How automation can keep your organisation running during the COVID-19 crisis

During these difficult times, one of the hardest challenges any organisation will face is keeping their everyday processes running.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll be going back to business as usual any time soon, so we need to look for new ways of working that will keep these processes running no matter what happens.

So, how do you keep your business-as-usual activity running over the next few weeks – and how do you safeguard your mission-critical processes?

The role of automation

Nowadays, automation is more than just a buzzword – it’s a powerful tool that organisations use every day.

Chasing the latest automation trends will be more important than ever. Knowing that most of your mission-critical jobs will be completed whether or not your staff are on hand provides a lot of peace of mind.

It also frees you up to tackle the bigger issues you may face that require a human touch – with reassurance that everything else is under control.

Benefits beyond COVID-19

In fact, automation can be faster and more accurate than humans if you apply it right – and the benefits will continue long after the COVID-19 crisis has ended. For example, IRIS Invoice Matcher can match invoices to your records 71% faster and for 80% less expenditure than a human processor.

These tools free up your staff to focus on more important strategic tasks. Thanks to its staggeringly high success rate, you can set it and forget it, leaving the automation software to do its work.

The true value of automation

That’s where the true value of automation comes in – it’s not only reassuring to know these duties are being performed in your absence, but it also liberates you from low-value, time-consuming tasks.

Many administrative staff are burdened with purchase order approval, for example, which can take an unpredictable amount of time to chase up each week. If you’re not careful, chasing people for approvals can destroy even the best-laid plans for your week’s work.

A purchase order approval tool such as PS Purchasing can take over that role for you. It integrates with IRIS Financials’ finance management software, automatically routing purchase orders to the appropriate key stakeholder and chasing them for a yes or no answer. That’s another thing you can tick off your to-do list.

The best time to get started

COVID-19 highlights the importance of AI, automation and workflows for busy organisations. When the smoke clears, it’s clear that there’s going to be a higher importance placed on these.

Savvy organisations will look to automate their core and key processes right away and benefit twice from it – now at a time of great need, and in the future from a streamlined business process.

If you’re looking to automate your key back-office processes, visit the IRIS Financials website today and feel free to get in touch – we’d be happy to help you get started.