The encouraging news about BPM and ROI is that BPM is actually succeeding in its potential. While many other enterprise technologies have struggled to perform as promised (usually involving projects that drag on for years and only seem to cost more and deliver nothing in return), BPM has frequently given measurable return to its early adopters. As a result, BPM has quickly become a technology that can provide a quantifiable ROI, often in a short timeframe on the enterprise scale (many companies we spoke with saw ROI in the first 12 months, some as early as three months!).

To help answer those questions, let’s first take a closer look at where the BPM hot spots are. Through research, we’ve found the following categories for processes in which companies found the most significant BPM ROI, in order of success:

• Customer-facing processes
• Back-office process optimization
• Partner communications

Given the fact that the customer rules the world, it is no surprise that customer-facing processes dominate our list of BPM ROI success. If customers are happy, the results will usually affect the bottom line. Many of the enterprises we spoke with were trying to solve a specific customer-related problem (e.g., visibility into their accounts, faster order processing, more-effective problem resolution). These problems were detracting from the customers’ overall experience with the company, and as a result they were damaging the relationship. Using BPM, these companies created processes that automated, streamlined, and enhanced the interaction that customers had with the company. The results were often dramatic, which is why they made the top of the ROI list.

For example, one major European financial services organization used the Ultimus BPM solution to streamline the process of creating investment reports for its customers. This process, which used to take six days to complete manually, now takes minutes, and most of it is automated. Implementing the Ultimus BPM solution for this process has reduced errors significantly, while freeing up human time for more productive tasks. The company estimates it is saving $150,000 per month with the new process and getting a return on investment of 100% per month.

Back-office process optimization and partner communications are also areas that promised appreciable ROI for companies. In many cases, companies found that by targeting a process that was causing the greatest headache, and meeting the issues it brought with it head-on, they were able to make a significant impact on the bottom line. While some of these processes were less flashy than the customer-facing variety, they invariably run the business, and if they’re not running smoothly, the enterprise cannot function effectively.

In a large hospital, for example, focusing on better supplies management can save millions of dollars in waste, while also ensuring that healthcare providers have the supplies they need at their fingertips. As you can see, companies found that fixing a broken back-office process made for positive effects in other areas as well.

In all of the customer interviews we conducted, there were multiple additional BPM projects that followed the original one because of the impressive results it achieved. That should say something about the success this technology can deliver. For enterprises that are currently considering how to leverage BPM, take a close look at the top problems in each of these three areas: customer care, back-office tasks, and partner communication. Usually a good candidate will come to mind immediately. Then consider what impact fixing the problem can have, both directly and indirectly. Finally, bring that problem, as well-defined as you can make it, to your potential BPM solution providers and see what their product can do to get you to that ROI as quickly as possible.