Bill Gates once said, “Automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.” Today, over 80% of business leaders agree—according to Gartner, automation is critical to maintaining competitiveness and profitability.
Business process automation speeds up repetitive tasks and approvals, reducing manual work and improving accuracy. With various types of business process automation available today, it’s important to understand which approach fits your organization best.
Read on to explore the types of business process automation, their benefits, and how FlowForma’s no-code tool can help you get your processes running like clockwork.
Business process automation (BPA) is an approach that uses software and technology to handle routine business tasks, making operations a cakewalk and enabling the business to run without interruptions.
These tasks include purchase orders, onboarding, and customer service, among several others.
Initially, BPA started small and focused on automating repetitive back-end tasks, but now plays a key role in digital transformation by applying AI and machine learning to automate both back-end and front-end processes.
This helps organizations optimize workflows across various departments, including supply chain, HR, finance, and customer service, among others. Increased productivity, scalability, and higher operational impact are a few benefits of business process automation.
5 types of business process automation
All five types of business process automation serve a distinct purpose and provide unique benefits. Here’s a quick comparison of the types of business process automation:
|
Automation Type |
Scope |
Complexity |
Technology Used |
Best For |
|
Task Automation |
Single, repetitive tasks |
Low |
Scripts, no-code tools |
Admin, HR, Finance |
|
Workflow Automation |
Multi-step processes |
Low |
No-code platforms, workflow tools |
HR, Operations, Healthcare, |
|
RPA |
High volume tasks |
Medium |
Software bots |
Manufacturing, Industrial-heavy industries |
|
Hyper-automation |
End-to-end processes |
High |
RPA + AI + ML + low code/no code platforms |
Large global corporations with complex enterprise needs |
|
Intelligent Automation |
Cognitive, adaptive tasks |
High |
AI (ML, NLP, CV) + RPA |
Data-heavy industries |
Business process automation covers a range of solutions, from simple task automation to advanced intelligent automation. Each type helps organizations automate business processes by involving the right people, information, and steps.
While priorities differ across organizations, certain types of automation consistently improve productivity and reduce errors. Planning and modeling your processes is key to cutting out inefficiencies.
Now, we’ll explain the five types of business process automation in detail:
Task automation is the most fundamental type of business process automation. It focuses on automating simple, repetitive tasks that consume time but require little to no decision-making.
Often, the first step in process optimization, task automation uses tools like scripts, macros, or no-code platforms to handle repetitive, rule-based work.
Common examples include data entry, report generation, and automated email alerts. These simple automations reduce manual errors, speed up execution, and let teams focus on higher-value tasks.
A good example is Coinford. The company used FlowForma, a no-code tool, to automate more than 10 quality assurance tasks.
A case study summary of how FlowForma helped Coinford LTD improve operational efficiency.
Specifically, for ground bearing slab inspections, Coinford’s engineers and site managers received real-time alerts and completed digital checklists directly on-site. Reports were then automatically created and sent for client approval, simplifying the approval process and improving compliance.
Customer Feedback
Download the full case study to learn more.
Task automation enables teams across a wide range of sectors, such as:
Identify repetitive, rule-based tasks to automate
Choose user-friendly, no-code tools like FlowForma
Define simple, clear automation steps and rules
Test on a small scale before full rollout
Deploy, monitor performance, and collect feedback
Continuously refine and expand the automation
While task automation handles individual repetitive tasks, workflow automation manages entire sequences that make up a business process. It guarantees work moves smoothly from one step to the next by coordinating people, systems, and data for consistent and effective results.
Workflow automation uses technology to control task flow within a process, linking tasks in order and managing approvals, notifications, and handoffs automatically. This reduces delays and errors and improves productivity.
For example, in employee onboarding, workflow automation can automatically route documents for approval, set up IT accounts, and schedule training, coordinated through a single process that tracks progress and keeps all stakeholders informed. The following case study further demonstrates this example.
Beaumont Hospital used FlowForma to digitize patient onboarding and HR processes across 14 IT systems. Clinicians could capture data digitally at the bedside, instantly sharing it with back-office teams. This integration improved transparency, sped up workflows, and improved patient care by providing accurate, real-time data flow.
FlowForma’s customer feedback
How Beaumont Hospital transformed patient onboarding and HR with FlowForma’s workflow automation
Catch the full case study of workflow automation here.
Tools such as FlowForma come with advanced features that further improve automation. These include:
Watch this demo to learn how quickly Copilot can set up a commercial insurance renewal process:
A demo of a commercial insurance renewal process using FlowForma’s Copilot
FlowForma’s compliance module
Watch this video to learn more about FlowForma’s workflow automation features.
