Low-Code Automation: Use Cases, Benefits, Features

In today's fast-paced business environment, organizations need to find ways to service more customers and businesses than ever before. Small, local companies might still use the old and trusty pen-and-paper methods or simple Excel; however, mid-sized businesses and global giants have outgrown these simple solutions. They need special tools that will help them scale efficiently, streamline operations, and maintain a competitive edge. That's where low-code automation comes in.

Low-code automation platforms are transforming the way businesses develop applications and streamline processes, making it easier for both professionals and non-technical teams to collaborate.

This article explores what low-code automation is, its key benefits, and use cases across various industries. Additionally, we'll look at how AI enhances low-code platforms and how solutions like Creatio's low-code automation can improve operations for all businesses.

What Is Low-Code Automation?

Low code automation is an approach to application development that relies on visual interfaces, drag-and-drop tools, and pre-built components to create and deploy mobile and web apps and automate workflows. It allows users, even those with little or no coding skills to automate business processes and build solutions quickly.

Low-code automation democratizes the software development process for non-technical users because it doesn’t require coding experience. However, if needed, developers can add custom code for more complex functionality. This approach to software development helps businesses accelerate the application creation process, boost productivity, and enhance collaboration between business and IT teams.

Low-code automation vs. no-code automation

Low-code automation helps users build applications with minimal coding but still offers the flexibility to add custom code for more complex features and advanced solutions. It’s ideal for businesses that need a solution that will allow both business users and developers to work on applications, bringing their unique skills and perspectives.

No-code automation, on the other hand, is designed for citizen developers who want to create apps and workflows without writing any code at all. While faster and more accessible, it offers fewer customization options and is more suitable for simpler solutions. No-code automation is great for businesses that don’t have IT departments they can rely on.

Low-Code Automation Benefits

Low-code automation tools can bring plenty of benefits that will transform how businesses operate.

Here are some key benefits of low-code automation:

Faster development

With low-code automation, businesses can speed up the development of applications and workflows. Using drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built templates, citizen developers can quickly build low-code software, even if they don’t have coding experience.

Even advanced applications and complex workflows can be built and automated quickly thanks to low-code. Professional developers can use the building blocks, pre-built templates, and a graphical user interface to quickly assemble the base of the project they are working on. On top of that, they can further expand and customize the app or workflow using code. Traditionally, they would have to do all of this from scratch, coding every single button, window, and heading. With reusable components delivered by low-code technology, the process automation is expedited and simplified.

Cost saving

Businesses can cut operational costs by adopting low-code automation. They can save on extended training required to use traditional platforms, and on hiring a large team of professional developers, who usually demand high salaries.

Since business teams can build and modify their low-code applications, there’s no need to invest in expensive maintenance and external developers. By speeding up and shortening the development cycle, businesses can also save time and resources.

Ease of use and user-friendliness

The main idea of low-code automation is to make the traditionally complicated process of software development, easy and user-friendly. Business users, citizen developers, analysts, and other non-technical employees can build solutions using visual development environment and pre-built composable elements.

Enhanced productivity

With low-code automation, business users can create and streamline their process anytime they want to without waiting for the developer's team. Since they know their workflows best, they can quickly come up with solutions that will improve their productivity.

With automated workflows, employees don't have to spend countless hours on repetitive administrative tasks like updating customer databases, scheduling follow-ups, sending email campaigns, etc. Instead, they can focus on high-value activities like supporting clients, establishing strong relationships with customers, and improving their strategy.

This approach also takes the pressure off IT departments. Professional developers can focus on coding and customizing complex solutions instead of creating simple workflows and applications.

Greater agility

Low-code platforms enable businesses to quickly adapt to changing needs or market conditions. Teams can swiftly build, test, and deploy new solutions or make updates to existing ones, allowing organizations to stay competitive. Since they don't have to worry about modifying complicated code, they can easily and swiftly implement changes.

The agility ensured by low-code automation is crucial in strictly regulated industries. For example, finance and healthcare organizations will appreciate the simplicity and speed of changing their solutions to meet new standards and comply with data privacy laws.

Low-Code Automation Use Cases for Industries

Every industry can benefit from low-code development automation. To demonstrate how this development approach can impact different businesses, we compiled a list of real-life examples.

Here are some of the use cases for specific industries:

Transportation

With a low-code platform, transportation businesses can automate and optimize numerous processes, driving efficiency and improving service delivery.

Here are some of the processes typical for the transportation industry and how low-code automation can improve them:

• Load management - streamlines order fulfillment by automating planning and scheduling of customer orders, route planning, and expense management workflows.
• Fleet tracking and scheduling - provides real-time data about fleet performance and optimizes driver schedules to improve delivery processes.
• Order processing and dispatching - enables order processing automation, from customer booking to dispatching and delivery tracking.
• Supply chain management - facilitates smoother supply chain management by providing demand forecasts, streamlining coordination with international 3PL partners, automating procurement, inventory tracking, and vendor management.
• Route optimization - automates route planning based on real-time data like traffic, fuel consumption, and vehicle performance.
• Compliance and documentation - automates the generation of compliance reports, and tracks driver logs.
• Customer self-service portals - enables the development of self-service portals where customers can book shipments, track deliveries in real-time, etc.

