Friend or foe? (Information Age
Learn More about Digital Process Automation
We have a variety of resources to help you on your journey to an automated workflow.
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Automation Tools and eBooks
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Request a Live Demonstration
To find out more about our product, please request a demonstration or check out our videos.
Jonathan joined Nutrient in 2014. As CEO, Jonathan defines the company’s vision and strategic goals, bolsters the team culture, and steers product direction. When he’s not working, he enjoys being a dad, photography, and soccer.
