No-code automation: How everyday people automate everyday tasks

Prior to the advent of no-code automation, low-code automation first opened the door of automation development to people without extensive coding knowledge. Before low-code, it took someone with advanced programming and scripting knowledge to create automations. Then, low-code made it more accessible to everyday users.

Now, no-code takes it a step further.

As you may have guessed, the primary difference between the two is the amount of coding needed to create an automation. In no-code, it's none. Whereas in low-code, it's some. Here are a few of the key differences between no-code and low-code automation.

No-code automation

• No technical knowledge or coding skills required

• Easy to get started

• Quick development of automations thanks to user-friendly functionality

• Fewer customization capabilities

Low-code automation

• Basic coding skills needed

• Slight learning curve

• Slightly longer automation development timeline

• More customizable

While both low-code and no-code can be used to meet the user’s specific needs, no-code is the more accessible tool for everyday employees.

We've already touched on a few of the primary benefits of no-code automation, from its wide accessibility to its easy implementation. Some other benefits of no-code automation include:

User friendliness

As we've mentioned, no-code automation tools are some of the most intuitive, user-friendly options for automation development. Users don't need to have any technical background or previous coding knowledge to build their very own automations. In certain cases, users can automate their end-to-end processes without IT support or having to write a single line of code.

Increased efficiency

When you create automations to streamline your daily workflow, you're making yourself more efficient. After all, when you're no longer spending time on mindless tasks, you can focus on higher-value priorities.

Greater agility

Since no-code doesn't require complex coding, you can build automations in real time. You don't need to wait for someone with technical know-how to come do it on your behalf. Simply identify a task suitable for automation, build the automation, and deploy it.

Scalability

If you build an automation that makes your processes more efficient, you could share that automation with your teammates or around your entire department. Teams don't need to get caught in bottlenecks waiting for IT members to create the tools for them.

Cost

The concept of adopting automation throughout an organization can make stakeholders shudder when they consider the cost of implementation. However, the accessibility, usability, and scalability of no-code make it a cost-effective option. While RPA teams develop more complex, higher-value automations, individual employees can enhance their own workflows.

Since no-code automation empowers teams across an organization to develop their own automations, nearly any department could theoretically find a use case for it. Some common use cases for different departments include:

Human resources

• Onboarding: the onboarding process can be a time-consuming endeavor during which an HR rep sends and receives countless documents with a new hire. With no-code automation, the HR rep could create an automation that is triggered when the new employee is entered into the system. Once added, the automation would send the necessary documents to the employee. The HR rep could also create an automation system that automatically schedules training sessions for new hires.

• Document processing: one of the most time-consuming tasks for HR teams is inputting employee data into the necessary systems. However, through no-code, an HR team could create an automation that automatically inputs this data once the employee has submitted their document.

Finance

• Billing and invoicing: there are countless use cases for no-code automation with business users. For example, when an order is placed, an invoice needs to be sent to the client. With no-code, you could develop an automation that automatically sends an invoice once the order is processed.

• Expense management: managing employee expenses and reimbursements can be a messy process. Through no-code, the finance department could create automations that sort employee expenses and automatically reimburse accepted expenditures.

Customer service

• Customer feedback response: most customer support teams deal with incoming customer feedback daily. Sorting and responding to feedback in a customer relationship management (CRM) platform is time-consuming work that can feel endless if not automated. No-code empowers customer service reps to create automations that sort feedback based on its severity and reply to customers when necessary.

• Order status updates: it’s important to keep customers informed of their order status as it progresses through the system. However, this process can be quite time-consuming for the employee who needs to provide the updates. A simple automation could automatically alert a customer when their order status changes, including when the order is received and when it ships.

When choosing a no-code platform, it’s important to prioritize the benefits that provide the most value to your business. These include:

Easy implementation

One of the biggest benefits of no-code automation is its ease of use. Therefore, it's important to prioritize a platform that empowers you to quickly build and implement automations from day one.

Seamless integration

What good is automation if it's limited to a single system? It's important to choose a no-code platform that enables you to build automations that work across internal and external systems. Look for no-code automation software that allows you to integrate third-party apps and APIs.

Prebuilt workflows

Prebuilt workflows give you the ability to deploy automations quickly. Therefore, you don't necessarily need to spend time tinkering with every automation to make it just right. Simply find the workflow that suits your purpose and get started.

Scalability

As previously mentioned, the scalability of no-code is what delivers such a strong ROI. If a platform isn't scalable to address the needs of the wider organization, it probably isn't the one you want to get started with.