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AI in Finance: Which Processes to Automate and Which to Leave Alone

How to Use AI to Automate Tasks (+5 Platforms)

Russell LaCour AI Tools & Software | Russell LaCour
September 12, 2024

Imagine having an intelligent system that takes care of all the mundane, repetitive tasks—giving you back hours in your day and letting your team focus on higher-level tasks that drive growth.

With artificial intelligence, you can automate tasks, from data entry and document processing to customer service and marketing campaigns.

Whether you’re a small business looking to save time or a large enterprise, AI task automation can change how you work and give you the edge you need to succeed.

What is AI in Task Automation?

AI in task automation refers to the use of intelligent systems to automate tasks that people would usually perform manually.

Unlike traditional automation, AI-powered automation uses advanced AI algorithms, such as natural language processing (NLP), to:

  • Understand and process human language

  • Learn from data

  • Recognize patterns

  • Make decisions on its own

This allows artificial intelligence to automate complex tasks with greater accuracy and adaptability. For example, AI can automate tasks like:

  • Answering customer inquiries through chatbots

  • Processing large datasets in real-time

  • Managing marketing campaigns

With natural language processing, artificial intelligence systems can interpret and respond to human language.

This enables them to handle complex tasks in customer service or data analysis. NLP improves the quality and efficiency of automated interactions.

How to Use AI to Automate Tasks?

Once you’ve identified the tasks to automate and selected the appropriate AI tools, it’s time to implement the automation process.

Getting started with AI task automation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are the steps you can follow:

Identify the Right Tasks to Automate

Before diving into task automation, it’s important to clearly define which tasks you want to automate.

This involves analyzing your current workflow and identifying pain points where AI can bring the most value. Prioritize tasks that are:

  • Repetitive, like data entry or invoice processing.

  • Time-consuming, such as manual reporting or scheduling.

  • Prone to human error, like financial calculations or data management.

AI algorithms can quickly take over these areas and reduce the manual workload for your team.

Choose the Right AI Tools for Your Needs

Choosing the right AI tool depends on the nature of the tasks and the complexity of your business operations.

For example, Odin AI is perfect for teams looking to automate meeting documentation and streamline collaboration by automating mundane tasks such as:

  • Transcription

  • Summarization

  • Follow-ups

Tools like Zapier are ideal for automating simple tasks like connecting apps, while more advanced platforms like UiPath are suitable for larger, more complex processes that require extensive workflow automation.

Make sure that the tool you select can work with the AI algorithms required for your specific task automation needs.

Set Up and Configure AI Systems

Once you’ve selected the tool, the next step is to configure it to match your workflow.

This might involve creating automated triggers for specific events or setting up rules for the AI to follow when processing tasks.

Triggers are events that prompt the AI to perform a task, while actions are the responses the AI carries out.

For example, an AI algorithm might trigger an automatic email when a new lead is added to your CRM.

Before fully deploying the automation, it’s essential to test the system to ensure the AI is performing tasks as expected. This minimizes the risk of errors during full deployment.

Monitor and Optimize Workflows

AI automation is not a “set it and forget it” solution.

It requires continuous monitoring to ensure that everything is running smoothly and delivering the desired results. Use the following steps to optimize your workflows:

  • Track performance metrics

  • Gather feedback from employees

  • Adjust workflows as needed

Continuous Improvement

AI systems improve over time, especially those that rely on machine learning. As your AI tool processes more data, it can learn and improve its performance.

However, continuous improvement also requires human oversight to refine the AI algorithms and ensure they align with evolving business goals.

By following these steps, you can implement AI task automation effectively. This allows your business to automate tasks and improve productivity while maintaining high accuracy and adaptability.

Popular AI Task Automation Tools and Platforms

When it comes to automating tasks and enhancing productivity, it’s important to choose the right AI platform. Here are the top 5 AI task automation tools:

1. Odin AI

Odin AI

Odin AI is a powerful tool designed for teams that want to streamline their meeting documentation and improve collaboration through intelligent automation.

It not only handles mundane tasks like transcribing and summarizing meetings but also offers powerful AI-driven search capabilities.

It captures every detail of your meeting in real-time and transcribes conversations with high accuracy. This eliminates the need for manual data entry.

