With technology advancing so fast, it’s no surprise that nearly 90% of businesses report that legacy technologies are holding them back. Numerous businesses are being left behind as the outdated systems they employ anchor them to antiquated processes.
But how do IT leaders go about upgrading and consolidating their tech stacks to increase efficiency and effectively future-proof their infrastructure? The solution lies in business process improvement (BPI).
The following post covers the core benefits of BPI and details its role in your organization’s digital transformation.
Business process improvement (BPI) involves automating processes and restructuring operational resources to contain costs. BPI uncovers your largest organizational inefficiencies and introduces new software and applications to connect systems and cut down on manual labor. Widespread digital transformation is driving the demand for more productive systems augmented by advanced technologies, such as automation and cloud computing.
The primary goals of business process improvement include:
Complemented by a strong digital transformation strategy, BPI is focused on fine-tuning the operations that keep your business running smoothly. By breaking down your organizational resources and processes, you can uncover ways to improve efficiency and free up teams to focus on business strategy. In other words, strategic implementation of the right business technology automates what’s arduous, so humans have more time to create and collaborate.
No two businesses will have the same tech stack because these tools should be selected based on specific operational and industry needs. Leveraging technology for business process improvement involves selecting and implementing digital tools that are capable of supporting both current processes and potential growth. A robust tech stack doesn’t imply many tools but rather that the applications and systems your business employs address present and future challenges alike.
To better understand the positive impact that BPI can have on your business, here are some of the top benefits of business process improvement:
Do everyday tasks, such as filling out forms and running reports, confuse and frustrate your employees? These repetitive, manual activities can easily take hours if you rely on a system with limited capabilities, such as an Access database or an Excel spreadsheet.
By introducing new software or a custom application, you can automate these tasks and improve staff productivity, reallocating time to core aspects of their job. Data from a WorkMarket report revealed that automating repetitive tasks can save employees an estimated 6 weeks per year and a full 9 weeks for business leaders.
Well-developed business processes help motivate team members who generally aren’t interested in wasting time or money. BPI cuts down on tedious, repetitive, or mundane tasks that tend to eat up critical working hours, energy, and brainpower.
Employees can then focus on more strategic, meaningful job functions instead of searching endlessly for documents and manually entering data. Smoother procedures lead to a happier, more satisfied workforce, which is also proven to contribute to higher productivity, performance, and profitability.
Most consumers have experienced frustrating interactions with companies due to outdated or inadequate technology. In fact, a recent survey found that U.K. and U.S. consumers “are increasingly dissatisfied with customer service, attributing their frustration to outdated technology used by major businesses.”
By upgrading your technology solutions and minimizing time spent on administrative tasks, your employees are free to focus on real-time collaboration with customers and prospects. Employees will have greater capacity to respond to customer requests, build proposals, and customize solutions faster. In short, they will have more time to focus on activities that deliver results for clients, increasing customer satisfaction.
For many businesses, maintaining compliance is a constant challenge, especially with frequent changes in regulations. If you don’t have a flexible system in place to handle end-to-end compliance, you could face unforeseen penalties.
With BPI, a third-party consultant thoroughly documents all compliance-related procedures, policies, and internal controls. By building compliance into your new business processes, you can create transparency and quickly implement regulatory requirements, preventing delays in compliance and associated fines.
Do your employees manually transfer information between systems? Manual systems tend to lack controls and standardization, increasing the risk of fraud and human error and resulting in mistakes that can take hours to fix. It’s possible that the employees who often manage data entry tasks aren’t familiar with data storage and backup best practices.
BPI highlights potential opportunities for business automation, reducing human error and adding additional security measures to protect company data. Better automation capabilities create countless applications for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in BPI projects, particularly for risk management tasks, such as:
Business process improvement outlines which software and applications align best with your organizational requirements. Depending on your industry and business needs, the best solution might be a commercially available software, a custom web application, or a combination. Updated technology paired with the necessary software integrations will support your new business processes, from data entry to employee collaboration.
Unsure where to start with your business process improvement efforts? Do you have multiple inefficiencies competing for priority? Business process improvement should begin with a BPI assessment and detailed mapping.
What exactly does that look like in context? At Ntiva, our low-cost BPI assessment validates your operational pain points and clearly defines the best solutions for greater efficiency and growth.
Our BPI assessment takes place in 3 steps:
Digital transformation is forcing businesses to adopt new technologies before they get left behind, which means legacy systems will only hinder your organization’s growth potential. You may think you know where your technology pain points lie, but the best way to identify opportunities for increased efficiency is through business process improvement.
That being said, many businesses are leveraging AI to facilitate BPI efforts, which is why developing an AI-conscious business strategy is a key step in a company’s digital transformation. That’s where Ntiva comes in: Our AI consulting services are centered on helping organizations weave AI into their current business processes to drive efficiency and growth.
Embrace the power of AI for your organization by partnering with Ntiva for strategic IT services.
This blog was originally published in March 2023 and updated in July 2025