What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=11; IE=10; IE=9; IE=8; IE=7; IE=EDGE"/> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://static.cloud.coveo.com/coveo.analytics.js/2/coveoua.js"></script> <script> coveoua("init", "xx24e65ef6-c6f0-4a55-b6b9-e7fd84967788"); coveoua("send", "view", { contentIdKey: "@clickableuri", contentIdValue: window.location.href }); </script> <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://www.salesforce.com/etc/designs/sfdc-www/en_us/favicon.ico"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://www.salesforce.com/etc/designs/sfdc-www/en_us/favicon.ico"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="//www.salesforce.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://a.sfdcstatic.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://api.company-target.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://service.force.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://geolocation.onetrust.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.krxd.net"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.googletagmanager.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://org62.my.salesforce.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.google-analytics.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://dpm.demdex.net"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.evgnet.com"/> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://salesforce.us-1.evergage.com"/> <script type="text/javascript" id="akamaiRootBlock"> window['akamaiRoot'] = '//www.salesforce.com'; </script> <title>What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions - Salesforce.com</title> <link rel="preload" as="font" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/fonts/SalesforceSans-Regular.woff2" type="font/woff2" crossorigin="anonymous"/> <link rel="preload" as="font" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/fonts/SalesforceSans-Bold.woff2" type="font/woff2" crossorigin="anonymous"/> <link rel="preload" as="font" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/fonts/SalesforceSans-Light.woff2" type="font/woff2" crossorigin="anonymous"/> <link rel="preload" as="font" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/fonts/salesforce-icons.woff2" type="font/woff2" crossorigin="anonymous"/> <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en_us"/> <meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/> <meta name="keywords" content="B2B,Latin America,Article,CRM Analytics,Business Process Automation,Marketing Cloud,Europe–Middle East–Africa,Resource,Ecommerce,Japan,Automation,Marketing,IT,Asia Pacific,Digital Transformation,B2C,America (U.S.),Canada"/> <meta name="description" content="Learn the definition and meaning of automation including workflow automation and process automation."/> <meta property="og:title" content="What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions"/> <meta property="og:description" content="Learn the definition and meaning of automation including workflow automation and process automation."/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/badm-og.png"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Salesforce"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/what-is-automation/"/> <meta property="og:type" content="website"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_us"/> <meta property="fb:admins"/> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="149533758430156"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/what-is-automation/"/> <meta property="twitter:domain" content="www.salesforce.com"/> <meta property="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta property="twitter:url" content="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/what-is-automation/"/> <meta property="twitter:site" content="salesforce"/> <link rel="preload" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/all.bundle.faeb3f361bacd3db31b1.css" as="style"/> <link rel="preload" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/vendors~scriptloader.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/scriptloader.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/vendors~utils~webpack-script-manifest-SfdcWwwBaseCnc-js~webpack-script-manifest-commonlyUsed-js~webp~72b17f21.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/vendors~utils~webpack-script-manifest-SfdcWwwBaseCnc-js~webpack-script-manifest-commonlyUsed-js~webp~8dbeef75.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js" as="script"/><link rel="preload" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/utils.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js" as="script"/> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","name":"Salesforce","url":"https://www.salesforce.com","keywords":[{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"B2B","termCode":"73d8511b-ce45-48fd-b3a7-76ced460517f","additionalType":"Salesforce User"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"B2C","termCode":"1b7fd803-19f0-4b32-8f3f-7e6b340bee22","additionalType":"Salesforce User"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Latin America","termCode":"5664b924-cd55-4490-9a64-5be7ca74d9b8","additionalType":"Location"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Europe–Middle East–Africa","termCode":"845161ac-92bc-4dae-bc83-9e216249fc00","additionalType":"Location"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Japan","termCode":"a49f679d-41b4-4335-9287-5d20f889c35f","additionalType":"Location"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Asia Pacific","termCode":"fa56a0b4-b99b-478f-b97d-d93ba7f1b117","additionalType":"Location"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"America (U.S.)","termCode":"dd6f3b58-6d7b-43dd-b83e-ebc7041949ee","additionalType":"Location"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Canada","termCode":"3f6347a5-412c-4048-86c8-6041be5ec7e2","additionalType":"Location"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Articles","termCode":"3586420b-f016-4c75-ad1d-49b69b59e849","additionalType":"Content Type"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"CRM Analytics","termCode":"a1b3d2e4-70ca-4f54-b69a-0bcbfd69cdf2","additionalType":"Products"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Marketing Cloud","termCode":"94de41a5-93d3-4dd1-be94-e331cfa94889","additionalType":"Products"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Business Process Automation","termCode":"7721de65-49b7-4c92-9cd6-3a9eff7b98fe","additionalType":"Topics"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Ecommerce","termCode":"8610f690-d8d3-40b8-8c39-e23df245a32d","additionalType":"Topics"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Digital Transformation","termCode":"d0c21c93-eee0-4358-ad19-225d302fa229","additionalType":"Topics"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Resource","termCode":"cb3bd8e2-f608-4fe4-83bc-f3d9757d2d88","additionalType":"Page Type"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Automation","termCode":"1ec7811b-1135-4898-a35c-078406199dd9","additionalType":"Funnel Lifecycle Campaign"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Marketing (Department)","termCode":"5cc3cbb0-e35a-434d-b2e5-08b1dbbd255f","additionalType":"Role"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"IT (Department)","termCode":"73a900b8-c0b5-4214-935a-46c449a3a7f7","additionalType":"Role"}]} </script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/sfdc_jquery.min.js"></script>  <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.optimizely.com"/>  <link rel="preconnect" href="https://a10681260716.cdn.optimizely.com"/> <script src="https://a.sfdcstatic.com/digital/one-trust/core/stable/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" data-domain-script="8e783e8c-0ad0-475d-8fca-4a03afa0a02a" crossorigin></script> <script>  function OptanonWrapper() { function getCookie(name) { var value = "; " + document.cookie; var parts = value.split("; " + name + "="); if (parts.length == 2) { return parts.pop().split(";").shift(); } } function removeElement(element) { if (!getCookie('OptanonAlertBoxClosed') && element) { element.style.display = "none"; } }  var footerLinkToggle = document.querySelector(".page-footer_link .optanon-toggle-display"); if (footerLinkToggle) { footerLinkToggle.addEventListener("click", Optanon.ToggleInfoDisplay, false); footerLinkToggle.addEventListener("keydown", function(e){ if (e.keyCode === 13) { Optanon.ToggleInfoDisplay() } }, false); } //Check if user's cookies are enabled, if not remove One Trust from page var cookies = ("cookie" in document && (document.cookie.length > 0 || (document.cookie = "test").indexOf.call(document.cookie, "test") > -1)); if (!cookies) { var box = document.querySelector('#onetrust-consent-sdk'); box.remove(); return; } try { //Check if current page is Privacy page, if so do not display One Trust modal if(digitalData) { if(digitalData.page.pagename.indexOf(":company:privacy") > -1){ var el = document.querySelector("#onetrust-consent-sdk"); removeElement(el); } }  if (SfdcWwwBase.gdpr) { SfdcWwwBase.gdpr.init(); } }catch(err){ console.error(err.message) } } </script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/granite/lodash/modern.min.js"></script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_analytics_top.min.js"></script>  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer', (function(){ var gtmContainerID = "GTM-WRXS6TH"; var searchString = window.location.search || ""; if (searchString.indexOf("gtmTest=") > -1) { if (searchString.indexOf("gtmTest=baseline") > -1) { gtmContainerID = "GTM-NRZ2K87"; } else if (searchString.indexOf("gtmTest=test") > -1) { gtmContainerID = "GTM-5P8WRDB"; } } return gtmContainerID; })());</script>     <link rel="stylesheet" href="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/all.bundle.faeb3f361bacd3db31b1.css" type="text/css"/> <script type="text/javascript"> var SfdcWwwBase = SfdcWwwBase || {}; SfdcWwwBase.linkedDataParameters = { organizationSchema : "[\n{ \x22@context\x22:\x22https:\/\/schema.org\x22,\n \x22@type\x22:\x22Organization\x22,\n \x22@id\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/#organization\x22,\n \x22url\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/\x22,\n \x22name\x22:\x22Salesforce\x22,\n \x22sameAs\x22: [\n \x22https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q941127\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Salesforce\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/salesforce\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/salesforce\/\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/salesforce\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/twitter.com\/salesforce\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/salesforce\/\x22,\n \x22https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/Salesforce\/\x22],\n \x22subOrganization\x22: [\n {\n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22,\n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/#organization\x22,\n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce EMEA\x22 },\n {\n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22,\n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/#organization\x22,\n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce UK\x22 },\n { \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/mx\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce LATAM\x22 },\n { \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/br\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Brazil\x22 },\n { \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Canada\x22 },\n { \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/fr\u002Dca\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Canada (French)\x22 },\n { \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/es\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce España\x22},\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/de\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Deutschland\x22},\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/fr\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce France\x22},\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/it\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Italia\x22},\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/nl\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Nederland\x22},\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/se\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Sverige\x22},\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Australia\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce India\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/jp\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce 日本\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/cn\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce 中国 \x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/hk\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce 香港\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/tw\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce 台灣\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/kr\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce 한국\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/my\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce Malaysia\x22 },\n{ \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/th\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce ประเทศไทย\x22 },\n { \n \x22@type\x22: \x22Organization\x22, \n \x22@id\x22: \x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/#organization\x22, \n \x22name\x22: \x22Salesforce APAC\x22 }\n ],\n \x22logo\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.sfdcstatic.com\/common\/assets\/img\/logo\u002Dcompany\u002Dlarge.png\x22,\n \x22address\x22:{ \n \x22@type\x22:\x22PostalAddress\x22,\n \x22streetAddress\x22:\x22415 Mission Street, 3rd Floor\x22,\n \x22addressLocality\x22:\x22San Francisco\x22,\n \x22addressRegion\x22:\x22CA\x22,\n \x22postalCode\x22:\x2294105\x22,\n \x22addressCountry\x22:\x22USA\x22\n },\n \x22contactPoint\x22:[ \n { \n \x22@type\x22:\x22ContactPoint\x22,\n \x22telephone\x22:\x22+1\u002D800\u002D667\u002D6389\x22,\n \x22contactOption\x22:\x22TollFree\x22,\n \x22areaServed\x22: [\x22US\x22,\x22CA\x22],\n \x22contactType\x22:\x22customer service\x22,\n \x22availableLanguage\x22:{ \n \x22@type\x22:\x22Language\x22,\n \x22name\x22:\x22English\x22\n }\n },\n { \n \x22@type\x22:\x22ContactPoint\x22,\n \x22telephone\x22:\x22+1\u002D800\u002DNO\u002DSOFTWARE\x22,\n \x22contactOption\x22:\x22TollFree\x22,\n \x22areaServed\x22: [\x22US\x22,\x22CA\x22],\n \x22contactType\x22:[\x22sales\x22, \x22billing support\x22, \x22technical support\x22],\n \x22availableLanguage\x22:{ \n \x22@type\x22:\x22Language\x22,\n \x22name\x22:\x22English\x22\n }\n }\n ]\n },\n{\n \x22@context\x22:\x22https:\/\/schema.org\x22,\n \x22@type\x22:\x22WebSite\x22,\n \x22@id\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/#website\x22,\n \x22name\x22:\x22Salesforce\x22,\n \x22url\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/\x22,\n \x22sameAs\x22:[\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/br\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/cn\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/de\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/es\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/fr\u002Dca\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/fr\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/hk\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/it\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/jp\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/kr\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/mx\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/my\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/nl\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/se\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/th\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/tw\/#website\x22,\n\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/uk\/#website\x22\n ],\n \x22publisher\x22:{\n \x22@id\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/#organization\x22\n },\n \x22potentialAction\x22:{\n \x22@type\x22:\x22SearchAction\x22,\n \x22target\x22:\x22https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/search\/#q={term}\x26sort=relevancy\x22,\n \x22query\u002Dinput\x22:\x22required name=term\x22\n }\n}\n]", uninheritableSchema : "" }; </script> <meta class="hidden" data-load-libs="linkedData"/> <div> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/videoComponent.bundle.a6daf46c24781fdce5b3.