Custom Business Process Automation (BPA) for Enterprises: Your Competitive Edge

If you’ve ever felt that there’s too much work to do and not enough time to do it, it might be time to invest in business process automation (BPA). Repetitive, IT-related tasks can be a drain on time and resources. BPA streamlines these activities, reducing error and freeing up resources for other strategic initiatives. Companies that invest in custom-built BPA can experience boosts to productivity and efficiency, as well as cost reductions. 

In this guide, we'll unpack the potential of custom business process automation for your enterprise. We'll explore the key benefits, outline the development process, and share real-world examples of how BPA can streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and drive growth across industries. Whether you're in manufacturing, healthcare, finance, or another sector, discover how custom BPA can transform your business and give you a competitive edge.

The Limitations of Off-the-Shelf BPA

When it comes to BPA, the first thing most enterprises reach for is often off-the-shelf solutions. While they do exist, pre-built solutions often fail to meet the complex needs of the business. An enterprise might find, for example, that the included features don’t account for important nuances in the business processes. When manual steps or corrections are necessary, BPA might not actually save all that much time or money in the end. Businesses that go the off-the-shelf route can expect limitations to the software’s usefulness. 

The Power of Customization

Custom-developed BPA solutions offer an attractive alternative to off-the-shelf options. With custom-built software, the needs of the business can inform the tool, offering maximum efficiency and flexibility. Custom-built BPA software can be game-changing for a company, especially if industry competitors rely on less-than-ideal, off-the-shelf BPA tools. Investing in custom business process automation offers a competitive edge. 

Learn more: SaaS vs. Custom Built Software for Enterprises

What is Business Process Automation?

Business Process Automation uses technology to complete multi-step enterprise processes. Often, these processes touch multiple IT systems and departments. 

The goal of BPA is to reduce human error, increase efficiency, and save money. When BPA successfully manages business processes, companies can focus their teams on other, more strategic or high-yield tasks. 

For today’s businesses, BPA is crucial. It can make a measurable difference in worker efficiency, often across many departments. Coordinating complex business processes with BPA therefore can improve team collaboration and communication. All these benefits combine to give businesses that use BPA a competitive edge in the marketplace. 

Are Business Process Automation (BPA) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) the Same Thing? 

It’s not uncommon to hear the terms Business Process Automation (BPA) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in the same conversation. While they are related, they’re slightly different from each other. 

BPA typically corresponds to more complex, business-specific goals, while RPA handles smaller tasks. For repetitive tasks, like filling or submitting forms, RPA can do the job faster and with fewer errors than humans. Typically, bots require little to no training to learn and repeat an RPA task. Many software solutions have built-in RPA features. 

BPA can encompass RPA, but, generally, it refers to broader, more complicated tasks. The sort of automation that BPA handles requires a more sophisticated approach, involving more data sources for a unique business need. 

Both BPA and RPA have the potential to create a customized user experience. By leveraging technology like machine learning algorithms and AI, both types of automation can save time and money. 

Why Enterprises Need Custom Business Process Automation

If you’re on board with BPA but not sure you need a custom tool, consider these powerful advantages of the custom BPA approach. 

Unique Workflows

Chances are, your enterprise does things a little differently than other companies. That’s one reason why custom BPA can be so powerful. Taking a tailored approach to BPA development means you can accommodate the highly specific process requirements that generic tools simply cannot.

Learn more: Build vs. Buy: Which is Right for Your Organization

Complex Integrations

BPA integrations get complicated quickly. Enterprises that choose an off-the-shelf BPA tool then face the daunting challenge of making sure other tools in the company’s technology ecosystem “talk” to the BPA software. Add in legacy systems or hard-to-configure ERPs and leveraging an off-the-shelf BPA tool becomes next to impossible. Custom BPAs allow you to circumvent this difficulty by crafting a solution specific to the data sources and systems you need to integrate. A one-of-a-kind BPA tool offers a straighter path to seamless integration.

Learn more: ERP Integration: An Introductory Guide

Scalability & Adaptability

The best way to adopt BPA is to do it once in a way that can grow and evolve flawlessly with the business. Implementing an automation solution without this sort of foresight can cause interruptions to service and data silos that ultimately jeopardize the success of the business. A custom-built solution allows you to plan for this flexibility and scalability. With custom BPA, you can establish a strong foundation of automation that will serve you well into the future.

Learn more: Is Custom Software Development Right for Your Business

Competitive Advantage

Sleek and impressive automation tools are more than a bright shiny object. They have serious implications for your business. That’s why it’s important to get it right. Custom BPA enables faster decision-making, greater innovation, and cost savings which give enterprises an edge.

