A Guide to Business Process Automation in Retail & Ecommerce

Nicole Laurier • January 28, 2025

From managing inventory to processing sales data, repetitive manual tasks can drain employee time and increase the risk of costly errors. Whether you operate a brick-and-mortar store or an eCommerce platform, these challenges can impact productivity and profitability long before your product reaches the shelves.


Business Process Automation (BPA) offers a game-changing solution by eliminating the need for manual data processing. BPA Platform automates essential retail tasks such as updating product information, generating sales reports, and handling returns, allowing employees to focus on more strategic responsibilities. By reducing operational costs, minimizing human error, and streamlining workflows, automation empowers retail businesses to process sales and manage critical data more efficiently—all without employee intervention. Keep on reading for more details!


What is a Business Process?


Business processes refer to a series of interrelated tasks or activities performed within an organization to achieve a specific goal or deliver a desired outcome. They represent the systematic way in which work is organized, executed, and monitored to ensure smooth operations and efficient resource utilization.


Business processes can encompass various functional areas such as sales, marketing, finance, human resources, operations, customer service, and much more. These processes often involve the flow of information, materials, or services across different departments or individuals, following predefined rules or guidelines. They can range from simple tasks to complex workflows, and their optimization is crucial for enhancing productivity, quality, and overall organizational performance.


Automated Business Process Examples


So what types of business processes can be automated? Well, the list is endless and is dependent on the type of business or company structure that it is going to be applied to, and the specific needs, goals and challenges of the organization. 


Business process automation provides the ability to carry out and fulfill business processes without human intervention. These processes can cover a wide variety of business activities, tasks or workflows, ranging from order management and financial reporting, to data monitoring and critical notifications. Likewise, automated workflows can be used across a variety of industries and functions, from customer service and marketing, to finance and HR. 


Here are some common examples of business processes that can be automated:

  1. Invoice processing: Automating the invoice processing workflow involves capturing invoice data, validating it against predefined rules, routing it for approvals, and generating payment notifications. This automation can streamline the accounts payable process, reduce manual data entry, and improve accuracy.
  2. Order fulfillment: Automating order fulfillment involves integrating systems for order capture, inventory management, order processing and shipping. Automated workflows can help track orders, update inventory levels, generate shipping labels and send order status notifications to customers.
  3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Automating CRM processes involves capturing and managing customer data, tracking interactions and automating communication workflows. This automation can help in lead generation, sales pipeline management, customer segmentation and personalized marketing campaigns.
  4. Performance reporting: Automating performance reporting involves collecting data from various sources, aggregating it, and generating reports for analysis. Automated reporting can save time, provide real-time insights and enable data-driven decision-making.
  5. Expense management: Automated systems can capture expense data, validate it against policies, route it for approval and streamline reimbursement processes, saving time and reducing errors.


Why BPA Platform is the Right Choice


BPA Platform provides the tools needed to quickly and easily build automated processes that are unique to the way a business works. It allows for changing business environments by providing the flexibility for automated processes to be adapted or completely re-written to meet new conditions.


BPA Platform also provides a powerful and flexible workflow automation solution for managing and monitoring the flow of work within an organization, ensuring that business rules are adhered to and administration is removed. It permits users to receive and authorize multi-level workflow jobs, regardless of the device and business system the workflow starts or ends within, and creates an audit trail for complete peace of mind.


Additionally, BPA Platform makes it extremely easy to automate any number of data management alerts and notifications for a host of different scenarios. They can be sent automatically in response to predefined conditions or events and be used to notify customers, partners or administrators of important, informative or critical system events.


BPA Platform can monitor business systems for key data changes (to business rules) and automatically send email or SMS business alerts to both internal and external recipients when needed. They can be generated based on specific business events, such as stock level notifications, sales notifications, delivery alerts, service alerts, credit control notifications, support team updates or warehouse alerts.


Ready to Automate your Business?


Business Process Automation (BPA) is transforming the retail industry by streamlining operations, reducing costs, and minimizing errors. By automating essential workflows—from inventory management to performance reporting—retail businesses can save time, improve accuracy, and focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences. With the flexibility and robust functionality of BPA Platform, your business can adapt to changing demands and achieve greater efficiency.


Ready to unlock the potential of automation for your retail operations? Contact Fisher Technology today to learn how BPA can elevate your business processes and drive lasting success.

