Automation can help you streamline your customer journey, reduce errors, and increase efficiency. But how do you know which parts of your process are suitable for automation? In this article, you will learn how to use process mapping and customer journey analysis to identify automation opportunities in a customer journey.
Process mapping is a technique used to visualize the steps, inputs, outputs, and roles involved in a business process. It can help you comprehend the current state of your process, identify weak spots, and determine areas for improvement. To create a process map, you can rely on tools such as flowcharts, swimlane diagrams, or value stream maps. A process map should include the trigger and goal of the process, the tasks and subtasks performed by various roles, the data, documents, and tools used in each task, the decisions, rules, and conditions that affect the flow of the process, as well as the outputs, outcomes, and feedback of the process.
In order to have a discussion with a customer around this topic there in one key element - TRUST. Often this is assumed and discussions are started and development started but without Trust there are often gaps in the process and you end up building an improvement or automation on an ineffective process.
Personally, I find many businesses forget about the most important thing-customer. The ??? here is to look at the flow only and exclusively from customer's view point and only then analyse from the business view point. There's always compromises but it's less likely to be detrimental to customers.
O mapeamento de processos permite enxergar de forma holística e estruturada as entradas, processamentos e saídas a nível micro e macro. Quando obtido por meio de ferramentas do Lean Manufacturing (VSM - Value Stream Mapping / Mapa do Fluxo de Valor), permite identificar dentre tantas variáveis importantes, os principais gargalos, desperdícios e oportunidade de melhorias. Estas informa??es d?o suporte para um trabalho estruturado e eficiente com resultados certos.
This involves understanding every touchpoint a customer has with your service, from initial contact through various stages of engagement to the final placement or follow-up. Identifying repetitive, time-consuming tasks that don't require human judgment or emotional intelligence can be prime candidates for automation. Use data analytics to identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the customer journey. Analyzing customer feedback, service response times, and engagement metrics can highlight areas where automation could improve speed and consistency.
At this point, we need to emphasize how important it is to keep the process map up to date and reviewed. In a dynamic and constantly evolving business environment, changes are expected (and even desired). That includes processes and, consequently, processes maps. Therefore, process mapping is not a one-off exercise, but rather a dynamic process that requires regular updates.
Customer journey analysis is a technique to examine the interactions and experiences of your customers with your product or service. It can help you understand your customers better, identify their needs, expectations, and pain points, and measure their satisfaction. To conduct a customer journey analysis, you can use tools such as customer journey maps, personas, or empathy maps. When doing so, you should capture the stages of the customer journey from awareness to retention, the touchpoints and channels where the customers interact with your business, the actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points of the customers at each touchpoint, as well as the metrics and indicators that measure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Detectar las mediciones que pueden afectar el proceso en la obtención de objetivos es relevante, en algunas ocasiones el recurso para tener alguna lectura o medición no es tan costoso como lo que se pierde por no hacerlo, se debe evaluar el costo-beneficio y mencionarlo a todos los involucrados.
Understand what value you're looking for through automation. Is it to reduce defect rate, reduce costs, decrease lead time, etc? It is important to understand what value the process's customers are looking to guide your search for value via automation.
Talk to your customers and involve them in the development of systems and processes that significantly affect them. Methods such as developing personas and building empathy maps are useful, but unfortunately the theory often misses the actual customer focus. From good experience, I can recommend regularly inviting a group of selected partners to present the current status and planned steps and to obtain feedback. As with beta systems, you should also involve a dedicated group of customers before a major product launch. Their feedback is so useful in the further development and increases the change of having created something really valuable for the actual users in the end.
Auf dieser Grundlage k?nnen dann Automatisierungsm?glichkeiten ermittelt werden - sei es durch den Einsatz von Chatbots zur Unterstützung bei Fragen oder personalisierten E-Mail-Kampagnen basierend auf dem bisherigen Kundenverhalten. Die Analyse der Customer Journey ist entscheidend für die Identifizierung von Verbesserungsm?glichkeiten im Kundenerlebnis sowie für die effektive Implementierung von Automatisierungsl?sungen.
It’s important to have a clear understanding of the environment of the performance and understand what is measured from source data and how they get generated until the impacting aspects not yet measured. Make sure that the operations KPI are consistent and reflect with in the strategic KPI.
Identifying automation opportunities is a great way to reduce costs, errors, and delays, and improve quality, consistency, and scalability. To identify automation opportunities in your process or customer journey, look for tasks that are repetitive, predictable, and rule-based; require minimal human judgment, creativity, or empathy; have a high volume, frequency, or duration; have a clear input and output; and have a low risk of failure or negative impact.
1- First consider a preliminary change of introducing process checklists (for steps or gates/milestones), sub-contracting, delegating to cheaper resources, and/or other non-automated improvements. These can help describe and simplify the process algorithm to be automated later, at the same time easing the changes into the company culture. The key is to avoid any large risks and sophistication with this approach, and it usually works best if you are managing this from within the organization. 2- I would argue that tasks which have the biggest impact or risk ARE some of the best targets for automation. One might just need to add supervision at the tail end of the process. Automation of tasks does NOT mean automation of responsibility.
