DEXERO BLOG

14 June 2019
Automating business processes to improve productivity

Do you remember the Clapper, that sound-activated electric switch that let you turn your beside lamp on and off with a clap? For 1996, it was revolutionary and it made our lives easier. After all, who wants to waste time turning on a lamp? It is quite as automating business processes in your own company.


A (not-so-) new way of doing things

We have a long history of trying to automate everyday tasks in our personal and professional lives. This is also true of many companies.

Why? Mainly because, since 2004, the vacancy rate has doubled in Québec, from 2% to 3.9%. That’s more than any other province in Canada. It’s a fact that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hire in a time of full employment and labour shortages. So, what are the solutions?

One option is to automate a department’s tasks, such as administration (compatibility or finance), human resources (payroll or timesheets), or for production and order processing or operations planning.


Real benefits

The cost of an employee can seriously affect a company’s flexibility, especially if it’s a small business. And for the heads of these businesses, time is the most valuable resource. By choosing to automate tasks that would normally take an employee 40 hours a week, productivity is improved, the risk of human error is significantly reduced and operating costs are substantially reduced.

Technology for productivity

Whether it’s to make online purchases on your website, control inventory or manage human resources, new technologies can eliminate potential errors, centralize data and optimize productivity.

Nowadays, several solutions exist to meet a multitude of needs. No one likes to be scattered over several sites. Multiple data sources mean multiple usernames and passwords, multiple reports and more. In short, it’s counterproductive. Why not choose a platform that will let you centralize your activities and data?


The importance of introspection and continuous improvement

At the end of each fiscal or calendar year, reports are made and income and expense reports are produced. But are you doing it enough for your company? Above all, you can’t let it get to the point where you receive an email from the company saying “We need to talk.”

On a personal level, at the end of each year, everyone makes resolutions: get back in shape, eat better, spend more time with our families, etc. Why not do the same with our business processes? Let’s take everything that’s done well and brings value to the company and make it even better. As for things that are less beneficial? Let’s rethink them! Let’s be proactive and make sure our business models aren’t overly clunky.

If you bump into a piece of furniture or a plant every day, you’ll end up moving it fairly quickly, ideally before it breaks. Similarly, you don’t need to wait to make changes, though you do need to plan them properly. Here are some practices to promote continuous improvement within your company:


Ask your employees to report potential functional issues to you;

      • Set up a team to assess the issues identified and implement action plans to address them;
      • Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. Don’t try to fix everything all at once—opt for a gradual approach;
      • Measure the impact of your actions.

At Dexero, we take all of this into account when approaching a project so that we can implement the best solutions according to our customers’ needs. Want to know more about Dexero or how we can help you? Feel free to contact us or book a demo with our team.