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" async src="https://play.vidyard.com/embed/v4.js"></script> <script>window.videoUtils.scriptsLoaded["Vidyard"] = true;</script> <span class="optScriptUrl" data-src="https://optimizely-edge.salesforce.com/edge-client/v1/10681260716/17965891249"></span> <script> SfdcWwwBase = SfdcWwwBase || []; SfdcWwwBase.gdpr = SfdcWwwBase.gdpr || []; $.when(SfdcWwwBase.gdpr.hasAdvertising).done(function(){ if (SfdcWwwBase.gdpr.isAdvertisingActive()) { window.optimizelyEdge = window.optimizelyEdge || []; window.optimizelyEdge.push({ type : 'holdEvents' }); window.addEventListener('load', function() { window.optimizelyEdge.push({ type : 'sendEvents'}); }); var scriptSrc = document.querySelector('.optScriptUrl').dataset.src; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.setAttribute('src', scriptSrc); document.head.appendChild(script); } }); </script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_www_tags.min.js"></script> <script type="module"> import { getTbidUserInfo, getGacId, isGdprFunctional, isGdprAdvertising } from 'https://a.sfdcstatic.com/digital/@sfdc-www/clientlibs-web-components/v1-stable/identity.js'; window.getTbidUserInfo = await getTbidUserInfo; window.getGacId = await getGacId; window.isGdprFunctional = await isGdprFunctional; window.isGdprAdvertising = await isGdprAdvertising; </script> <script> var _aaq = window._aaq || (window._aaq = []); </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//cdn.evgnet.com/beacon/salesforce/sf_shared_prod/scripts/evergage.min.js" async></script>  <script>(window.BOOMR_mq=window.BOOMR_mq||[]).push(["addVar",{"rua.upush":"false","rua.cpush":"false","rua.upre":"false","rua.cpre":"false","rua.uprl":"false","rua.cprl":"false","rua.cprf":"false","rua.trans":"","rua.cook":"false","rua.ims":"false","rua.ufprl":"false","rua.cfprl":"false","rua.isuxp":"false","rua.texp":"norulematch","rua.ceh":"false","rua.ueh":"false","rua.ieh.st":"0"}]);</script> <script>!function(e){var n="https://s.go-mpulse.net/boomerang/";if("False"=="True")e.BOOMR_config=e.BOOMR_config||{},e.BOOMR_config.PageParams=e.BOOMR_config.PageParams||{},e.BOOMR_config.PageParams.pci=!0,n="https://s2.go-mpulse.net/boomerang/";if(window.BOOMR_API_key="NCPYV-VGJPP-N4J93-8HN3B-8B6S3",function(){function e(){if(!o){var e=document.createElement("script");e.id="boomr-scr-as",e.src=window.BOOMR.url,e.async=!0,i.parentNode.appendChild(e),o=!0}}function t(e){o=!0;var n,t,a,r,d=document,O=window;if(window.BOOMR.snippetMethod=e?"if":"i",t=function(e,n){var t=d.createElement("script");t.id=n||"boomr-if-as",t.src=window.BOOMR.url,BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),e=e||d.body,e.appendChild(t)},!window.addEventListener&&window.attachEvent&&navigator.userAgent.match(/MSIE [67]\./))return window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="s",void t(i.parentNode,"boomr-async");a=document.createElement("IFRAME"),a.src="about:blank",a.title="",a.role="presentation",a.loading="eager",r=(a.frameElement||a).style,r.width=0,r.height=0,r.border=0,r.display="none",i.parentNode.appendChild(a);try{O=a.contentWindow,d=O.document.open()}catch(_){n=document.domain,a.src="javascript:var d=document.open();d.domain='"+n+"';void(0);",O=a.contentWindow,d=O.document.open()}if(n)d._boomrl=function(){this.domain=n,t()},d.write("<bo"+"dy onload='document._boomrl();'>");else if(O._boomrl=function(){t()},O.addEventListener)O.addEventListener("load",O._boomrl,!1);else if(O.attachEvent)O.attachEvent("onload",O._boomrl);d.close()}function a(e){window.BOOMR_onload=e&&e.timeStamp||(new Date).getTime()}if(!window.BOOMR||!window.BOOMR.version&&!window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted){window.BOOMR=window.BOOMR||{},window.BOOMR.snippetStart=(new Date).getTime(),window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted=!0,window.BOOMR.snippetVersion=12,window.BOOMR.url=n+"NCPYV-VGJPP-N4J93-8HN3B-8B6S3";var i=document.currentScript||document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],o=!1,r=document.createElement("link");if(r.relList&&"function"==typeof r.relList.supports&&r.relList.supports("preload")&&"as"in r)window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="p",r.href=window.BOOMR.url,r.rel="preload",r.as="script",r.addEventListener("load",e),r.addEventListener("error",function(){t(!0)}),setTimeout(function(){if(!o)t(!0)},3e3),BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),i.parentNode.appendChild(r);else t(!1);if(window.addEventListener)window.addEventListener("load",a,!1);else if(window.attachEvent)window.attachEvent("onload",a)}}(),"".length>0)if(e&&"performance"in e&&e.performance&&"function"==typeof e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize)e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize();!function(){if(BOOMR=e.BOOMR||{},BOOMR.plugins=BOOMR.plugins||{},!BOOMR.plugins.AK){var n=""=="true"?1:0,t="",a="bdpnbevydtvtaz2b3trq-f-52ce0fd93-clientnsv4-s.akamaihd.net",i="false"=="true"?2:1,o={"ak.v":"39","ak.cp":"1073024","ak.ai":parseInt("638429",10),"ak.ol":"0","ak.cr":1,"ak.ipv":4,"ak.proto":"http/1.1","ak.rid":"32b275c0","ak.r":41870,"ak.a2":n,"ak.m":"dsca","ak.n":"essl","ak.bpcip":"8.222.208.0","ak.cport":51568,"ak.gh":"184.28.235.61","ak.quicv":"","ak.tlsv":"tls1.2","ak.0rtt":"","ak.0rtt.ed":"","ak.csrc":"-","ak.acc":"bbr","ak.t":"1732369635","ak.ak":"hOBiQwZUYzCg5VSAfCLimQ==eW7/g0Sees8InTff3Bx84zKr4IX3vONX7VnHxCQsBT0WPJNuUh7/+qHwBCqoKu9cawIROOR4bTMS2vi9A4P1m0MwOwC36npQzJXcDQrlFAJAgNFOZcHVqGWF+1r6iPv+r0HtYRVxFA4/SDUpn+p+C+zx2peatE+O5VIybFsqIk8Yf3KhanN3L4Cjtaf0arphF1NXJAO+WJHOtXFT3IMuVEOhITIAHNJZ7wZ5lft2/fDp89XHY5UPcM5jUTgWzBesxZquHmFbd+GkuP+MuIEc/bUlCA/CeH6n1dmuuIAsyN4aLsaAU+YmZatO72NK4ovYGk8sdPUZiBOnN5xXDNSGRE1YcQmvlgYXVP+1iT55EnqG8G+fmB9ef0ce/TJsXm3qmKN1H/JWS/1VX3zuc/WPRoRY8EIi+or1UfA1M1NdTa0=","ak.pv":"639","ak.dpoabenc":"","ak.tf":i};if(""!==t)o["ak.ruds"]=t;var r={i:!1,av:function(n){var t="http.initiator";if(n&&(!n[t]||"spa_hard"===n[t]))o["ak.feo"]=void 0!