Automated Business Processes: What Can Actually Be Automated

Automated Business Processes: What Can Actually Be Automated

Everyone talks about automation. But between the vision of "automate everything" and reality lies a world of difference. This article honestly shows you what can be automated – and what cannot.

Table of Contents

1. Which Processes Are Suitable for Automation?
2. PowerPoint Strategy vs. Real Implementation
3. No-Code, Low-Code, or Custom Development?
4. The Automation Pyramid
5. 10 Processes Every Company Should Automate
6. Why Automation Consulting Without Implementation Fails
7. Realistically Estimating Costs and Timelines
8. Tool Comparison: n8n, Make, Zapier

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Which Processes Are Suitable for Automation?

Not every process should be automated. The art lies in identifying the right candidates.

The 5 Criteria for Automatable Processes

1. Repeatability The process runs regularly – daily, weekly, or on specific events.

✅ Suitable: Daily report generation ❌ Unsuitable: One-time strategic decisions

2. Rule-Based The process follows clear if-then rules without subjective assessment.

✅ Suitable: "If invoice > €10,000, then approval by management" ❌ Unsuitable: "Decide if the customer is creditworthy"

3. Structured Data The required information is available in a defined format.

✅ Suitable: Data from forms, databases, APIs ❌ Unsuitable: Handwritten notes, unstructured emails

4. Volume The process causes significant manual effort.

✅ Suitable: 500 invoices per month ❌ Unsuitable: 3 special cases per year

5. Error-Prone Manual execution regularly leads to errors.

✅ Suitable: Data entry with many fields ❌ Unsuitable: Simple, barely error-prone activities

The Automation Quick Test

Criterion	Points
Runs daily/weekly	+3
Follows fixed rules	+3
Uses structured data	+2
Takes >30 min per run	+2
Error rate >5%	+2
Involves >1 person	+1

Interpretation:

• 10+ points: Automate immediately
• 6-9 points: Good candidate
• 3-5 points: Check if it's worth it
• <3 points: Probably not worthwhile

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PowerPoint Strategy vs. Real Implementation

Let's be clear: Most automation projects fail not because of the idea, but because of implementation.

The Typical Scenario

Months 1-3: The Strategy Phase

• Workshop with consultants
• Process mapping
• Potential analysis
• Roadmap creation

Result: 80 slides of PowerPoint, €200,000 budget

Months 4-6: The Disillusionment

• IT department overloaded
• No internal automation know-how
• Consultants gone, searching for implementation partner
• Budget exhausted

Result: Project "on hold"

Why Traditional Consulting Fails at Automation

1. Different Competency Required

Strategy consulting and technical implementation require completely different skills:

Strategy Consulting	Implementation
Analysis	Writing code
Presentations	Configuring systems
Recommendations	Building interfaces
Best practices	Fixing bugs

2. No Skin in the Game

Consultants get paid when the strategy is done – not when it works. This creates wrong incentives.

3. Reality Is More Complex Than the Slide

Anyone who has built "simple" automations knows: The devil is in the details. Edge cases, legacy systems, data quality – the PowerPoint is silent about these.

The Better Approach

Instead of months of strategy phase:

1. Week 1: Identify one specific process
2. Weeks 2-3: Build working prototype
3. Week 4: Test with real data
4. Weeks 5-6: Go to production
5. Then: Tackle next process

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No-Code, Low-Code, or Custom Development?

Choosing the right approach determines success or failure.