Once a meeting is over, Odin AI generates a concise summary of key takeaways and action items.

Quickly find any information discussed in previous meetings with Odin AI’s intelligent search function, which understands context and retrieves relevant data in seconds.

Odin AI integrates smoothly with popular video conferencing tools like:

  • Zoom

  • Microsoft Teams

  • Google Meet

The platform makes sure that your team can fully engage during meetings without worrying about taking notes.

Additionally, Odin AI can help automate marketing tasks like capturing insights from strategy meetings and tracking action items.

Pricing Plans

  • Basic Plan: $10 per user/month (includes automatic transcription and summaries).

  • Pro Plan: $20 per user/month (includes AI-powered search, priority support, and more advanced integration features).

  • Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on team size and needs (includes full customization, advanced security, and dedicated support).

Odin AI is the ultimate solution for teams that want to automate meeting-related tasks.

Ready to experience the power of Odin AI?

Book a demo today and see how it can change your team’s productivity and streamline your workflows like never before.

2. UiPath

UiPath

Source: UiPath.com

UiPath is a leading platform for robotic process automation (RPA). It specializes in automating repetitive rule-based tasks like:

  • Manual data entry

  • Invoice processing

  • Workflow management

It’s widely used in finance, healthcare, and other industries to automate both simple and complex processes.

UiPath can automate entire workflows, from basic data processing to advanced multi-step operations.

Its user-friendly interface allows even non-programmers to set up automation processes without coding expertise.

The platform also leverages AI and machine learning algorithms to enhance automation. This enables tasks like document understanding, computer vision, and real-time decision-making.

Pricing Plans

  • Community Plan: Free (basic features for small teams or individual use).

  • Pro Plan: Starts at $420 per user/year (includes more advanced automation and AI features).

  • Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing (includes full RPA suite, AI integration, and premium support).

3. Zapier

Zapier

Source: Zapier.com

Zapier is a popular no-code platform that connects over 3,000 apps and automates workflows across various applications. It’s ideal for teams looking to automate simple, everyday tasks like:

  • Sending emails

  • Updating spreadsheets

  • Managing calendars

Zapier can connect thousands of apps, such as Gmail, Slack, and Salesforce, to automate data flow between them.

It also has built-in automation “Zaps” that trigger actions based on certain conditions. With drag-and-drop functionality, non-developers can easily create workflows.

Pricing Plans

  • Free Plan: Free (limited to 100 tasks/month)

  • Professional Plan: $29.99 per month

  • Team Plan: $103.50 per month

4. Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft

Source: Microsoft.com

Microsoft Power Automate is an enterprise-grade automation platform that enables users to create automated workflows between apps and services, particularly within the Microsoft ecosystem.

It works natively with all Microsoft products. This makes it ideal for companies already using Office 365 or Azure.

Microsoft Power Automate improves automation with AI capabilities, such as:

  • Text recognition

  • Language processing

  • Object detection

Pricing Plans

  • Free Plan

  • Power Automate Premium: $15 per user/month (basic workflow automation).

  • Power Automate Process: $150 per bot/month

  • Power Automate Hosted Process: $215.00 per bot/month

5. Make (formerly Integromat)

Make (formerly Integromat)

Source: Make.com

Make (formerly Integromat) is a no-code platform designed to connect apps and automate workflows across various services.

It offers a highly visual interface where users can build complex, multi-step workflows.

It integrates with popular apps like Google Workspace, Slack, and Shopify. It’s ideal for businesses looking to automate both simple and advanced workflows without needing any coding knowledge.

Make provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface to easily create automated workflows between apps.

It supports more than 1,000 apps. This makes it highly versatile for different types of businesses and tasks.

Includes tools for scheduling workflows, managing multiple steps, and setting conditional triggers for more complex automation.

Pricing Plans

  • Free Plan: Free (up to 1,000 operations/month).

  • Core Plan: $10.59/month (up to 10,000 operations/month).

  • Pro Plan: $18.82/month (up to 40,000 operations/month, advanced features).

  • Teams Plan: $34.12/month (up to 150,000 operations/month, team collaboration features).

The Benefits of Using AI to Automate Tasks

person working on a laptop

AI task automation offers a wide range of benefits for businesses and individuals alike.

By delegating repetitive and time-consuming tasks to AI systems, both productivity and accuracy can be greatly improved.

