Measuring ROI for process automation helps identify which process automation solution offers the highest financial and operational benefits. This enables better decision making and ensures the focus is on developing the process automations that ensure cost savings and efficiency gains.

Process automation

Process automations are automations of complex end-to-end business processes that can span cross-functionally. It is a structured sequence of actions designed to automate a workflow. Process automations comprise of the following:

  • Elements: Start and end points, Form task, Approval task, Filter task
  • Logic-based decision-making elements: If/Else and Else/If
  • Components: Bot task, API Task, Document Automation, queue automation, and child process
  • Paths: There can be a fixed path that is common to all the paths in various branches. The fixed path can be either at the starting or the trailing end of a process.

All these facets enable you to create a seamless and efficient process automation. Process automations are accurate and minimize operational costs. They are scalable and can handle large volumes of work. ROI is typically measured in money saved or hours saved using any type of automation. The metrics measured are for each automation run (execution ROI) or volume processed per automation (transaction ROI).

Example

Let us understand this with the help of an example.


process automation roi

In this example (refer to the image above), the process comprises of the following elements:

  • Fixed path: Steps 1-3
  • Branching:
    • Steps 4-9
    • Steps 10-15
  • Components:
    • Bot task
    • API Task
    • Document Validation task
  • Form task
  • Approval task

In this example, the process starts with a fixed path. Since it consists of independent components, each has its own logic and is not static. For instance, in path 4-9, the Bot task might process 10, 20, and 15 records on days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Similarly, the process in path 10-16 might yield varying savings with each deployment. These components are individually tracked within the main process automation, capturing variations in savings with every deployment. This approach ensures that savings are measured at a granular level for each component.

Consider a scenario where, on day 1, path 4-9 is executed successfully, meaning the alternative path 10-16 (the Else part) is not triggered. Within path 4-9, the Document Validation task at step 5 processes 10 vouchers. It then uses the API Task automation at step 6 to update the records in Salesforce, proceeds to step 7 for approval, and completes the process. On day 1, this automation saves the organization 10 * Y.

On day 2, if 15 vouchers are processed, the savings will be 15 * Y, differing from day 1. The number of vouchers processed and thus the savings varies daily, depending on how often the automation runs. While this variability might not be apparent at the process level, it becomes evident within the automation level at step 5.

On day 3, if the Else condition is triggered, steps 10-15 are executed. Within step 13, for example, the process might include additional branches, loops, or conditions, each contributing to unique savings. This logic applies across all components in that path, whether it is Bot task, API Task, or other types of automation.

Each automation deployment is evaluated individually, with each path generating specific savings per day and per deployment. For instance, path 4-9 might save 1000 dollars on day 1, 2500 on day 2, and 5000 on day 3. By defining each path, analyzing the granular details of its components, and calculating the savings for each deployment, enables you to accurately track and measure the ROI of the process automation.

Only the components are tracked to calculate the ROI of process automation. Elements like Form task, Approval task, and Filter task are excluded from ROI calculations. In process automation, ROI is measured based on the number of transactions processed by the automation.

Components

A process automation consists of the following components:

Task automation
Task automation can be used to execute simple, repetitive, rule-based tasks and automate basic processes of an organization. They are easy to build and can execute multi-step processes without any errors. Task automation operates on the user interface level and can interact with applications with ease. You can use task automation for activities such as data entry, filling in a form, making simple calculations, and more. Task automations can work with various applications such as web, desktop, and others.

See Working with automations.

For an example on how to calculate transaction-based ROI for a task automation, see Transaction-based ROI for task automation.

API automation
An API automation is a cloud-based automation solution that uses APIs to exchange data between applications and systems. API automations are designed to be fast, reliable, and scalable, and they can be used for a variety of purposes. API automations can be triggered from various sources, including forms, processes, or direct endpoints. They can be scheduled for regular execution or can be run on demand. Real-time data exchange capabilities of API automations enable it to adapt to dynamic environments and respond promptly.

See API Task.

For examples on calculating execution and transaction-based ROI for API automations see:
Document Automation
Document Automation uses automation and artificial intelligence to automate extraction, interpretation, and conversion of data from various document types into structured formats for business use. It enhances efficiency and accuracy in document-centric workflows.

See Document Automation.

To configure document automation for ROI calculation, see Configure Document Automation to calculate ROI.

Queue automation
Queue automation helps efficiently manage and distribute tasks across automations based on priority, volume, and available resources. It enables dynamic task assignment, ensuring effective utilization of automations and faster processing of high-priority tasks. Queue automation supports both attended and unattended automation, improving scalability, operational efficiency, and SLA compliance in automated workflows.

See Workload Management.

To configure document automation for ROI calculation, see Configure queue automation to calculate ROI.