Learn more about FlowForma’s workflow automation features
Workflow automation helps key business functions across sectors such as:
1. Document each step, decision point, and stakeholder involved in the workflow. Select a no-code tool like FlowForma that fits your technical environment and user needs
Mapping a process helps you find problems and make it simpler
2. Build the sequence of tasks, rules, and notifications
3. Connect relevant applications and data sources to automate data exchange
4. Run pilot tests to identify and fix issues before full deployment
5. Launch the workflow and track performance, making improvements as needed
6. Ensure all employees understand their roles and how to interact with the automated process
The next type in the list is robotic process automation (RPA). While workflow automation manages the flow of tasks between people and systems, RPA mimics human actions within digital environments to execute high-volume transactions quickly and accurately.
This approach uses software “bots” to perform repetitive, rule-based tasks across multiple systems.
These software robots interact with applications just like a human would - logging in, copying and pasting data, filling forms, extracting information, and more. They work tirelessly around the clock, handling routine tasks that would otherwise require manual effort.
A classic example is Wells Fargo, an American multinational financial services company, which has broadly expanded its use of robotic process automation across key operations.
The bank now deploys advanced RPA solutions for real-time fraud detection, where bots continuously analyze transaction patterns to flag suspicious activities. RPA is also used for account closure processes, where automation makes swift and accurate handling possible. This led to improvements in operational efficiency, security, and customer experience.
US-based Wells Fargo uses RPA to increase operational efficiency
Look for high-volume, repetitive, rule-based tasks that involve multiple systems
Choose RPA software that fits your IT environment and business needs
Configure bots to perform the identified tasks, often with minimal coding
Run pilots to ensure bots perform accurately and handle exceptions
Roll out bots across departments, monitoring performance and impact
Continuously monitor bots and update them as processes or systems change
Hyper- automation combines multiple technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and low-code/no-code tools to automate complex, end-to-end business processes. It integrates these tools to rapidly identify, automate, and optimize workflows, improving speed, accuracy, and efficiency across the organization.
Hyper- automation manages repetitive tasks as well as complex decision-making and process improvements. It involves discovering which processes can be automated, designing workflows, deploying bots, applying AI for cognitive tasks, and using analytics to monitor and refine operations.
Unlike RPA or workflow automation alone, hyper- automation automates entire business functions across departments, breaking down silos and enabling smooth collaboration.
For instance, Siemens, an engineering tech company, used hyper- automation to improve manufacturing processes, enable predictive maintenance, and implement real-time quality control, resulting in increased operational efficiency and reduced downtime.
Benefits of hyper-automation
Revenue growth: Reduces operational costs by automating a broader scope of work
Hyper- automation is used in various sectors such as:
Use process mining and analytics to find automation opportunities throughout the organization
Choose processes that are impactful and feasible to automate
Build the automation setup by combining RPA, AI, ML, and workflow tools based on your needs
Design and deploy automation components with smooth integration into existing systems
Continuously monitor performance using AI-driven analytics to improve processes
Expand automation to more processes and departments while maintaining proper governance
Intelligent automation is a mix of traditional automation methods like RPA and workflow automation with advanced AI technologies such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and computer vision. This mix helps automation systems process complex, unstructured data and make decisions that require human judgment.
Unlike rule-based automation, intelligent automation uses AI to interpret information, learn from data, and adapt over time. It can analyze documents, understand language, recognize images, and predict outcomes, enabling businesses to automate tasks that involve variability, ambiguity, or require cognitive abilities.
For example, instead of just transferring data between systems, intelligent automation can extract information from invoices, categorize documents, or respond to customer inquiries using natural language understanding.
Tech Mahindra supported a major oil producer in Oman by implementing intelligent automation for data collection, reconciliation, and reporting. By combining AI with automation, they reduced human errors, doubled processing speed, and saved about $1.6 million. The system adapted to changing data patterns, providing ongoing improvements.
Benefits of intelligent automation
Sectors that benefit from intelligent automation include:
Identify complex tasks
Choose appropriate AI tools like NLP, ML, or computer vision based on the task
Combine AI models with RPA and workflow automation for end-to-end solutions
Use historical data to train and validate AI components
Test intelligent automation in controlled environments, gather feedback, and improve accuracy.
Roll out across the organization with ongoing monitoring and model updates
When it comes to AI-driven, no-code business process automation, FlowForma is a cut above the rest due to the following reasons:
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