Para identificar correctamente una oportunidad de automatización se debe comprender en profundidad que beneficios otorga la automatización (tiempos, calidad, cumplimiento, seguridad, parametrización, control, escalabilidad, etc..) y poder relacionar estos beneficios con las necesidades puntuales de los procesos, esto tambien ayuda a determinar una forma mas adecuada de darle un alcance a la automatización y ajustar su consrrucción a las necesidades del proyecto sacando el mayor provecho a los beneficios
Para llegar a la automatización es muy importante el trabajo del profesional con más experiencia, junto al TI por que el TI no puede hacer solo el traje a medida para cualquier rubro. Los datos nos ayudan a administrar dar mejores servicios.
Big Data and data mining is just magic. I‘ve just had a really nice discussion with a talented junior consultant how to use SAP big data within a process mining tool in order to automatically generate process models based on performed SAP transactions (leads to name of activity), time stamps (leads to the sequence of activitues performed) and SAP OrgManagement data (leads to process roles involved). Take-aways: => accelerated designed and maintaned processes (as-it-is) =>performance measurement: for instance average process running time =>risk management: shows process break-ups, cost-intense delays.. =>leverages potential for standardization Can‘t wait to try this in a sandbox.
1. Chatbots: Automatisierte virtuelle Assistenten, die Kundenanfragen bearbeiten und ihnen bei der L?sung von Problemen oder Fragen helfen. 2. Marketing-Automatisierung: Einsatz von Tools zur Automatisierung von E-Mail-Marketing. 3. Self-Service-Portale: Kunden k?nnen eigenst?ndig Informationen abrufen, Bestellungen aufgeben oder Support-Anfragen bearbeiten, ohne direkte Betreuung durch Mitarbeiter. 4. Workflow-Automatisierung: Automatisierte Abl?ufe zur Verwaltung interner Prozesse wie Genehmigungen, Berichterstattung und Datenverarbeitung. 5. KI-gestützte Analyse: Nutzung künstlicher Intelligenz zur automatisierten Auswertung gro?er Datenmengen für Einblicke in das Kundenverhalten und Vorhersagen für zukünftige Trends.
Automation assessment is a technique to evaluate the feasibility, benefits, and costs of automating a task or a process. It can help prioritize automation opportunities, define automation goals and scope, and plan an automation strategy. To conduct an assessment, you could use tools such as automation scorecards, cost-benefit analysis, or return on investment (ROI) calculations. An assessment should capture the current state and performance of the task or process, the automation solution and technology available or required, the expected benefits and outcomes of automation (such as time, cost, quality, or customer satisfaction), the costs and risks of automation (including implementation, maintenance, or change management), and the feasibility and priority of automation based on the value, impact, and effort.
In my experience, effective automation assessment hinges on understanding both technology and client needs. I recall a project where we assessed a client's data processing system. By analyzing their workflow, we pinpointed repetitive tasks, like data entry and report generation. Integrating a simple automation tool streamlined these processes, significantly reducing manual errors and saving time. This experience taught me the importance of not just identifying automation opportunities, but also ensuring they align with the client's operational goals and capabilities. Successful automation isn’t just about the technology; it’s about its relevance and impact on the client’s workflow.
In the market you need to have a badge of trust for long run. This can only be possible for any production unit by reducing breakdowns, increasing efficiency and above all by minimising human intervention in the operations of plant machinery. For this, one should understand the optimization with set duty points of the machinery and instrumentation, effect of deviations of parameters on production quality, operational hazards, safety of people and environment etc. to achieve zero recall and optimum production. Process with proper instrumentation and control logic has to be well defined and implemented for operational philosophy to work as desired.
Automatisierung bietet Effizienz, Fehlerreduzierung und verbesserte Kundenservices. Sie senkt Kosten, erm?glicht schnelle Reaktionen auf Kundenanfragen und steigert die Zufriedenheit. Jedoch erfordert sie Investitionen in Technologie und Schulungen. Es ist wichtig sicherzustellen, dass automatisierte Prozesse Flexibilit?t für individuelle Kundenbedürfnisse erm?glichen und weiterhin menschliche Interaktion zulassen. Die Bewertung sollte eine umfassende Analyse der potenziellen Vorteile und Herausforderungen beinhalten, um effektiven Einsatz sicherzustellen.
Es clave para la tarea de analizar grandes conjuntos de datos, identificar patrones y tendencias y crear modelos predictivos para estimar resultados futuros, y sugerir configuraciones óptimas, es uso de algoritmos de optimización. El uso de herramientas de simulación avanzadas, que analicen a través de procesamiento de lenguaje natural, y automatización de tareas analíticas complejas. Por ejemplo, los chatbots recopilan datos clave y la IA asesora sobre diferentes escenarios y automatiza el análisis de sensibilidad. Ambos en conjunto, impulsan decisiones informadas al proporcionar insights avanzados y acelerar procesos analíticos.
