How to automate business processes: five tips for introducing automation into your business
Automation may sound like the latest buzzword in business. But it's a very real thing that can save your company oodles of time and money.
We've explained what business process automation is in a previous article. But you can't experience its benefits if you don't implement automation into your business effectively. Here are five tips on introducing automation into your business. They cover how to automate business processes, from getting your team on board to keeping the new systems secure.
To automate a business process, start with one repetitive, rule-based task, agree how you will measure success before anything is built, involve the people who run the process, plan the change in stages, and check the security of every new system and supplier.
Which business processes should you automate first?
The best first candidates for business automation are repetitive, rule-based tasks that follow the same steps every time and involve a lot of manual handling, such as data entry, approvals, document processing and reporting.
Improving business operations is the most common use of AI among UK businesses, and AI use among firms with 10 or more employees has risen from around 12% to around 35% since late 2023, according to the ONS.
One of our own projects shows the pattern. Hydraclean, a Manchester water hygiene specialist, was carrying out Legionella risk assessments "using largely paper-based processes". For a single 100-room building, that could mean hundreds of pages of documentation, transcribed and written up by hand. We moved the inspections into structured digital workflows in Hydraclean's mobile app, and added AI that drafts the risk assessment report for a compliance specialist to review and approve.
A process like that is a strong first choice because the volume is high, the steps are consistent, and the cost of the manual work is easy to see.
How to automate business processes: five tips
Tip 1: involve the entire team
There are a lot of horror stories that your team can conjure up about upcoming automation. They may worry that it will lead to some of them losing their jobs, which can make it all the more difficult to get them on board with the process. And a team that doesn't support the idea makes it all the more difficult to implement automation successfully.
To remedy this, be transparent with your team from the off. Discuss why you're looking to bring automation in and involve the team in every step of the process. Ask for their feedback and help them understand how automation benefits them, as well as the company.
The evidence so far is more reassuring than the horror stories. The ONS found that most businesses adopting AI report no change in workforce headcount, although around 10% of businesses report automating or replacing roles with AI technologies. Acas advises that employers introducing AI "should consult employees and any representatives on its introduction", and explain how it can improve their roles.
The people who run a process every day also know where its exceptions are, which makes them the best source of requirements for the automation.
Tip 2: define success
Without an end goal, every plan is doomed to failure.
It's the same for automation. If you don't know what you want to achieve from the process, there's no point trying to implement it. You'll just be firing into the dark in the vain hope that you hit a target.
Automation only works when you know what you want to automate and what the process needs to achieve for you. Define these two things and you'll have a much better chance of a successful implementation.
Write the measures down before anything is built, and record where you are today: how long the task takes, how many errors it produces, and how long customers wait. Document-heavy work is often the easiest place to start. As we set out in our look at AI document processing, the volumes, costs and error rates there are usually tracked already. Without a baseline, you cannot show whether the automation paid off.
Tip 3: plan well ahead
Automation isn't just something that you can adopt with the flick of the switch. As with any wholesale business process change, it can take several months of planning. Remember that automation may change the way that your people work. They need to know what they're doing, which usually means they need training.
The key is to plan well ahead. Create a defined schedule for implementing automation and ensuring that everyone in the company adapts to the new processes. Many choose to stagger the implementation so that they can introduce their people to some new processes before unveiling the entire system.
Plan for things going wrong, too. When we built our own sales CRM, six AI agents took over tasks such as data enrichment, lead scoring and follow-up alerts, and every action that changes data still goes to a person for approval before it runs. We also lost data once during a migration, which is exactly the kind of problem a rollback plan and tested backups are there for.
Tip 4: don't only look at broken processes
You may have a few processes in mind for automation that you can easily define as broken. They're slow, clunky, and lead to mistakes.
That's the obvious stuff. What isn't so obvious is how you can use automation to drive efficiency in a process that actually works well. The old saying of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" doesn't apply with automation. There may be a chance to improve a good process with the proper use of automation.
One caution on the broken ones: map a broken process and fix it before you automate it. Automating a flawed step makes it run faster and more often.
The trap
Automating a broken process exactly as it stands.
The fix
Map the process, fix or remove the steps that cause the delays and errors, then automate what is left.
Tip 5: prioritise security
Automation brings new integrations, accounts and data flows into your business, and each one needs securing. You're likely using new systems, which gives malicious people a chance to cause issues if you don't understand them correctly.
Proper security starts with your supplier. Make sure that they understand the system, the security features that it needs, and how to teach you more about it. Don't skimp on security. Remember that automation makes things easier for you, which makes things easier for attackers when you're not prepared to defend your new systems against them.
The government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey, published on 30 April 2026, found that 43% of UK businesses had identified a cyber breach or attack in the previous 12 months, with phishing the most common type at 38%. Yet only 15% had reviewed the risks posed by their immediate suppliers, and just 5% held Cyber Essentials, the government-backed certification scheme.
Ask any supplier how it protects your data and controls access to it. Certifications such as Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 are a reasonable first check, and we explain what our own ISO 27001 accreditation means in practice.
Planning to automate a business process?
Of course, the best advice is to work with a company that understands business process automation and can help you to define what you need from it. That's where Imobisoft can help. We design and build automation for UK businesses, from digital workflows to AI that drafts reports for people to check.
Our free 30-minute discovery call looks at one process in your business and gives you a rough cost, timeline and estimated return.
Book a discovery callFrequently asked questions
How do you automate business processes?
Choose one repetitive, rule-based process, map it and fix any broken steps, and agree how you will measure success. Then build and test the automation with the people who run the process, roll it out in stages, and check the security of every new system and supplier.
What business processes can be automated?
Processes that follow consistent rules and involve a lot of manual handling, such as data entry, approvals, document processing, reporting and lead follow-up. Tasks that need judgement can often be partly automated, with a person checking the output.
Will automating business processes lead to job losses?
On current evidence, not usually. The ONS found that most UK businesses adopting AI report no change in workforce headcount. Acas advises employers to consult staff and their representatives when introducing AI.
How do you measure the success of business process automation?
Record a baseline before you start, such as time per task, error rate and turnaround time. Then compare the same measures once the automation is live.
How do you keep business process automation secure?
Treat every new system, integration and supplier as a risk to manage. Check suppliers' security practices and certifications, such as Cyber Essentials or ISO 27001, give each system only the access it needs, and keep tested backups.
Sources
- Artificial intelligence in UK businesses: 2023 to 2026, Office for National Statistics, 20 July 2026
- Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 30 April 2026
- 1 in 4 workers worry that AI will lead to job losses, Acas, 28 April 2025