Is that new investment in automation yielding positive results, or are you struggling to gain traction? The answer to this question is likely pivotal to core business stakeholders. Without clear insights into the work accomplished by automation, it’s tough to provide an answer with any detail. As you invest in and deploy automated solutions, you must not overlook the importance of also incorporating data analytics into the process.

Building better workflows doesn’t consist solely of slotting in new solutions and waiting for results. Fine-tuning and making changes to processes may also be necessary. Recognizing early on when you aren’t seeing expected outcomes matters, too. Without analytics, it’s much more challenging to succeed initially and to keep automated processes on target over time.

Keep that in mind as we consider why analytics are a worthwhile investment, how they can improve automation and what it takes to find the information you need.

The Potential Benefits of Better Analytics

Analytics that provide insights into your automated processes and the work they accomplish can deliver several impact-generating benefits. Most important is the reality that data visualization can reveal when you aren’t achieving the results you designed for before implementation. Not every solution hits the mark the first time, even with proper planning. Analytics give you a chance to see what works and what doesn’t in time to make course corrections that could improve operations.

Analytics also enable forecasting. With automation and the data those processes generate, you can uncover and visualize trends that might otherwise remain invisible. You might notice when demand spikes at the intersection of particular conditions, or you could identify areas where waste occurs. Visualizing your data and using advanced tools to interrogate your information create the opportunity to enhance operations. You could even potentially achieve bottom-line impacts through improved forecasting.

Using ClearQuery for Better Data Insights

The Tungsten Marketplace contains a variety of tools for enabling analytics within automated workflows. One of the most powerful solutions in that group is ClearQuery from Night Shift Development. Compatible with Tungsten TotalAgility, ClearQuery delivers in-depth capabilities such as visualizing data and finding specific data points, among others. Using this solution, operators can even automate insight generation. ClearQuery can analyze data flowing across your business in real time, even from live processes.

Ideal for a collaborative environment, ClearQuery also ensures that multiple users can work with the same data to accelerate understanding and pattern identification. More than just a visualization tool, however, ClearQuery also includes AI capabilities that many businesses today will find valuable.

AskCQ, a component of ClearQuery, uses natural language processing to let you ask questions about datasets directly. You can also use this tool to access specific data in large sets and to ask questions about that information. Such conversational capabilities lend themselves well to crunching through large amounts of data to zero in on the most valuable information.

What Metrics Should You Monitor During Automation?

Once you have the tools and strategy necessary to engage with analytics effectively, it’s time to explore how practical your current approach is. To do that, you must know what to look for; you need specific metrics to track across automation projects. Some of the analytics to note include:

• Time to complete tasks. How quickly does an automated process produce a result compared to the same task in human hands?
• Error rates. Good automation should reduce error generation compared to manual work.
• Cost savings. How much does it cost to operate the automated procedure versus the old way of doing things? Where are you finding cost impacts, and do they align with your needs?
• Tangible outcomes, such as customer satisfaction rates or sales. If automation touches these areas, does it have the desired impact?

Tracking and analyzing these and other metrics help you assess the direction and quality of your automation projects.

Equip Your Business With the Facts it Needs Today

Investing in automation technology can pay short and long-term dividends. However, success is never a guarantee in any endeavor, and automating business processes can be a complex undertaking. Advanced platforms that are easy to use, such as those produced by Tungsten, make the job easier—as we’ve seen, so too do analytics. Without a clear sense of what’s happening in your processes, how can you measure any improvements?

Marketplace solutions such as ClearQuery can help. So, too, can a proactive attitude towards data analytics in your organization. Explore your processes and see where there’s room to improve—and where your investment has the most significant impact. With ClearQuery’s capability to extend to analytics in many other areas, it can help you find trends, forecast the future, and more. Consider the role of analytics in your methodology and explore the Tungsten Marketplace today for solutions to help.