How can SMEs increase revenue and reduce expenditure? RPA: the economic downturn cost reduction and efficiency recipe
of: UB Store
It is undeniable that the epidemic will be a major test for the business ability of the majority of enterprises, and everyone is looking forward to getting through this winter soon. However, it does not mean that the prospects are bright after passing this test. The fierce competition caused by the economic downturn under the general situation is also cruel.
In fact, even without this sudden epidemic, the economic downturn is obvious to all in the industry. The economic data for 2019 has proved this point. The epidemic has only accelerated and aggravated the economic downturn.
Many enterprises (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) are struggling and the pressure to survive has increased sharply.
Increasing efficiency and reducing costs is the only way for companies to cope with the economic downturn
Looking back at the data of the previous year, the total profits realized by industrial enterprises above designated size in 2019 decreased by 3.3% compared with the previous year, which was mainly affected by four factors: first, the decline in sales growth of industrial products, second, rising costs squeezed profit margins, and third It is the key industries such as iron and steel, petrochemicals, automobiles and other key industries that have significantly contributed to the decline in profits. Fourth, individual industries and companies have made significant asset impairment losses.
Among the four major factors, the most experienced by companies is the rise in costs, and it is also the only thing that companies can actively influence.
Increasing efficiency and reducing costs is the only way companies can cope with the economic downturn. As for how to increase efficiency and reduce costs, different companies have different approaches.
Some large enterprises and some medium-sized enterprises have already realized business process automation and digitization of operations in the form of middle-stage, SaaS, PaaS, and integrated automation. What is lacking is how to continue to improve efficiency. Most small and medium-sized enterprises have not yet achieved business process automation, and it is very necessary to use process automation tools such as RPA in this extraordinary period.
The severe situation facing small and medium-sized enterprises
If companies want to survive, they must control operating costs, and it is especially necessary to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. At present, there are generally two solutions: one is to maintain certain necessary positions through telecommuting; the other is that it may be necessary to redesign the structure of major functional departments to exchange the minimum resource input for maximum efficiency output, and optimize business processes to Improve operational efficiency, and achieve efficiency and cost reduction.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are generally weak and relatively weak in competitiveness, making it difficult to directly compete and contend with large enterprises. If the majority of small and medium enterprises want to survive in adversity, they must work harder, increase efficiency and reduce costs, increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and do everything possible to ensure their operations. At this time, the optimization of enterprise architecture and business process is extremely important.
RPA (Robotic Process Automation), which has become an important solution for business process optimization, has become a common focus of enterprises.
RPA solves the problem of enterprise efficiency and cost reduction
How to increase efficiency and reduce costs is a topic that companies continue to pursue. To increase efficiency and reduce costs, the easiest way is to reduce unnecessary expenses, reduce staff costs, and improve office efficiency. Downsizing and combining posts, paperless office, and bulk purchasing are some methods. Human cost is the most important part. To reduce the number of employees and merge jobs, it is necessary to simplify the tedious and redundant business processes and automate all the business parts that can be automated.
RPA is applicable to a wide range of application scenarios. As long as it has a certain regular business process, RPA can show its skills. RPA robots are good at performing all highly repetitive and regular processes and tasks completed in digital equipment.
In many companies, employees' daily work cannot do without copying data in the system or importing them into related documents, performing summary and analysis processing. Although the routine processing of these rules and procedures is very simple, it takes a lot of staff time and energy with the continuous increase of data and systems. By using RPA robots for automation, people's work efficiency can be greatly improved while reducing the rate of operation errors.
When introducing new technologies, companies will also worry about initial costs and business process management. However, RPA, which is low-cost, non-invasive, and can improve the work efficiency of all employees, can quickly break the concerns of enterprises. With the continuous reform of working methods, more and more companies are beginning to use RPA technology to improve work efficiency.
To increase revenue and reduce expenditure, RPA provides new recipes for SMEs
RPA's low investment, short construction period, non-intrusiveness and other characteristics just meet the current business needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, allowing enterprises to achieve optimal business processes with minimal investment, helping enterprises to reduce employees and increase employee value, and achieve cost reduction and efficiency increase . Especially in human resources, finance and other departments, you can use RPA to optimize the business team, allowing the least employees to do more business.
At first, SMEs may bear some initial costs for this, but once the RPA project is implemented, automated services may pave the way for them to catch up with larger competitors with more resources.
This brand-new level playing field is not only beneficial to the overall economic field, but also beneficial to customers, because they can have more choices and better services.
According to a survey of more than 500 decision makers by the financial management consulting agency Centtrip, 33% of medium-sized enterprises believe that RPA technology has saved them "a lot of money"; 74% of small and medium-sized enterprises have already used RPA in some or all areas of their business technology.
As the impact of RPA and artificial intelligence on companies continues to expand, successful companies in the future will manage processes as strategic assets and regard them as an indispensable part of maintaining competitive advantage.
The advantages of RPA technology are compatible with the characteristics of SMEs. This is why so many small and medium-sized enterprises will invest in the embrace of RPA.