How BPA Platform Transforms Finance Teams into Revenue Drivers

By Nicole Laurier • September 8, 2025
Automation in finance plays an important role for an organization and is a key driver for moving the company forward. With the right automation tools, finance teams can directly impact the bottom line, accelerate cash flow, and unlock new growth opportunities. BPA Platform empowers finance professionals to transform from cost centers into profit generators, delivering measurable revenue impact across every financial process. From Cost Center to Revenue Engine: The Finance Transformation Traditional finance departments focus on expense management and compliance. But forward-thinking organizations are leveraging finance automation to drive revenue growth. BPA Platform enables this transformation by connecting financial processes directly to revenue outcomes, turning every automated workflow into a growth opportunity. When finance teams eliminate manual bottlenecks, they don't just save time—they accelerate revenue recognition, improve cash conversion cycles, and enable faster business decisions that capture market opportunities. This strategic shift positions finance as a competitive advantage and primary driver of company growth. Finance Automation with BPA Platform Cash flow is the lifeblood of revenue growth. BPA Platform's finance automation directly impacts your company's ability to generate and collect revenue by streamlining critical cash flow processes: Automated invoice generation reduces billing cycles from days to hours Intelligent payment routing accelerates customer payment processing Real-time payment tracking eliminates revenue recognition delays Automated dunning processes recover revenue faster from slow-paying customers Poor credit management doesn't just create bad debt—it destroys future revenue opportunities. BPA Platform's credit control automation protects revenue while enabling growth: Real-time monitoring identifies customers before they become collection problems Automated workflows prevent revenue leakage from account management gaps Integrated communication tools maintain sales relationships during collections BPA Platform transforms financial reporting from a backward-looking compliance exercise into a forward-looking revenue optimization tool: Real-Time Revenue Analytics Automated data consolidation provides instant revenue visibility Dynamic dashboards identify revenue trends as they happen Predictive analytics forecast revenue opportunities and risks Automated variance analysis highlights revenue optimization opportunities Strategic Decision Acceleration Automated reporting eliminates month-end delays that slow business decisions Real-time profitability analysis guides revenue-focused resource allocation Instant scenario modeling evaluates revenue impact of strategic options Core BPA Platform Solutions That Drive Revenue Journal Entry Automation: Revenue Recognition Acceleration Manual journal entries create dangerous delays in revenue recognition. BPA Platform's automated journal processing ensures revenue hits the books immediately when earned; eliminating month-end revenue recognition bottlenecks, enabling faster financial closes and more timely business decisions. Expense Management: Maximizing Profit Margins Every dollar saved in expense processing flows directly to profit margins. BPA Platform's expense automation doesn't just cut costs—it amplifies revenue impact. Expense savings from automation can be reinvested into revenue-generating activities, creating compound growth impact. Intercompany Management: Scaling Revenue Across Business Units Growing companies often struggle with intercompany transactions that slow revenue recognition and create compliance risks. BPA Platform enables seamless revenue flow across business entities eliminating intercompany transaction delays that prevent timely revenue recognition and business unit optimization. BPA Platform for Revenue-Driven Finance Transformation  The most successful companies don't just manage finances—they leverage finance automation to drive revenue growth. BPA Platform provides the tools, integrations, and insights needed to transform your finance team from a cost center into your company's most powerful revenue driver. Your digital transformation starts with one conversation—and the sooner it begins, the sooner you gain the competitive edge. Contact Fisher Technology to discover why organizations across North America trust us to deliver automation solutions that drive efficiency, agility, and growth.

BPA Platform: Bridging On-Premise and Cloud Systems Together

By Nicole Laurier • August 5, 2025
Organizations struggle with a fundamental challenge: their critical business data lives in two worlds. Essential systems remain on-premise for security and compliance reasons, while new cloud applications promise enhanced functionality and scalability. The result is often data silos, manual processes, and frustrated users who can't access the information they need when they need it. BPA Platform recognizes this reality and delivers what organizations actually need: a single integration and automation platform that works seamlessly across Cloud, On-Premises, or Hybrid environments without forcing businesses to choose just one deployment model. How BPA Platform Addresses Hybrid Integration Challenges Modern enterprises operate in a complex ecosystem where legacy on-premise systems must work harmoniously with cloud-based applications. This hybrid environment presents unique challenges including data synchronization, security concerns, varying communication protocols, and the need for real-time connectivity. Organizations require solutions that can maintain data integrity while enabling seamless workflows across both environments. BPA Platform addresses these challenges through: Tasks & Steps Framework - BPA platform provides the ability to build flexible automation processes with logical building blocks using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Comprehensive Tool Library - BPA platform includes tools used to create steps within a task, providing functional building blocks that interface with common technologies, systems, and applications across cloud and on-premise environments. Secure Integration - BPA Platform integrates cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid hosted business systems using end-to-end AES 256 security with double encryption to protect business data and transactions. This security-first approach ensures that sensitive data remains protected regardless of where it travels. Flexible System Architecture - BPA platform can be deployed on-premises or as an iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service). It uses client software to design tasks, a server for connectivity and processing, and a data store for data and tasks. Multi-Protocol and Format Support - BPA Platform empowers you to bring all your data workflows together, supporting a wide variety of file formats and protocols including XML, CSV, JSON, HTTP, SMTP, OAuth, and more to drive your business forward seamlessly across different systems and applications. This comprehensive protocol support ensures that virtually any system can be integrated without requiring costly custom development. For organizations looking to optimize their hybrid IT architecture, BPA Platform's cloud integration solutions offer a proven path to success, combining the reliability of on-premise systems with the scalability and innovation of cloud platforms. Benefits of BPA Platform BPA Platform delivers comprehensive integration value through key capabilities that address critical enterprise needs: Reduced Development Time and Costs - BPA Platform significantly reduces system integration development times and costs while supporting integration with any data source. The platform provides flexibility to maintain, configure, and adapt data synchronization as business requirements change. Universal Connectivity - Connect to any SaaS or on-premises application or system through an extensive library of pre-built connectors and business process automation tools. This eliminates integration limitations and reduces implementation time. Scalable Architecture - Multi-instance architecture ensures reliable performance with multiple integration processes running simultaneously. Enhanced fault tolerance maintains system stability and business continuity. Flexible Processing - Support for both real-time processing and batch data integration handles different business requirements within a single platform, from immediate data synchronization to large-volume reporting tasks. Enterprise Security - Powerful authentication, access control, and data encryption protect sensitive information throughout the integration process, ensuring compliance with regulatory and corporate security requirements. These benefits deliver immediate ROI through faster integration development, improved operational efficiency, and reduced maintenance overhead while positioning organizations for long-term integration success. Hybrid Integration Excellence with BPA Platform As organizations advance, the need for flexible, secure, and scalable integration solutions becomes increasingly critical. BPA Platform empowers businesses to achieve true hybrid integration, seamlessly connecting systems and applications across both cloud and on-premises environments. Designed to support a multilayered, enterprise-wide technology architecture, BPA Platform enables complete interoperability between your existing tools and future innovations. This not only solves today’s integration challenges but also provides a resilient foundation for growth, adaptability, and the adoption of emerging technologies. By choosing BPA Platform, organizations position themselves for long-term success — with the agility to support evolving business models and ever-changing market conditions. Ready to Transform Your Integration Strategy? For organizations looking to optimize their hybrid IT architecture, BPA Platform's comprehensive integration solutions offer a proven path to success, combining the reliability and control of on-premise systems with the scalability and innovation of cloud platforms. Whether you're supporting multiple applications across multi-cloud environments, enabling digital transformation initiatives, or ensuring compliance with industry regulations, BPA Platform delivers the secure, flexible connectivity your business needs to thrive.  Ready to discover how BPA Platform can transform your organization's integration capabilities? Contact Fisher Technology today; we can assess your current environment, understand your business objectives, and provide you with a clear roadmap to integration success!