1. Increasing Productivity

By offloading routine tasks such as manual data entry, scheduling, and customer service, businesses free up time for employees to focus on more meaningful and creative work.

AI can also automate sales tasks, such as lead generation and follow-up. According to a study by McKinsey, automation could raise productivity growth globally by 0.8% to 1.4% annually.

2. Reducing Errors

Repetitive tasks often lead to mistakes when done manually. AI, however, operates with precision and consistency.

Machine learning algorithms allow AI systems to continuously learn and improve their accuracy over time.

For example, AI-based accounting tools can automate expense tracking and invoicing.

This reduces the risk of miscalculations or missing information, which often happens when these tasks are done manually.

3. Scalability

AI allows businesses to easily scale their operations. Handling larger volumes of work no longer requires additional staff.

An AI-powered chatbot can manage thousands of customer inquiries simultaneously, something that would be impossible for a human support team.

This scalability also applies to data-heavy industries like finance or healthcare, where machine learning algorithms enable AI to process large datasets in real-time.

How to Identify Tasks to Automate with AI

Not all tasks are suitable for automation, so the first step in leveraging AI effectively is identifying the right tasks to automate.

By focusing on tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming, and prone to error, businesses can maximize the benefits of AI-powered automation.

1. Identifying Repetitive Tasks

Repetitive tasks are the easiest to automate. These are tasks that follow a consistent, predictable process and require little to no decision-making. Examples include:

Automating these tasks frees up employees to focus on higher-level work. This leads to better use of human resources.

2. Evaluating Tasks Based on Complexity

Tasks that involve complex decision-making are harder to automate but still possible with AI.

These tasks often require more advanced AI systems, such as those that use machine learning or natural language processing (NLP).

For example, recruiting processes like candidate screening, interview scheduling, and managing candidate communications can be automated with AI systems.

You can even build a recruitment assistant in minutes using AI to streamline these tasks.

3. Leveraging AI for Data-Intensive Tasks

Tasks that involve large amounts of data are perfect candidates for AI automation.

Processing and analyzing large datasets manually is time-consuming and often prone to error. AI, however, excels at working with vast amounts of data quickly and accurately.

How To Measure the Success of AI Task Automation

Tracking the right metrics allows businesses to see the real benefits, identify areas for improvement, and make sure that the AI systems are aligned with business goals.

Below, we’ll explore the best ways to measure the success of AI task automation.

Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

To gauge the effectiveness of AI automation, businesses need to establish relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that reflect the goals they aim to achieve through automation.

Common KPIs to track include:

  • Productivity

  • Accuracy

  • Cost Savings

  • Customer Satisfaction

Use Data Analytics for Continuous Improvement

AI systems generate a wealth of data that can be used to optimize processes.

Regular analysis of this data can reveal insights into how well the AI is performing and where adjustments are needed.

Feedback from Employees and Customers

Feedback from both employees and customers provides valuable insights into how AI automation is functioning in the real world.

Employees who interact with the system daily can highlight issues or inefficiencies, while customers can indicate whether AI automation is meeting their needs.

Automate Your Tasks With Odin AI

Odin Automator

Odin Automator can be used to automated customer support, invoice and billing processes, HR onboarding, project management tasks and email marketing campaigns.

As a business using Odin Automator, you also have access to integrate your processes with hundreds of software integrations.

By automating these tasks, Odin AI lets your team focus on what matters driving business growth and making informed decisions.

Ready to automate your workflows? Book a demo today and discover how Odin AI can revolutionize your team’s efficiency.

Have more questions?

Contact our sales team to learn more about how Odin AI can benefit your business.

FAQs

You can use Odin AI Automator to automate workflows within your business and connect internal workflows to hundreds of third party software through Odin AI's integration.

Using AI will allow you to use decision engines amid your workflows, so you can have smart workflows, and don't have to worry about relying on predefined templated flows.

Using software like Odin AI to train AI on your data, and integrations with other software, you can automate your workflows with trained AI. This eliminates predefined templates for automating tasks.

Some examples of AI automation of routine tasks in your business would be automating an employee onboarding process, or scheduling and sending email campaigns.

Some more examples would include an AI agent handling customer support inquiries, or automating responses based on your internal data and training.

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