Processes that take care of themselves. We implement them for you.

The reality – what process automation means for the Mittelstand

Process automation is not the installation of a single tool, but the systematic connection and optimisation of your core processes so that recurring tasks run without manual intervention. For mid-sized companies this means concretely: you keep the systems and workflows you have grown, connect them intelligently, and eliminate unnecessary manual steps. The result is not only saved time, but also fewer sources of error and better traceability of your processes.

The difference from pure tool rollouts lies in taking a holistic view. Not every process needs new software; often it is enough to connect existing solutions so that data flows automatically, tasks trigger themselves, and teams can focus on strategic work.

These processes automate themselves in practice

• Order processing: From intake through confirmation to production or service, without manual handovers between systems.
• Accounting and payments: Process receipts automatically, trigger payment runs, update master data.
• Scheduling: Align customer appointments, resources and capacities, minimise downtime.
• Data maintenance: Synchronise master data, identify duplicates, keep information consistent across all systems.
• Reporting and analytics: Capture key figures automatically, compute reports overnight, have them ready in the morning.
• Customer care and follow-up: Automated email sequences, reminder functions, customer-feedback workflows.

How sustainable automation comes about.

1. 1Assessment and prioritisation: First we document how your work happens today. Which processes cost the most time? Where do errors occur regularly? Where are the bottlenecks? From this analysis we identify the candidates with the highest ROI, that is the automations that bring immediate value in your company.
2. 2Building without switching systems: Most mid-sized companies have long worked with several established systems: ERP, CRM, accounting, email platforms. You keep those. We build the automation on top of what you already have, connecting the systems through intelligent interfaces and workflows.
3. 3Testing and optimisation: Before your employees work with them, automations go through several runs with real data. We check for stability, error handling and security.
4. 4Operation and further development: After go-live we monitor the workflows. Failed processes are analysed, new insights lead to further optimisations. Automation is not static, it grows with your business.

Why building on existing tools is decisive.

Many companies shy away from automation because they fear the myth of a complete system switch. That fear is unfounded. There are solid reasons to keep your systems:

• No transition chaos: You don't spin up an entirely new operation while the old one is still running. Your teams keep working as usual.
• Cost-efficiency: You keep using the software licences you already pay for. New systems mean new effort, ongoing costs and migration work.
• Data control: Your data stays in your systems. If needed, everything can be hosted locally or on dedicated infrastructure. GDPR compliance.
• Proven processes: Your teams know the tools. Training needs are minimal.

An example from practice: automated invoicing

A service company billed its customers manually for a long time. With a Percol-powered workflow, invoicing now runs fully automatically. The data needed for billing, such as hours worked, is pulled from the systems in use via the Percol-native interface. The workflow is built on Percol, so the data never leaves the EU and the GDPR requirements are met. The team saves many hours of manual work per week, and the process runs reliably without anyone having to think about it.

When automation pays off and how we proceed

Recurring processes that regularly cost time and leave room for errors are candidates. Over the year, the working time saved often adds up considerably.

Our approach is transparent:

• Free process audit: We analyse your processes, determine savings potential and outline feasible automations.
• Offer: You get an initial estimate from us on the costs. Then you decide.
• Build: We develop and implement the workflows on Percol and with your existing tools.
• Support: After go-live we accompany you, fix errors and continuously optimise.