Gen AI and Automation: 7 Processes to Automate Before Gen AI Comes In 

Gen AI and automation are top priorities for every business leader today. They’re under constant pressure to keep up with the latest technological trends!

There is no doubt generative AI or Gen AI is transforming enterprise workflows. But the transition and adoption are not devoid of challenges! So, before bringing in tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, it’s wiser to automate first.

It’s not a question of AI vs Automation — it’s about choosing a more pragmatic pathway to AI success.  

In this blog, we’ll tell you: 

• Why automation is the bedrock you need to layer Gen AI on for greater benefits and value. 

• Some key high-impact pre-AI automations you can launch to set the stage. 

• How this approach saves you from sub-par outcomes and despair, especially if you’re an organization with little or no AI experience. 

Gen AI and Automation: Different Yet Complementary 

Traditional automation and generative AI are distinct concepts, not competing against each other. In fact, they’re synergistic. But before going ahead, let’s brush up on the concepts: 

• Generative AI unlocks new possibilities for creativity, innovation, and hyper-personalization. Business applications include content creation, design, audio & video generation, and coding/development. It’s characterized by its ability to think, self-learn, and adapt.

• Automation excels at optimizing repetitive, mundane tasks. A pre-defined set of rules ensures better control over the process. It frees teams from routine manual work to take up high-value activities. 

Both technologies help you drive better efficiency and resource optimization. Human judgment and supervision add more reliability, nonetheless. 

Here’s the catch, though! CIOs are gung-ho about Gen AI, but there’s also dissatisfaction with current Gen AI results, Gartner notes.

Well, Gen AI maturity, performance, and reliability are still a work in progress. But as said earlier, businesses can’t afford to miss riding the wave either.

Hence, it makes even more sense to start by automating tasks you want Gen AI-enabled. 

Layer Up to Maximize Value: Automate First, AI Next

Let’s understand how automation clears the decks, ensures best practices, and creates a solid AI foundation: 

• Data hygiene for Gen AI models: Automation ensures clean, consistent, and structured data. It provides Gen AI with accurate, reliable inputs to work with. 

• Workflow standardization: Automated, rule-based processes create predictable workflows. This makes it easier to integrate Gen AI without chaos. 

• Customize AI as per brand needs: Automation lays down clear process frameworks, which allows customizing Gen AI to fit brand voice, tone, and operational rules. 

• Responsible AI/Gen AI: Automation ensures compliance checks and data governance, allowing safe scaling of Gen AI within ethical and regulatory boundaries. 

Next, find out where the scope is! 

7 Processes to Automate Before You Bring ChatGPT or Gemini

So, you see it’s a win-win: automate simple stuff first and scale up to AI/Gen AI when you’re ready. Here’re the top workflows you should consider automating for Generative AI to truly shine. 

1. Customer Service & Support 

• Automation at Work: You can automate customer data capture, ticket routing, FAQs, self-service portals, report generation, etc. Automating routine queries, scheduling, and follow-ups saves time and reduces the burden on support and service staff. 

• How it helps Gen AI: Automation provides AI chatbots and digital assistants with impeccable real-time data and insights. This enables Gen AI to focus on complex, nuanced interactions and ensures greater accuracy in AI-driven interactions, resulting in higher customer satisfaction. 

2. Data Analysis & Reporting 

• Automation at Work: Automation ensures data quality, consistency, and timely availability. Data collection, cleaning ( Extract, Transform, Load i.e. ETL), consolidation, and routine dashboard/report generation are key areas to consider. This also helps boost business intelligence (BI).

• How it helps Gen AI: Automation provides Gen AI with reliable, organized datasets by saving it from time-consuming data preparation. This enables Gen AI to efficiently generate deep insights and strategic forecasts, leading to faster, more accurate business decisions.

3. Finance & Accounting 

• Automation at Work: Automation helps ensure transactional accuracy, robust tracking, and structured data across workflows from record-to-report processes. This includes bookkeeping, accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliation, expense management, basic financial reporting, tax preparation, salaries, and more. 

• How it helps Gen AI: Automation provides clean, auditable financial records, allowing Gen AI to accurately analyse for anomalies, create detailed explanations, and optimize financial strategies. The robust foundation enables Gen AI to effectively mitigate financial risk, improve compliance, and enhance financial management. 

Download your free copy of our “AI and Automation in Finance Team” Guide here.

4. Human Resource Management 

• Automation at Work: Automating HR processes across the employee lifecycle (from onboarding to offboarding). Plus, everyday admin tasks, payroll/benefits administration, and routine HR requests. This includes learning and training program delivery, employee engagement tracking, time & attendance management, and employee self-service portals. 

• How it helps Gen AI: AI and automation together elevate employee experience and operational efficiency. Robust HR automation enables Gen AI to leverage complete and accurate employee data 24X7. It can use this information for personalized training modules, insightful performance analysis, and personalized HR communications. 

Leading businesses across industries trust us to unlock the true power of Gen AI with smart, customized automation solutions. Let’s explore what’s possible for you — book a free online meeting today. Serving clients worldwide.   

5. Legal, Compliance, Contract Documentation 

• Automation at Work: Key examples include input and organization of legal, industry, or contract-related data, document management, template-based drafting, version control, and basic compliance checks. Automated databases and compliance ensure a structured, searchable corpus of legal and contract-related information. 

• How it helps Gen AI: Organized and accurate data, along with compliant documentation from automation, provides Gen AI with impeccable information, enabling rapid, in-depth contract review and risk analysis, efficient cross-referencing, and accurate drafting assistance. It also significantly reduces review time and enhances compliance. 

You May Also Like: Onboarding, Contract Management, and Policy Compliance  – Centelli

6. Marketing, Sales, and CRM 

• Automation at Work: Key areas of application include CRM data entry, lead scoring, email sequences, campaign scheduling, and routine reporting. Automating CRM ensures consistent customer data and streamlined outreach. 

• How it helps Gen AI: By providing Gen AI with rich, accurate customer profiles and interaction histories, automation allows the AI to create highly targeted content, predict customer behaviour, and optimize sales strategies. AI-powered hyper-personalized outreach and advanced insights improve customer stickiness and conversions.

7. Supply Chain & Logistics 

• Automation at Work: Inventory tracking, order processing, and warehouse management are some common use cases of supply chain management automation. It can also be put to work for basic routing and real-time data collection from IoT devices for transparency and efficiency. 

• How it helps Gen AI: Automation feeds Gen AI with timely and accurate operational data, allowing it to analyze vast, complex datasets and anticipate events without ambiguity. The outcome: smart strategies for resilience, efficiency, and cost reduction across the entire supply chain. 

Don’t Fall for Gen AI vs Automation; Leverage the Power Duo 

Automating repetitive, high-volume, rule-based processes helps businesses eliminate inefficiencies, overcome compliance hurdles, and create a reliable launchpad for Gen AI success. This approach also reduces the time to implement more complex intelligent automations in the future.  

And do not forget the cost factor. Freemiums might suffice for individuals and small firms, but enterprise-grade paid generative AI tools are the way to go if you’re a medium or large-sized company.  

Layering AI on automation ensures the AI model can be trained as per your exact operational needs. Importantly, it serves as your AI investment safety net, streamlining costs overall. 

Drop us a line if you need more info or have any questions.