In my experience, Top management commitment is vital for successful automation adoption. Without this commitment, there tends to be a lack of support from lower management. It necessitates a stepwise implementation with careful monitoring at each stage. Unfortunately,many automation projects remain incomplete due to the absence of proper documentation, especially a step-by-step approach from the vendor and a robust monitoring mechanism. Furthermore, it is essential to communicate the advantages of each step to the workforce for making automation tools ineffective. Hence,Incorporating top management commitment, robust monitoring,workforce engagement, and enhanced documentation ensures a seamless and sustainable adoption of automation tools.
Automation implementation is the process of designing, developing, testing, and deploying your automation solution. It can involve different steps and methods depending on the type, complexity, and scale of your project. To execute an automation implementation, you can use agile, scrum, or waterfall methodologies, automation platforms, or testing tools. It's important to define your automation goals, scope, and requirements clearly and realistically. Involving stakeholders, customers, and users in the process is also essential. Furthermore, you should choose the right automation technology and platform that suits your needs and budget. Testing your automation solution thoroughly and frequently is key to fixing any bugs or errors. Lastly, monitoring and evaluating your automation solution regularly will help you make any adjustments or improvements.
Automation implementation involves the intricate process of designing, developing, testing, and deploying automation solutions. My perspective underscores the importance of clear goal definition and stakeholder involvement. Choosing suitable methodologies like agile or scrum, along with the right automation platforms and testing tools, is crucial. Prioritizing realistic scope and requirements ensures alignment with objectives. Additionally, thorough and frequent testing is essential for bug identification and resolution. Continuous monitoring and evaluation allow for adjustments and improvements to be made proactively.
Automation optimization is the process of improving, updating, or expanding your automation solution to adapt to changing customer needs, market conditions, or business goals. To perform an automation optimization, you can use analytics, feedback, or benchmarking tools. The process should include collecting and analyzing data and feedback on your automation performance, results, and issues. Then you should identify and prioritize the areas or aspects of your automation that need improvement or enhancement and implement the changes or additions to your automation solution. Finally, measure and compare the outcomes and impacts of your optimization, and celebrate your success.
Sin duda que para llevar a cabo la optimización de un proceso se requiere de un detallado conocimiento de los factores que afectan a dicho proceso. Realizar un análisis de las actividades, recursos (humanos, materiales y presupuestarios) y tiempo destinado es fundamental para evaluar las áreas de mejora y determinar el camino crítico.
A otimiza??o da automa??o é um processo contínuo de melhoria e aprimoramento das solu??es automatizadas implementadas. O objetivo é maximizar os benefícios da automa??o, garantindo que os processos sejam executados de forma mais eficiente, eficaz e com menor custo. Algumas práticas para otimiza??o da automa??o incluem: Monitoramento e análise de desempenho Análise de exce??es e erros Atualiza??o e evolu??o das solu??es Integra??o com outras solu??es Envolvimento dos usuários e colaboradores Aprendizado de máquina e inteligência artificial A otimiza??o da automa??o é um processo contínuo e deve ser realizado em conjunto com a análise e acompanhamento dos resultados obtidos.
Two more factors to be considered when improving, updating and expanding automation : 1. Size of the business - as a business grows the operational functions that can be automated, will change. At each stage of growth, automation can be optimized. 2. Resources available - with all the technological advancements in the past few years, we have a much higher capacity for automation now than we did before. Therefore automation should be revisited time and time again to incorporate the latest available technologies into your automation process.
Big data can be a good friend on this occasion. Accurate and well-supported feedback is very important to correct and/or optimize points with opportunities for improvement.
Una de las formas de obtener información es trabajar con las personas que están íntimamente relacionadas con la operación y uso del proceso automatizado, para poder obtener un feedback del proceso de automatización, recopilar información por diferentes vías y su análisis.
? User friendly Technology adoption: Assess customer comfort (via focus group studies) with automation and provide adequate training or share explainer videos. ? Data security: Ensure business transactions as well as customer data is protected and transparently used in automation processes. ? Human touch: Balance automation with personalized experiences and emotional connections.
Uma etapa fundamental é o controle do processo e de seus resultados. E em processos automatizados um pequeno erro pode se tornam grande devido a confian?a na automatiza??o.
Deep Service Blueprint mapping and analysis will uncover hidden gaps between technological steps and human interactions : this will reveal productivity dips and new value realization potential.
Value Stream Analysis. One must analyse the value stream analysis including various resource management and optimization. Automation may not result in better result every time. Sometimes manual process are more effective and efficient than automation
Para a Organiza??o obter bons resultados, além das etapas de implementa??o dos processos é necessário gerenciar os processos de ponta a ponta. O importante aqui é realmente entregar Valor para o cliente. A Organiza??o deve gerenciar seus processos de uma maneira que a expectativa do cliente vire satisfa??o.