Your business processes are your blueprint for success. They define the actions of your workforce and determine how your customers experience your offering.
With competition only getting stronger, and patience of customers running ever thinner, businesses need to stay on top of their operations.
They need to ensure each process is optimised toward maximising desired goals and outcomes.
They need to manage their vital business processes.
Digital transformation, and an increasingly technologically focussed landscape, have forced the hand of organisations across the globe.
Effective business process management (BPM) is now table stakes for ambitious companies.
But why do we need processes in the first place?
Why Do We Need Business Processes?
Before diving into the benefits of business process management (BPM), let’s take a step back.
To evaluate any relative impact, we must first explore why we even need business processes.
“(BPM) aims at improving a company’s overall performance.
Through optimisation of important processes, appropriate management, and maintaining those changes which have been made.”
Process
In other words, process facilitates consistency.
Internally, that means that core, repeatable processes are completed in the same fashion every time.
Externally, having the structure that comes from a defined process allows you to ensure a consistent, quality service.
No matter who, where or how customers engage with your operation.
Each of those is non-negotiable for sustainable success. You cannot hope to scale if you don’t first have a replicable process.
The ultimate goal of business processes, and their management, is to make your organisation more efficient and effective. To power you to better serve your customers.
BPM allows you to achieve this.
To introduce and adopt your best practice workflows, execute at the highest levels of productivity and efficiency and deliver optimal levels of customer service.
Business Process Management (BPM) Benefits
So what are some of the specific benefits of BPM?
Here are 8 to dive into:
1 – Improved Agility
The business world is ever changing and no process stays the same for long. No matter how many people believe it to be established best practice.
Change can come from any number of sources. Emerging trends, evolving technologies, global pandemics…
Each can drastically alter your ability to operate.
And yet, no matter the origin, change demands a quick response for a company to remain competitive.
BPM can give companies the speed and agility to meet these demands, pause at the first sign of a problem and make adjustments to bring things back on track with minimal lost time.
An in built agility enables process evolution and constant reflection to model and predict any future changes.
2 – Increased Efficiency
BPM helps the entire organisation construct solid frameworks for all its key processes.
This means, when alignment across contributors is achieved, processes function with minimal hiccups.
As a result, efficiency increases.
Not only are your internal cogs meshing perfectly, the knock on impact for your customers is a better and faster service.
It’s a win win.
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3 – Enhanced Visibility
Even with all the will in the world, or an endless drive to revolutionise your business, any enthusiasm for change is rendered pure guesswork without accessible insights.
“74% of companies desire to be data-driven.
Only 29% won the game at connecting analytics to action.”
Forrester
Without visibility into your team’s day to day operations, issues slip through the cracks.
Internal process blockages go unnoticed, time is lost due to a duplication of efforts and golden opportunities fall by the wayside.
BPM provides you with the visibility to ensure your team are on track to engage, with both colleagues and customers, according to your defined best practice workflow.
4 – Guaranteed Compliance
It is this alignment with best practice that gives BPM and it’s adoption such staggering potential.
Introducing a new approach, and securing total compliance, ensures that each action is performed in line with what your research has shown to be best practice.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.“
Warren Buffett
No more disconnected teams. No more inconsistent first impressions. No more conflicting outcomes.
The best version of your company, 100% of the time.
5 – Growth Opportunities
Best practice doesn’t last forever.
Embracing BPM ensures that when changes arise, you are in poll position to capitalise.
Whether as an individual or regional team of operators. Whether in relation to thriving product lines or missing strings to your bow.
BPM allows you to spot trends and act ahead of the competition.
Likewise, when implementing processes across a business, each action should be geared toward one of your ultimate aims.
By having everyone pulling in the same direction, growth opportunities begin to be taken advantage of.
6 – Enhanced Knowledge Transfer
Businesses are stronger, and their people more empowered, when they operate as one collective.
Rather than acting as a group of individuals, having everyone follow the same workflows enables people to learn from the best.
From here, you can foster a collective identity and encourage the sharing of any tips or successes with everyone else.
Effective process management and establishing a single source of truth go hand in hand.
“The average worker spends nearly 20% of their time looking for internal information, or tracking down colleagues, who can help with specific tasks”.
McKinsey
Without transparency across operations, process can’t be managed and insight can’t be shared.
BPM facilitates focussed cooperation.
7 – Digital Transformation
A major component of digital transformation is bringing in stability and adaptability with digital tools and practices.
Leveraging BPM technology in your digital transformation efforts is crucial for determining your goals and any progress toward them.
“More than half of retailers believe they need to introduce more technology into their business.
Doing so will allow them to remain competitive over the next five years.”
Nexer
Legacy processes and systems can often feel comfortably familiar.
Yet there is a major risk of getting left behind when a lack of willingness prevents transformation or evolution.
BPM facilitates your transition to a digital first operation.
8 – Customer Focus
By their very nature, best practice processes will place the customer at the very heart of a businesses practices.
“With leaner processes and increased productivity, employees are better able to focus on the customer.”
BAL
Proposals receive faster responses, new projects can be actioned quicker and support issues are resolved more efficiently.
BPM also brings people and technology together in a way that increases customer satisfaction.
Not only are your internal teams well prepared to enhance your company’s successes, but your clients are also happy beneficiaries.
Updated 14/7/2022
Ready to explore how Anthill can help you harness the benefits of business process management? Schedule a demo today.
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- July 14th, 2022