==e.aFeoApplied?1:0,BOOMR.addVar(o)},rv:function(){var e=["ak.bpcip","ak.cport","ak.cr","ak.csrc","ak.gh","ak.ipv","ak.m","ak.n","ak.ol","ak.proto","ak.quicv","ak.tlsv","ak.0rtt","ak.0rtt.ed","ak.r","ak.acc","ak.t","ak.tf"];BOOMR.removeVar(e)}};BOOMR.plugins.AK={akVars:o,akDNSPreFetchDomain:a,init:function(){if(!r.i){var e=BOOMR.subscribe;e("before_beacon",r.av,null,null),e("onbeacon",r.rv,null,null),r.i=!0}return this},is_complete:function(){return!0}}}}()}(window);</script></head> <body class=" cxt-has-fixed-nav">   <noscript> <iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WRXS6TH" title="Intentionally Blank" aria-hidden="true" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe> </noscript>  <div aria-hidden="true"><script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.clientlibs/foundation/clientlibs/shared.min.js"></script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.clientlibs/cq/personalization/clientlib/underscore.min.js"></script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.clientlibs/cq/personalization/clientlib/personalization/kernel.min.js"></script> <style> .content-container .target:first-child { min-height: 700px; } </style> <script type="text/javascript"> $CQ(function() { if (window.CQ_Analytics && CQ_Analytics.SegmentMgr) { CQ_Analytics.SegmentMgr.areSegmentsLoaded = true; CQ_Analytics.SegmentMgr.fireEvent('segmentsload'); } if ( CQ_Analytics && CQ_Analytics.CampaignMgr ) { var campaigns = []; CQ_Analytics.CampaignMgr.addInitProperty('campaigns', campaigns); CQ_Analytics.CampaignMgr.init(); } CQ_Analytics.SFDCSegmentUtils.init(); CQ_Analytics.kruxStore.init(); CQ_Analytics.SFDCSegmentUtils.init(); CQ_Analytics.DemandbaseStore.init(); if( CQ_Analytics && CQ_Analytics.PageDataMgr) { CQ_Analytics.PageDataMgr.loadInitProperties({ "hits": 0, "title": "What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions", "path": "/content/www/en_us/home/resources/articles/what-is-automation", "navTitle": "What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions", "tags": "B2B Latin America Article CRM Analytics Business Process Automation Marketing Cloud Europe\u2013Middle East\u2013Africa Resource Ecommerce Japan Automation Marketing IT Asia Pacific Digital Transformation B2C America (U.S.) Canada ", "description": "Learn the definition and meaning of automation including workflow automation and process automation.", "sitesection": "en_us", "subsection": "home", "random": "0.95" }, true); } CQ_Analytics.Utils.isOptimizedCC = true; CQ_Analytics.ClientContextMgr.PATH = "\/etc\/clientcontext\/sfdc\u002Dwww"; CQ_Analytics.ClientContextMgr.loadConfig({"initializationEventTimer": 10}, true); }); </script> </div> <div aria-hidden="true"></div> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="#main"><div class="container">Skip to content</div></a> <header class="container-fluid header-container" role="banner"> <div class="page-message-alert-replace"></div> <div><div class="section"><div class="new"></div> </div><div class="iparys_inherited"><div class="iparsys parsys"><div class="referenceComponent reference parbase section"><div class="cq-dd-paragraph"><div class="globalnavigationbarconsolidated globalNavigationBarConsolidated parbase"> <script type="text/javascript"> window.sfdcBase = window.sfdcBase || {}; if (!sfdcBase.env) window.sfdcBase.env = ({ 'www.salesforce.com': 'PROD', 'www-uat1.salesforce.com': 'UAT', 'www-uat2.salesforce.com': 'UAT', 'www-perf.salesforce.com': 'PERF', 'www-qa1.salesforce.com': 'QA', 'www-qa2.salesforce.com': 'QA', 'www-int.salesforce.com': 'INT', })[location.hostname] ?? 'PROD'; window.sfdcBase.ssoEnabled=true; </script> <div id="aem-hgf-nav"> <script type="module" src="https://a.sfdcstatic.com/digital/xsf/components/v1-stable/navs.js"></script> <hgf-c360nav id="c360-hgf-nav" search="true" show-button-main="true" show-button-secondary="false" origin="https://wp.sfdcdigital.com/en-us/wp-json" show-region-selector="true" home-href="/" locale="us"> </hgf-c360nav> <script> document.getElementById('c360-hgf-nav').setAttribute("show-button-main", !vp.isCustomer()); </script> <script> document.getElementById('c360-hgf-nav').setAttribute("show-button-secondary", vp.isCustomer()); </script> <script type="module" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-www/clientlibs_hgf_tbidauth.js"></script> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="container-fluid content-container" role="main" id="main"> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper column-container-component"> <div class="bg-cirrus bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-8"><div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col col-divider text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-3 col-lg-3"><div class="spacerComponent parbase section"><div class="spacer " style="height:2px;"></div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h1 id="resource-center" class=" h4gn text-snow text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-20-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <a class=" text-snow " href="/resources/"> <span class=" header-text "> RESOURCE CENTER </span> </a> </h1> </div> <div class="barComponent parbase section"><div class=" bg-snow bar-align-center hidden-sm hidden-md hidden-lg" style="height:1px;width:100%;"></div> </div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-9 col-lg-9"><div class="buttonCTAComponent parbase section"> <div class="margin-10-top-lg margin-0-top-xs margin-10-bottom-lg margin-0-bottom-xs margin-30-left-lg margin-50-left-md margin-0-left-sm margin-0-left-xs text-left "> <div class="cta_0 buttonCTAItemComponent parbase"> <div class="btn-container "> <a role="button" class="btn btn-xlg simple-link text-white with-plus salesforce-sans-bold drop-panel " data-drop-panel-target-id="cr-menu" data-content-replacement-close-color="sfdc-swap-button-day" href="#"> <span> BROWSE BY CATEGORY <span class="sfdc-icon