Tired of Guessing? The Simple Way to Find Your Next AI and Automation Opportunity
Bryon Spahn
10/14/20254 min read
You’re ready to launch or expand your AI and automation program, but you don’t know where to focus your efforts. It’s a common dilemma. You see other companies automating everything from customer service to supply chain logistics, and you feel like you’re missing out. The truth is, identifying the right opportunities for AI and automation can be tricky. Not every process is a good candidate, and a bad choice can lead to wasted time and money. Don’t worry; there’s a straight forward way to figure it out.
The ESOAR Methodology: Your Secret Weapon for Automation Success
The ESOAR methodology, originally developed by Capgemini, is a powerful framework for identifying and preparing business processes for AI and automation. Think of ESOAR as your roadmap to a more efficient business. It’s a simple, five-step methodology that helps you break down any process and identify where automation can have the biggest impact. The acronym stands for:
E - Eliminate: First, ask yourself if the process is even necessary. Many processes exist simply because "that's how we've always done it." If you can eliminate a step or the entire process, you've already won!
S - Standardize: If you can’t eliminate it, can you make it consistent? Automation craves consistency. If everyone is doing a task differently, you’ll have a hard time automating it. Standardizing the process makes it predictable and easier for AI to learn.
O - Optimize: Once the process is standardized, look for ways to make it more efficient. This could mean changing the order of steps, reducing the number of handoffs, or improving the tools used.
A - Automate: Now that you have a clean, lean, and standardized process, it's finally time to automate! This is where you bring in the robots (or at least the software bots).
R - Robotize: Okay, this step is a bit of a twist. You might see other versions of this methodology that use the ‘R’ for ‘Robotize’ or ‘Reimagine.’ But let's be real, you've just done the hard work of getting a process ready for automation, and you've already found your opportunities. For us, the 'R' in ESOAR is your reminder to Repeat the process. The business world is constantly changing, so what works today might not work tomorrow.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using ESOAR
Here’s a practical, step-by-step guide to using ESOAR to find your next AI and automation opportunity.
Step 1: Brainstorming (The "Let's Get Creative" Phase)
Gather your team (or just yourself if you're a one-person show) and list every single process you can think of. From filing expense reports to onboarding a new client, write it all down. Don’t overthink it; no idea is a bad idea at this stage.
Example Processes:
Processing customer orders
Sending out weekly newsletters
Hiring new employees
Creating monthly reports
Responding to customer service emails
Onboarding new vendors
Step 2: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Now, let's look at your list and separate the processes into three categories:
Good Candidates for Automation
These are the low-hanging fruit. They are processes that are:
High-Volume: You do them a lot. Think hundreds or thousands of times a month.
Repetitive: The task is the same every time. There's little to no variation.
Rule-Based: The process follows a clear set of rules. If A happens, do B.
System-Agnostic: The process doesn't rely on a single, complex system.
Data-Driven: The process involves manipulating or moving data.
Example of a Good Candidate: Processing customer orders. This process is a prime candidate for automation. It’s high-volume, repetitive, and rule-based. The steps are usually the same: customer places order, system receives order, payment is verified, and a shipping label is generated.
Bad Candidates for Automation
These are the processes that seem like a good idea on the surface but are actually a mess. They are often:
Low-Volume: You do them only a few times a year.
Highly Variable: The process changes constantly, depending on the situation.
Judgment-Based: The task requires human creativity, intuition, or judgment.
Highly Specialized: The process is a one-off task with little chance of being repeated.
Example of a Bad Candidate: Creating a new marketing campaign. This is a terrible candidate for automation. It requires creativity, strategic thinking, and a lot of human judgment. You can't just tell a robot to "be creative."
The ESOAR Magic Trick: Turning Bad into Good
This is where the real fun begins. Let’s take a bad candidate and make it a good one using our ESOAR methodology.
The Challenge: Onboarding a New Vendor
At first glance, this seems like a bad candidate for automation. It’s a bit messy, requires human interaction, and each vendor is different.
Let's ESOAR it!
Eliminate: Is every step of the vendor onboarding process necessary? Maybe your team is collecting information that's already in another system. By eliminating redundant steps, you can save time and effort.
Standardize: Do you have a standard onboarding checklist? Are all your team members following the same steps? If not, create a single, clear process. This is the most crucial step. A standardized process is an automatable process.
Optimize: Now that it's standardized, look for ways to make it even better. For example, instead of emailing the vendor a bunch of forms, create a single, digital portal where they can upload all their documents. This makes it easier for them and you.
Automate: With a standardized and optimized process, you can now automate parts of it. For example, you can use a bot to:
Send the initial welcome email with a link to the portal.
Automatically check if all the required documents have been uploaded.
Notify the correct person in your company when the vendor is ready for the next step.
Automatically create a vendor profile in your internal systems.
Repeat: Now that you've successfully automated parts of the vendor onboarding process, look for your next challenge!
Ready to Transform Your Business?
Identifying opportunities for AI and automation doesn't have to be a guessing game. By using a simple, proven methodology like ESOAR, you can find the right processes to automate, transform your messy processes into efficient machines, and start getting a real ROI on your automation journey.
Navigating this journey alone can be difficult. That's why Axial ARC specializes in guiding small to medium-sized businesses through these exercises. We have the experience to help you identify the best automation candidates, create a clear strategy, and successfully launch or enhance your AI and automation programs. Stop guessing and start winning with a partner who understands your business.