In almost every company, there are processes that always follow the same pattern: checking and forwarding invoices, setting up new employees, confirming orders, assigning requests. If such steps are done by hand, this takes time, and with every manual transfer the risk of errors increases. Process automation lets systems carry out these steps on their own and pass on data without media breaks.
The goal is not to remove people from the process. Well-automated processes reliably handle the routine and pass exceptions and decisions specifically to the responsible people.
How does process automation work?
An automated process usually consists of four elements:
- Trigger: an event such as an incoming email, a completed form, a new record, or a schedule. Systems often report such events via a webhook.
- Rules: Conditions determine which path is taken, for example depending on amount, customer, or document type.
- Actions: Data is passed to other systems via an API, documents are created, or tasks are set up.
- Approvals and exceptions: Where a human has to decide, the process stops and waits for approval. Errors are reported instead of silently skipped.
Depending on the case, this is implemented with workflow and integration platforms, low-code tools, custom software, or software robots. AI broadens the spectrum, because it can classify unstructured content such as free text or receipts and extract data from it. Who decides on exceptions remains clearly defined.
Typical examples
- Incoming invoices are captured, matched against the purchase order, and submitted for approval above a threshold.
- An entry in the HR system triggers the user account, licenses, and hardware order for new employees.
- Incoming emails are sorted by request type and assigned to the right team or ticket.
- Orders from the online shop flow into the inventory management system without retyping.
What companies should keep in mind
- Understand and simplify the process before automating it. A cumbersome process only becomes faster through automation, not better.
- Plan for exceptions and error cases from the start, and define who is notified.
- Use technical accounts with minimal permissions and store credentials securely.
- Assign every automated process to a responsible person, document it, and monitor it.
- Provide for human approvals where decisions have legal or financial consequences.
How it differs
Robotic process automation (RPA) is a process automation tool that operates user interfaces when no API is available. In industry, process automation also refers to the control of process engineering plants, for example in chemical or pharmaceutical production. This entry covers the automation of business processes.
How TOMORIS relates
The Automation page describes the TOMORIS NEXT approach. With MailAutomate, TOMORIS also has its own software for structured mail automation with AI classification.
View automation approach