Why companies choose BPM platforms

WHAT IS BPM? IN SIMPLE TERMS

Long story short, it’s a program that helps to organize the work flows so that each step is managed by the system, not a person, and jobs move on automatically following each step with no extra effort.

Imagine you are working on a ticket to issue some test equipment to a customer. You don’t know the employee currently responsible for this process. But you no longer have to search this information: the ticket will be going to the right employee automatically, who will go on to see if the equipment is available in stock and sanction the handing-over. Then warehouse staff get involved further down the chain to hand the equipment over. Meanwhile, the memo for equipment removal is already on hand: the system took care of it automatically. No unnecessary emails, phone calls, or questions like, “Who was supposed to do this?”

The cool part is, you don’t need a programmer to configure the system. The user-friendly interface lets you assemble the processes like building blocks. This is no longer just a tool for IT or top management. This thing can change an employee’s life.

HOW THE SYSTEM SAVES TIME

Before a BPM system takes over, employees may feel that their work processes are a bit chaotic, with tasks overlapping, documents missing, and the occasional deadline missed. The BPM system sets things right. It's not just the reduced work pressure. It's a whole different level where the employees can clearly see the business process in its entirety: the list of tasks, their status, priorities, document preparation stages, and their coworkers' roles at every step of the process. Now that you feel confident about the outcome, you can focus on the important tasks.

Here is how BPM systems make a difference:

· It's not automation for the sake of digitalization, but a truly functional tool performing concrete tasks. Tickets are processed promptly, and errors are minimized.

· Transparency: all process steps are on-screen. No more guesswork about who’s doing what, how much time is left, or where the task is stalled.

· Flexibility: the system will adapt to any change. No chaos ensues when you add a new step to the process: smooth sailing continues for business toward its goals.

· Scalability. When the company is growing, the system will grow with it, getting new features, more users, and a new workload balancing pattern. These are the basic tools of any BPM platform.

REAL LIFE SUCCESS STORIES

Our team completed process automation and optimization for the equipment purchasing and sales unit of a manufacturing company. Three months later the unit chief reported that the error rate had dropped drastically. Instead of continuous monitoring, it was now enough to react promptly to system alerts. The unit's efficiency had improved more than 30%.

In the competitive bidding unit next door, the management appreciated how user-friendly the system was with the streamlined processes and easy contract and order processing interfaces. It never takes more than two minutes to find the right document now, even if nobody knew where it was stored. Tickets now arrive through a single window, they are plain and easy to process.

Users note that BPM systems not only meet their expectations but bring emotional satisfaction as all assigned tasks are completed on time.

HOW THE SYSTEM TEACHES TO TRUST THE PROCESS

We all know the adage “trust but make sure”, and many of us live by it. With work processes it often seems that everything is doomed to fall apart unless you check everything personally. But with BPM you can forget about that: if you set the system up right, it will work like a charm. You can trust the system and be confident that nothing will go wrong. It'll let you know without fail when you have to do something, no jobs will go missing, no critical data will be accidentally deleted, and access will be given exclusively to those who need to know. And the system will log all significant changes.

A TIP FOR THOSE WHO ARE YET TO TRY IT

If you think BPM is complicated, expensive, or not for you, you probably haven’t found the right system yet. There are many solutions out there you can start using in just a couple of days, and you get a free trial. Some system's functionality might be perfect for you as is. Then you get to streamline your processes without a single line of code and without getting an integrator involved. Or perhaps your processes and products are so unique you’ll need in-depth customization for you business. In that case, it’s better to defer to an experienced team.

Implementation will take time: 2 weeks to 7 months on average. The first step is to define how your processes are different from those of the system. Then you have to make the different processes get along, choose between cloud or on-premises hosting, make provisions for security and robustness, and complete many other crucial steps. But the outcome makes it all worthwhile.

You may need some education and mindset adaptation to accept the change. It’s best to go through this period with the integrator’s team around.

In the end, you achieve freedom from chaos and monotony, entering the world of total control, improved efficiency, and peace of mind. Your efforts will pay off.

BPM IS NOT ABOUT AUTOMATION, IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE

We could talk at length about KPIs, time saving or error reduction. But the real difference a BPM system makes is that it frees people from tedious routines, letting them focus on more interesting tasks, the very tasks that require more competent engagement: communication, problem-solving, and most importantly, business development. If you want to know where this journey starts and how to find the right solution, leave a request on our website. The ICL Services team will be happy to share their insights and advice.