Identifying Automation Opportunities
Not every process should be automated. The best candidates have three characteristics: high volume (100+ instances per month), high standardization (80%+ follow the same pattern), and low judgment required (rules-based, not creative). Map your operations and score each process on these criteria.
Customer Support Automation
Start with FAQ automation: AI handles the 40-60% of tickets that are common questions. Progress to intent classification, automated routing, and suggested responses. The best support automation improves CSAT while reducing volume. If CSAT drops, you automated the wrong things.
Finance and Accounting Automation
Automate: invoice processing, expense categorization, reconciliation, and standard reporting. Keep humans on: strategic planning, anomaly investigation, and stakeholder communication. AI accounting saves 15-20 hours per month per finance team member.
HR Process Automation
Resume screening, interview scheduling, offer letter generation, and onboarding checklists are high-impact automation targets. Use AI to screen but keep humans in the loop for final decisions. Automated resume screening can process 500 applicants in the time it takes to manually review 50.
Building vs Buying Automation
Buy for standard processes (support, scheduling, expense management). Build for competitive-advantage processes (custom workflows, proprietary data analysis). The build vs buy line: if 5+ vendors offer it, buy. If you cannot find a vendor, it might be your competitive advantage.
Measuring Automation ROI
Track three metrics per automated process: time saved (hours per month), error reduction (% decrease in mistakes), and employee satisfaction (do people prefer the automated version?). A good automation saves 20+ hours per month and reduces errors by 50%+.