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How To Pitch Business Process Automation To Your Boss So They Actually Think It’s A Good Idea
So you’re convinced business process automation is the right choice for your company. The problem is your boss isn’t so sure. In fact, automation might not even be on their radar. You know automation can save money, improve efficiency, and help your company keep up with the future of the business world. But how do you convince them of that? Just follow these five steps:
1) Do Your Homework
Before you pitch process automation to your boss, you need to do your homework. The first step to getting your boss on board with automation is to see things from their perspective. Figure out what they’d need to get out of a process change to make it worthwhile. Then you’ll know what to focus on when preparing your pitch.
2) Show A Need For Change
Once you understand what your boss needs their business processes to do, you’ll have a good idea of how the current process isn’t working out too well. For example, your boss needs to protect company assets. If you can show that the current process for handling purchase orders results in mixed-up orders, over-payments, and poor vendor relationships they’re more likely to give your proposal a close look. You’ll be showing them a way to save money and improve company image.
3) Demonstrate ROI
If changing business processes isn’t cost effective there’s very little chance your boss is going to agree with your pitch. You have to show that business process automation makes sense financially. There will be an initial investment, but it will pay off. With accounts payable automation, for example, show them that AP process automation can cut the cost to process an invoice by more than half while also making the process more efficient.
4) Offer Supporting Evidence
You’ll catch your boss’ attention by demonstrating a need for change and showing that that change can cut costs. But you’ll need more evidence than just one example. You can talk about how digital document management will make audits easier. You can also mention that automated systems scale to your needs as the company grows, which saves time and effort on your part. Do your research and be prepared with facts that tie-in with your company’s particular needs. Also, be ready to answer questions, such as how business automation will affect the IT department.
5) Present An Actionable Plan
No matter how convincing your argument for business process automation is, you can lose your boss’ interest if you don’t have a plan for actually making the transition happen. Once they’re convinced automation is a good idea you need to show them how easy it will be to implement your plan.
This last step will be easier if you already have a reliable process automation software supplier picked out. For example, if you go with NextProcess you can assure your boss that we have a near-perfect implementation rate. Plus you can say that we’re committed to making sure the automation you buy is running smoothly for your company and that we have great customer service. Your boss won’t have to worry about investing in automation and then getting stuck with software that only half-works.