Our Opinion on Ai: A Tool, Not a Magic Wand

By Nicole Laurier • June 26, 2025
It seems like everywhere you turn—from coffee shop conversations to boardroom meetings—artificial intelligence dominates the discussion. As someone who's spent years in the technology industry, I've watched this wave of Ai enthusiasm with both excitement and a healthy dose of realism. The AI Conversation Everyone's Having There's no denying that Ai has captured our collective imagination. Social media feeds are flooded with ChatGPT screenshots, businesses are scrambling to integrate AI solutions, and investors are throwing money at anything with "Ai-powered" in the pitch deck. The enthusiasm is infectious, and frankly, some of it is well-deserved. Working in technology, I've been hearing countless questions from colleagues and partners about how they can leverage Ai to transform their operations. The questions range from the practical "Can Ai help us automate our customer service?" to the almost magical "Can Ai solve all our efficiency problems?". This spectrum of expectations tells a story about where we are in the Ai adoption curve—somewhere between realistic optimism and unrealistic expectations. Ai's Real Role in Technology Here's the thing about Ai that I wish more people understood: it's incredibly powerful, but it's not omnipotent. In the technology industry, Ai serves as an amplifier of human capabilities, not a replacement for human judgment and creativity. The most successful Ai implementations I've observed across the industry have been those where Ai addresses specific, well-defined problems. For example, companies are using machine learning to optimize supply chain logistics, reducing waste and improving delivery times. Others are leveraging it to automate quality control processes, catching defects that might slip past human inspection. Many businesses are also deploying Ai-powered phone systems to handle initial customer inquiries and schedule meetings, eliminating the need for expensive answering services while freeing up employees to focus on higher-value client interactions. A Powerful Assistant, Not the Whole Team This brings me to my main point—Ai is an assistant. It’s sophisticated, intelligent, and powerful, but not a standalone solution. Too often, I see businesses approaching Ai as if it's the missing puzzle piece that will magically solve all their operational challenges. The reality is messier and more nuanced. Successful Ai implementation requires the same fundamentals as any other technology project: clear objectives, quality data, proper infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance. You need to understand your current processes before you can improve them with Ai. Most importantly, you need humans who understand both the technology and the business context to make Ai work effectively. Looking Forward Realistically As we continue to navigate this Ai revolution, I encourage business leaders to maintain a balanced perspective. Embrace the possibilities that Ai offers, but approach them with realistic expectations and solid planning. At Fisher Technology, we're excited about the future of Ai and its potential to drive innovation across industries. But we're equally committed to helping our clients understand that Ai's greatest value lies not in replacing human judgment, but in augmenting it.  The conversation about Ai will undoubtedly continue to evolve, and that's a good thing. As the technology matures and our understanding deepens, we'll find even more creative and effective ways to harness its power. Just remember: Ai is a powerful tool in our technological toolkit, but like any tool, its value lies in how skillfully and thoughtfully we use it.