No-Code

Definition: Visual tools without programming knowledge

Examples: Zapier, Make, Airtable Automations

Advantages:

• Fast start (hours instead of weeks)
• No developers needed
• Low entry costs

Disadvantages:

• Limited complexity
• Vendor lock-in
• Costs scale with usage

Suitable for:

• Simple workflows (< 10 steps)
• Standard integrations
• Proof of concepts

Low-Code

Definition: Visual tools with extension capability through code

Examples: n8n, Retool, Power Automate

Advantages:

• Flexibility for complex logic
• Self-hosting possible (n8n)
• Good balance of speed and power

Disadvantages:

• Technical understanding helpful
• More complex maintenance

Suitable for:

• Medium complexity
• Companies with technical affinity
• Privacy-sensitive processes

Custom Development

Definition: Custom software development

Examples: Python scripts, custom APIs, microservices

Advantages:

• Maximum flexibility
• No platform limits
• Full control

Disadvantages:

• High time investment
• Expensive development and maintenance
• Developer dependency

Suitable for:

• Highly complex requirements
• Business-critical processes
• Special integrations

Decision Matrix

Requirement	No-Code	Low-Code	Custom
Time-to-Market	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐
Initial costs	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐
Ongoing costs	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Flexibility	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Maintainability	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐	⭐
Scalability	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

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The Automation Pyramid

Not all automations are equal. They can be classified by complexity:

Level 1: Trigger-Based Automation

Complexity: Low Examples:

• Email forwarding on specific subject
• Slack notification on new lead
• Calendar entry on form submission

Typical time investment: 1-4 hours Tools: Zapier, IFTTT, Make

Level 2: Multi-Step Workflows

Complexity: Medium Examples:

• Lead nurturing: Form → CRM → Email sequence
• Invoice processing: Receipt → OCR → Review → Accounting
• Onboarding: HR system → IT ticket → Email → Calendar

Typical time investment: 1-2 weeks Tools: n8n, Make, Power Automate

Level 3: Conditional Logic with Branches

Complexity: High Examples:

• Approval workflows with escalation
• Dynamic price calculation
• Automatic categorization and routing

Typical time investment: 2-4 weeks Tools: n8n, Camunda, Custom Code

Level 4: AI-Powered Automation

Complexity: Very high Examples:

• Intelligent document processing
• Automatic response suggestions
• Predictive maintenance

Typical time investment: 1-3 months Tools: n8n + OpenAI, Custom ML models

Level 5: End-to-End Process Automation

Complexity: Expert level Examples:

• Fully automatic order-to-cash
• Autonomous inventory optimization
• Self-service customer journeys

Typical time investment: 3-12 months Tools: Combination of everything + Custom Development

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10 Processes Every Company Should Automate

1. Lead Capture and Qualification

Manual: Check form submissions, transfer to CRM, notify sales Automated: Form → Duplicate check → CRM entry → Lead scoring → Assignment → Notification

ROI: 80% time savings, no lost leads

2. Invoice Processing

Manual: Open email, type data, forward for approval Automated: Email receipt → OCR → Data extraction → Matching → Approval workflow → Accounting

ROI: 90% time savings, error rate < 1%

3. Employee Onboarding

Manual: HR informs IT, IT creates accounts, equipment is ordered... Automated: HR entry → Automatic account creation → Equipment order → Training plan → Welcome email

ROI: Time-to-productivity -70%

4. Reporting and Dashboards

Manual: Export data from 5 systems, merge in Excel, format Automated: Automatic data pull → Transformation → Dashboard update → Distribution

ROI: From 8h to 0h per week

5. Customer Communication

Manual: Communicate each status change individually Automated: Event-based emails, SMS, push notifications

ROI: Customer satisfaction +30%, support requests -40%

6. Procurement and Purchasing

Manual: Collect purchase requests, get quotes, order Automated: Purchase request → Approval → Supplier selection → Order → Goods receipt

ROI: Process costs -60%

7. Contract Management

Manual: Contracts in folders, deadlines in calendar, manual reminders Automated: Central storage → Automatic deadline monitoring → Escalation → Renewal workflow

ROI: No forgotten termination deadlines, better terms

8. Social Media & Content

Manual: Plan and publish each post individually Automated: Content calendar → Automatic publishing → Cross-posting → Analytics collection

ROI: 50% time savings, more consistent presence

9. Backup and Data Security

Manual: "IT does it somehow" Automated: Automatic backups → Encryption → Off-site storage → Restore tests → Alerting

ROI: Security, compliance, disaster recovery

10. Quality Assurance and Monitoring

Manual: Sporadic checks, reactive action Automated: Continuous monitoring → Threshold alerts → Automatic escalation → Incident tickets

ROI: Detect problems before customers notice them

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Why Automation Consulting Without Implementation Fails

This gets uncomfortable – but honest.