icon-plus"></span> </span> </a> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-4"> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="dropPanelContainer parbase section"> <div class="drop-panel-container" data-content-src="/content/www/en_us/shared/modules/modals/resource-menu.html#module-par_columncontainer_8f26" data-panel-name="cr-menu"> <button type="button" class="close" aria-label="Close"> <span aria-hidden="true" class="text-day icon-sfdc-icon-x h3"></span> </button> <div class="drop-panel-body"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" hidden-xs columns-wrapper bg-center-center bg-cover column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="visible-lg"> <div class="columns-wrapper column-container-image lazy bg-center-center bg-cover" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/industries/government/resource-center-headerpond_1600.jpg"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-md"> <div class="columns-wrapper column-container-image lazy bg-center-center bg-cover" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/industries/government/resource-center-headerpond_1440.jpg"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-sm"> <div class="columns-wrapper column-container-image lazy bg-center-center bg-cover" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/industries/government/resource-center-headerpond_1024.jpg"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-xs"> <div class="columns-wrapper column-container-image lazy bg-center-center bg-cover" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/resource-center-headerpond_768.jpg"> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row columns-wrapper xs-min-height-300" style="min-height: 150px; 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper column-container-component"> <div class="bg-snow bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-1 col-md-1 col-lg-1"> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-11 col-md-11 col-lg-11"><div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid margin-20-top-lg margin-0-top-xs column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-9 col-md-9 col-lg-9"><div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h1 id="what-is-automation-a-glossary-of-automation-definitions" class=" avantgarde-l text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-30-top-xs margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-xs " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions </span> </h1> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="get-to-know-the-essential-vocabulary-around-workflow-automation-process-automation-business-automation-and-hyperautomation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-20-bottom-lg margin-20-bottom-xs " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Get to know the essential vocabulary around workflow automation, process automation, business automation, and hyperautomation. </span> </h2> </div> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <div id="time-to-read-6-minutes" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-top-lg margin-10-top-md margin-10-top-sm margin-10-top-xs margin-10-bottom-lg margin-20-bottom-xs " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Time to read: 6 minutes </span> </div> </div> <div class="socialMediaSharingComponent section"> <div> <div class="share-icon-row margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-sm"> <div class="share-icon"> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/what-is-automation/" title="Facebook" alt="Facebook"> <img data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/global/svg-icons/facebook-day.svg?version=2024101" alt="Facebook" class="lazy text-salesforce-gray salesforce-social-icon " src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif"/> </a> </div> <div class="share-icon"> <a class="twitter" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/what-is-automation/&text=What%20is%20Automation?%20A%20Glossary%20of%20Automation%20Definitions&via=salesforce" title="Twitter" alt="Twitter" data-pagetitle="What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions"> <img data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/global/svg-icons/twitter-day.svg?version=2024101" alt="Twitter" class="lazy text-salesforce-gray salesforce-social-icon " src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif"/> </a> </div> <div class="share-icon"> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/what-is-automation/" title="LinkedIn" alt="LinkedIn"> <img data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/global/svg-icons/linkedin-day.svg?version=2024101" alt="LinkedIn" class="lazy text-salesforce-gray salesforce-social-icon " src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif"/> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid margin-30-top-lg margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-xs margin-20-left-lg column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="visible-lg"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-md"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-sm"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-xs"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper xs-min-height-100" style="min-height: 100px; 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"><div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-30-top-lg margin-10-top-xs margin-100-left-lg margin-100-left-xs text-size-default line-height-default "> <b>John Kucera</b><br /> SVP, Product Management, Salesforce </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-10-top-lg margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>If you’ve ever ordered a meal for delivery on your phone, then you’ve experienced the time-saving flexibility of automation. And if you use Salesforce or other customer relationship management (CRM) software, you probably know how automation can <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/fueling-productivity-with-process-automation/">save time and money</a> for your business.