By implementing low-code automation, transportation companies can enhance efficiency, reduce operational costs, and offer a better customer experience.

Pharmaceutical

A low-code platform can transform the pharmaceutical industry by automating critical processes such as fieldwork management, R&D, procurement, and regulatory compliance.

Here are some specific processes where low-code solutions can drive efficiency:

• Fieldwork management - streamlines fieldwork by automating visit scheduling, route optimization, and reporting.
• Research and development (R&D) - streamlines data collection, trial management, and collaboration between researchers. Automation can simplify workflows for clinical trials, including patient recruitment, consent management, and data analysis.
• Procurement of ingredients - automates the procurement of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other raw materials, from vendor management to purchase.
• Industry regulation compliance - helps pharmaceutical businesses adhere to local and global laws by automating compliance-related activities, like meeting FDA requirements.
• Clinical data management - automates the collection, analysis, and reporting of clinical data during drug trials.
• Quality control management - automates quality control processes by tracking in real-time product inspections, audit logs, and deviations.

By integrating low-code automation, pharmaceutical companies can improve operational efficiency, reduce time-to-market for new drugs, ensure compliance with complex regulations, and enhance patient satisfaction.

Retail

Low-code automation platforms offer retail businesses the ability to streamline and automate critical processes such as merchandise management, procurement, logistics, store operations, and customer service.

Here’s a breakdown of key retail processes that can be enhanced with low-code automation:

• Merchandise management - automates inventory tracking, restocking, and pricing management. Automated workflows can update stock levels in real-time, track product availability across multiple stores or warehouses, and adjust pricing based on demand, promotions, or competitor prices.
• Procurement and logistics - helps set up smooth procurement processes by automating purchase requisitions, supplier onboarding, contract approvals, invoice processing, etc. Ensures fast and cost-effective delivery of goods to stores and distribution centers with automated workflows planning routes, costs, and orders.
• Store operations - automates store operations such as staff scheduling, inventory tracking, and daily sales reports. Helps prevent delivery delays, ensure timely fulfillment of orders, and avoid overspending and overstocking
• Customer service - helps improve customer service by tracking inquiries in real-time, improving the speed and accuracy of responses. Provides customers with service portals with automated updates about order and shipment status. Simplifies the return process by automatically collecting information about returns, exchanges, warranty claims, and repairs.
• Order and delivery management - automates order processing, from receiving orders to dispatching shipments from various online and offline channels. Automatically calculates shipping costs, send requests to the delivery service, notify customers about the order status, and manages couriers.
• Pricing and promotion automation - automates dynamic pricing and promotional strategies based on market trends, competitor pricing, and seasonal demand.

Low-code automation can help retail businesses improve customer service, boost marketing efforts, and enhance merchandise management to increase revenue.

How AI Enhances Low-Code Automation

AI-powered low-code automation tools enable businesses to automate even the most complex business processes. AI can recommend automation workflows, prioritize tasks, and optimize resource allocation by analyzing historical data and identifying patterns.

Thanks to AI-driven natural language processing business users can build workflows using everyday language, instead of technical terms or writing complex logic. Non-technical users can simply describe the desired outcome, and the low-code platform will automatically generate the workflow.

Copilot process flow assistant

Professional developers using low-code platforms can enhance their work thanks to AI features like intelligent code suggestions and error detection. AI assistants, like Creatio Copilot, can suggest code snippets, logic flows, or integrations based on what developers are building. This not only accelerates the development process but also helps avoid coding errors.

By integrating AI with low-code development platforms, both business users and professional developers can use its advanced capabilities to build smarter, more efficient solutions. AI even further accelerates the development process and helps organizations adapt to changing business needs with greater agility.

Boost Your Operations with Creatio Low-Code Automation

Creatio's low-code platform empowers organizations to streamline business processes, automate repetitive tasks, and accelerate application development. By combining the ease of low-code development with the flexibility to customize it with code, Creatio enables both business users and professional developers to create solutions tailored to their unique needs.

With Creatio's intuitive interface, composable architecture, and drag-and-drop capabilities, citizen developers can build applications and automate workflows without extensive coding knowledge. This democratizes the development process, allowing teams to respond swiftly to changing business needs and innovate without waiting for IT departments.

Using AI assistant, Creatio Copilot, they can improve their processes with intelligent workflow optimization recommendations and make data-driven decisions. AI-driven automation enhances operational efficiency across every department. With low-code capabilities, businesses can customize forms, dashboards, and reports, ensuring that the solutions align perfectly with their workflows and business processes.

As businesses grow and evolve, Creatio's low-code automation platform scales effortlessly to accommodate additional users, data storage, etc. The platform also offers seamless integration capabilities with existing systems and third-party applications, ensuring that data flows smoothly across all systems.

By leveraging Creatio's low-code automation, organizations can successfully carry out their digital transformation, streamline processes, and improve efficiency. Creatio's powerful platform empowers teams to build and innovate, ensuring that businesses remain competitive in an ever-changing market landscape.

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