The Fundamental Problem

Automation is not a strategy discipline. It's a craft discipline.

You can read a hundred books about carpentry – a cabinet won't build itself.

The Three Gaps of Traditional Consulting

Gap 1: Knowledge Transfer

Consultants analyze, document, present. Then they leave. What remains are documents that no one can translate into working systems.

Gap 2: Technical Depth

"Automate the approval process" says the slide. But:

• Which tool?
• Which interfaces?
• How to transform the data?
• What about errors?

The strategy is silent on this.

Gap 3: Iterative Learning

Automation needs trial and error. You build, test, adjust. Strategy consultants prefer to plan 12 months ahead.

What Actually Works

1. A Team That Can Do Both

The most effective automation projects come from teams that:

• Understand processes
• Can implement technically
• Prioritize pragmatically
• Iterate quickly

2. Skin in the Game

Partners measured by success – not by page count.

3. Show, Don't Tell

Instead of months of concepts: Deliver a working process in 2 weeks. That builds trust and momentum.

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Realistically Estimating Costs and Timelines

Typical Project Sizes

Automation Type	Timeline	Budget Range
Single simple workflow	1-2 days	€500-2,000
Multi-step process	1-2 weeks	€2,000-8,000
Complex workflow with integrations	2-4 weeks	€8,000-25,000
End-to-end process automation	1-3 months	€25,000-80,000
Enterprise-wide transformation	6-12 months	€100,000-500,000

Watch for Hidden Costs

Ongoing costs:

• Tool licenses (Zapier: €20-600/month, Make: €10-300/month, n8n: self-hosted ~€50/month)
• Maintenance and updates: 10-20% of initial costs per year
• Support and training

One-time costs:

• Data migration
• Interface development
• Change management
• Training

Simplified ROI Calculation

Monthly Savings = Process Frequency × Time Saved × Hourly Rate
Break-Even = Project Costs / Monthly Savings

Example:

• Process: 200x/month
• Time saved: 20 minutes
• Hourly rate: €50
• Monthly savings: 200 × 0.33h × €50 = €3,300
• Project costs: €15,000
• Break-even: 4.5 months

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Tool Comparison: n8n, Make, Zapier

Zapier

Best for: Beginners, simple workflows, quick results

Aspect	Rating
User-friendliness	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Integrations	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (6000+)
Complex logic	⭐⭐
Value for money	⭐⭐
Data privacy	⭐⭐ (US Cloud)

Pricing: From €20/month, gets expensive with volume

Make (formerly Integromat)

Best for: More complex workflows, budget-conscious teams

Aspect	Rating
User-friendliness	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Integrations	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (1500+)
Complex logic	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Data privacy	⭐⭐⭐ (EU option)

Pricing: From €10/month, fair operations packages

n8n

Best for: Technical teams, data privacy, complex requirements

Aspect	Rating
User-friendliness	⭐⭐⭐
Integrations	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (400+ native, extensible)
Complex logic	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for money	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Data privacy	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Self-hosted)

Pricing: Self-hosted free, cloud from €20/month

Our Recommendation

For getting started: Make – best balance of simplicity and power

For mid-market: n8n – full control, no vendor lock-in, GDPR-compliant

For enterprise: n8n or Power Automate (in Microsoft environments)

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Conclusion

Automated business processes are not rocket science – but not a given either. The difference between successful and failed projects lies not in strategy, but in execution.

Key takeaways:

1. Not everything should be automated – choose the right processes
2. Consulting without implementation capability is a waste of money
3. Start small and iterate quickly
4. Choose tools that match your technical maturity
5. Measure ROI from the start

The most successful companies don't automate the most – they automate the smartest.

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Want to automate your business processes? Talk to us – we don't just consult, we implement.