</p> <p> But first, what is automation?</p> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid column-container-component"> <div class="bg-rain bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"><div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi col-lg-11 margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg margin-20-left-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Automation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-20-bottom-lg margin-20-left-lg text-size-default line-height-32 col-lg-11 "> <p>Automation reduces the work that humans have to do on repetitive or monotonous tasks, which usually means a better experience for your customers and <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/new-salesforce-research-links-lower-stress-levels-and-business-automation/">lower stress</a> for your teams. It involves technology that takes a task people do and relegates it to software or hardware. Automation is a streamlined process that reduces or eliminates manual steps. There are two types of automation: unattended (actions without human intervention) and attended (actions executed by humans). Some automated tasks may combine the two.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> In service, a sudden and large influx of support cases on a single product or event could trigger an automatic notification to IT. The IT response team could diagnose the problem and complete a guided workflow that documents the resolution via a form. That form could then be sent automatically for approval before closing the case.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-40-top-lg margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> Even if you don’t plan to build automations yourself, you might run into some terms you’re not familiar with. We put together this short glossary to help you understand the automation terms you'll run across most often, and how you can use them in every part of your business. </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="background-process-also-called-background-flow-unattended-or-autolaunched" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Background Process (also called background flow, unattended, or autolaunched) </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>This refers to an action not triggered by human input and executed by a system or bot in the background automatically.</p> <p>The four types of autolaunched triggers include:</p> <ul class="enhanced-unordered-list"> <li>Invokable action, meaning a process that launches when called by code or other processes</li> <li>Schedule, which launches at a specified time and/or frequency</li> <li>Change, which launches when a record is created, updated, or deleted</li> <li>Event, which kicks off when an action takes place</li> </ul> <p><b>Example:</b> An example of an autolaunched trigger is scheduling a newsletter to send every Monday at 8:00 a.m.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="business-process-automation-bpa" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Business Process Automation (BPA) </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>This is the overarching umbrella term for using technology to streamline business processes and functions. This includes technologies such as <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/workflow-automation/">workflow automation</a>, <a href="https://appexchange.salesforce.com/mktcollections/curated/bots?d=7010M000001yv8eQAA">robotic process automation (RPA)</a>, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/platform/best-practices/application-development-framework/">low-code application platforms (LCAP)</a>, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/platform/best-practices/ai-and-machine-learning-technology/">artificial intelligence (AI)</a>, and virtual assistants (like chatbots).</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Technology used to streamline a multistep, cross-organization process such as customer onboarding. For a typical organization, this often requires collaboration workflows across sales, finance, and service.</p> <p><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/platform/best-practices/business-process-automation/">Read more about business process automation.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="business-process-management-bpm" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Business Process Management (BPM) </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>The process of routing work using automation, similar to orchestration. However, it often involves more developer resources and coding.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> After a hard copy of a change of address is received and scanned, a person must look at the image and determine what action to take next. This then gets added to a BPM system to route it to the next step in the process.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="decision-assist-also-called-decisioning" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Decision Assist (also called decisioning) </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>This refers to tools that help people make decisions by providing insight, recommended actions, predictions, or logic to make a decision for them. AI decisioning uses algorithms learned from historical data or behavior. Rules-based decisioning is based on “if this, then that” instructions.