Payroll is often the biggest outgoing for SMEs, not hardware or office space. While AGI and fully autonomous AI agents are a long way off yet, there are opportunities to cut down on human middleware, which includes those who move data between disconnected systems and copy information from spreadsheets into databases. In 2026, there are almost no excuses to be manually validating invoices and so process automation companies have weighed in on how to solve this inefficiency.
Key Takeaways
- Payroll is a significant cost for SMEs, and process automation companies can help reduce manual data management tasks.
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) uses software robots to automate repetitive tasks, saving time and increasing accuracy.
- Intelligent Automation (IA) advances this by managing unstructured data and facilitating complex decision-making, often with human oversight.
- Prominent agencies in Latin America offer cost-effective solutions for process automation, optimizing workflows for various clients.
- Automation improves organizational culture by reducing ‘busy work’ and allowing staff to focus on strategic, impactful tasks.
Table of contents
The High Cost of Manual Data Management
Before you can really understand just how much time automation saves, we first need to assess where time is being lost. Repetitive tasks we know are there to be automated, but they’re often hidden in plain sight. They exist in the form of manual data entry, or even the constant switching between different software applications to complete a single transaction. The more time spent on these tasks, the more opportunities there are for errors, and when one typo in a procurement order can lead to days of corrective work, it’s vital to create automation for the sake of accuracy.
This manual work is a form of operational debt where the firm becomes so engrossed on maintaining status-quo data hygiene that it begins to lose the structural agility required to pivot should there be a market disruption. Automation revolutionizes this by taking the friction out, leaving firms much more agile – plus more time is freed up for higher-level strategy.
By mapping out a business’s entire workflow, these specialists can pinpoint exactly where a script can perform a task faster and with 100% accuracy. Eliminating drudge work can also improve employee motivation, as they spend more time on revenue-generating tasks.
Implementing Robotic Process Automation for Immediate Efficiency
One of the main tools used by automation specialists is Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Unlike more typical software development, which may use various API integrations, RPA is about deploying “software robots” that interact with user interfaces, much like a human might. These bots can log into applications, move files and folders, and extract data from documents.
These “bots” operate around the clock of course, meaning tasks are completed in real time and before needing to interact with them. Something that may take a human four hours each morning, like pulling sales data from multiple regional portals and consolidating them, can already be on the desk for them in the morning.
Using Intelligent Automation for Complex Decision-Making
Basic automation handles rule-based tasks (if X, then Y). This is why error rates are so low. But modern automation companies are bringing in more Intelligent Automation (IA), which uses artificial intelligence to handle unstructured data. Instead of just moving a file, an intelligent system can read an incoming email, understand the intent of the sender, and route the inquiry to the correct department. Of course, there is more room for error here (in some cases, comparable to a human), which is why extensive testing and guardrails are important.
For example, it may draft an email response, but a human may read it over quickly before executing it. This saves time and means there are two layers of opinion (the AI’s and the human). This is getting closer to AI agents, but not in the sense of replacing workers – more so acting as interns behind the scenes, drafting and advising, for humans to then validate. For full autonomy, rules-based logic is more reliable, but a mixing of the two is where current innovation lies.
Prominent Agencies Specializing in Process Automation
Latin America is where a lot of North American firms are turning to. Consulting with process automation companies requires a lot of labor hours initially, and this is more affordable when using agencies from the south.
- PowerGI: This firm focuses on intelligent automation and data analytics to help enterprises optimize their workflows. It’s a comprehensive solution that has a broad range of clients.
- Softtek: Being a global provider headquartered in Mexico, Softtek leads digital transformation for firms all around the world. A key part of this is through automated process management.
- Stefanini: A Brazilian multinational that provides extensive RPA and AI-driven business solutions.
- Globant: An Argentine firm known for its “studios” model. This has a focus on process optimization.
- Nexer: A firm with a strong presence in Brazil that specializes in integrating business applications with automated efficiency tools.
The Impact on Organizational Culture
The role of process automation companies is to change the way work is perceived. By cutting down on the burden of repetitive tasks, the culture can move away from “busy work”, meaning there are lots of errands to run, and become more about “impact work”, which is goal-oriented and involves more time spent on high-level thinking.
This frees up resources to hire more strategic thinkers and succeed in completing projects on time. Staff can become more motivated as they feel their roles are less about grunt work, and more about making impactful decisions within the company.