Learn more: Key Questions Your Should Ask When Buying Custom Software

4 Key Benefits of Custom BPA for Enterprises

The benefits of custom BPA go beyond the actual design and development of the software tool. Once they’re in place, custom BPA delivers impressive operational benefits for enterprises. 

1. Enhanced Efficiency

Having a custom BPA tool changes the nature of work within an enterprise. Customized automation eliminates manual tasks, reduces errors, and frees up employee time for strategic work. All of that can add up to noteworthy efficiency gains. 

2. Improved Agility

A custom BPA solution gives an enterprise the freedom to iterate or pivot quickly. Unlike hard-to-configure alternatives, custom automation gives enterprises the ability to adapt processes in response to changing market conditions or customer needs.

3. Data-Driven Insights

When you invest in BPA tailored to your unique data sources and IT systems, uncovering data-driven insights is simple. Custom BPA streamlines data collection and analysis, leading to better decision-making. 

4. Optimized Customer Experience

Reduced errors, better efficiency, and lower costs don’t just benefit an enterprise—its customers benefit too. One benefit of custom BPA is an improved customer experience. Customer interactions, responsiveness, and overall satisfaction all stand to gain from custom business process automation.

Business Process Automation Examples

Depending on the industry and organizational structure, business process automation can take several forms. A few examples of custom BPA applications include:

• Supply Chain Management: Custom BPA can improve order fulfillment, inventory management, and sales forecasting, empowering stronger supply chain management. 

• Employee Onboarding: From submitting forms to scheduling training sessions, employee onboarding is one common use case for custom BPA.  

• Financial Reporting: Real-time data analysis, invoicing efficiency, and budgeting are all examples of finance processes that BPA makes easier and more impactful for enterprises. 

In addition to these examples, there are dozens more ways to deploy custom BPA in enterprises ranging from manufacturing firms and governmental organizations to large technology companies. 

How We Deliver Custom BPA Solutions

Designli takes a systematic approach to custom BPA solutions, leveraging broad and deep technology expertise in collaborative projects that position companies to succeed. 

Our Approach

Core to our BPA development approach is our proprietary SolutionLab. In it, we thoroughly scope out the needs, goals, and technical requirements for the business automation project. After our needs assessment, we enter a solution design phase, wherein we develop mockups you can see and interact with to get a sense of the end product. Our capable team shepherds the project through development and implementation, iterating and improving along the way.

Technology Expertise

Our broad and deep expertise in designing and developing custom technology makes us an obvious choice for enterprises seeking custom BPA. We have extensive experience in enterprise technology. This gives us an edge over other development companies. We understand the platforms and integration needs of enterprises and are skilled at building software that accommodates the complex business environment. 

Focus on Collaboration

We know that the best way to achieve optimal results is to work side-by-side with stakeholders throughout the development process. The Designli team is committed to a collaborative approach, wherein enterprise leaders provide input and insight along the way. We believe we truly are stronger when we work together, and our process is designed to reflect that.

Success Stories

Designli has extensive enterprise software development experience, including custom BPA. Here is just one example of a project that demonstrates our success. 

National Trench Safety

• Overview: We modernized a customer portal for a company that manages trench and traffic safety equipment rentals.
• Industry: Heavy Equipment Management
• Problem Solved: Created a system to replace manual support ticket handling and reporting
• Successes: Empowered users and freed up resources for other higher-impact tasks

Read the full case study here →

Differentiating Your Enterprise with Custom BPA

Custom BPA is a behind-the-scenes way to put your business center stage. Here are three top ways that custom-built automation can help you differentiate your enterprise. 

Cost Savings vs. Long-Term ROI

A holistic approach to cost is important whenever you’re weighing custom-built versus off-the-shelf software. While custom BPA solutions might have higher upfront costs when compared to off-the-shelf options, the long-term benefits outweigh those of generic solutions.

Beyond Efficiency Gains

Efficiency is often the most-touted benefit of BPA. The benefits of custom automation, however, go even further. Custom BPA supports overall business strategy and innovation by freeing up resources and positioning the business in an adaptable place.

Partnership Advantage

There’s something to be said for partnering with an expert to help you design, develop, and deploy business process automation. Working with a development partner gives you more experienced bandwidth, versus solely relying on internal resources.

Concluding Thoughts on Custom Business Process Automation

For modern businesses, the question is not whether to leverage BPA but how to leverage it. Off-the-shelf BPA solutions are often more affordable upfront but have inherent limitations. Custom-built BPA, on the other hand, unlocks more potential for enterprises, including enhanced efficiency, improved agility, and more. Most importantly, tailor-made BPA offers enterprises a compelling competitive advantage. 

Ready to get serious about automation in your business? Let’s talk. Schedule a free consultation to learn how our experienced team can equip your enterprise with custom business process automation. 

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