Short answer
Business process automation means that repetitive work — data entry, document processing, approvals, reports — is done by software, and people step in only where a decision is needed. Today automation is increasingly combined with artificial intelligence that understands text and documents.
What can be automated
- Documents: invoices, receipts, delivery notes, contracts.
- Communication: sorting e-mails, answering typical questions, reminders.
- Orders: from the online store or e-mail through to the warehouse, invoice and delivery.
- Approvals: approval chains for purchases, holidays, invoices.
- Reports: data from several systems in one overview.
Automation and AI — what’s the difference
Classic automation follows strict rules: “if A, then B”. It’s fast and precise, but it can’t handle free text or varied document formats. AI fills the gap — it reads an invoice in any format, understands an e-mail and decides who to pass it to. The best solutions combine both.
Why companies automate
- Less manual work and fewer errors.
- Faster service — the customer gets an answer in minutes, not days.
- The ability to grow without an equally fast growth in headcount.
An example from practice: in the Moller Baltic Import system every dealer order is processed with an automatic approval workflow.