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> AI decisioning might suggest offering a 20% discount on a car insurance policy for every customer who purchased a home insurance policy. It suggests this action because it knows that customers are more likely to purchase an additional policy if they own a house. An example of rules-based decisioning is if a customer buys the red belt at your online boutique, the online store would then show the customer the red shoes to match.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="digital-process-automation-dpa" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Digital Process Automation (DPA) </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>Automation that focuses on removing routine work involving written documents such as forms, records, or letters within a workflow.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Replacing a hard copy of a W-2 form with an electronic version which can then kick off an automated action upon completion.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="hyperautomation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Hyperautomation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>This is a somewhat recent and increasingly popular term in automation, and one that’s primarily used by industry analysts rather than businesses or organizations. It refers to the action of scaling business process automation initiatives by identifying, vetting, and automating as many processes as possible as quickly as possible.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Robotic processing automation can be used to process loan applications and quickly trigger the loan approval process.</p> <p><a href="https://www.mulesoft.com/resources/api/what-is-hyperautomation">Read more about hyperautomation.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="integration" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Integration </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>These are tools that connect business systems like applications, data, and devices, often through an <a href="https://www.mulesoft.com/resources/api/what-is-an-api">application programming interface (API)</a>. Integration means reading, creating, updating, and/or initiating an action in a system, such as sending an email or refunding a payment. The means of performing an integrated task can change depending on the type of the integration – batch jobs, syncs, events, APIs, and more.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Connecting your customer portal to your internal system of record or CRM to update information in both systems.</p> <p>Learn more about <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/integration/products/mulesoft-composer/">connecting apps and data to your CRM with clicks, not code</a>.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="intelligent-process-automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Intelligent Process Automation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>Similar to DPA, intelligent process automation includes AI functionality using technology like optical character recognition (OCR) and named entity recognition (NER).</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Using a picture of a driver’s license and automatically extracting the data into an electronic form which can then kick off an automated action.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="marketing-automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Marketing Automation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>This refers to the technology that manages marketing processes and multistep campaigns across multiple channels. It is typically used for outbound customer marketing activities and takes customers through the buyer journey to build long-term engagement.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/best-practices/email-marketing-automation/">Email marketing automation</a> can automatically trigger an email to follow up on abandoned shopping carts or to personalize messaging for a customer’s birthday, to increase the likelihood of engagement.</p> <p><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/what-is-marketing-automation/">Read more about marketing automation.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="orchestration" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Orchestration </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>The act of coordinating and streamlining a business process with one or more workflows using automation.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Coordinating an employee onboarding process by connecting the new hire paperwork workflow, IT provisioning workflow, and training workflow into one streamlined process.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="process" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Process </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>A business process comprised of one or more workflows or fully automated processes.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> The employee onboarding process.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="robotic-process-automation-rpa" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Robotic Process Automation (RPA) </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>An application or bot usually running on a virtual or on-premises machine that can perform repetitive tasks like entering text and updating fields with prerecorded actions. It often gets used alongside OCR technology.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Extracting vendor contact information from a large volume of invoices quickly.</p> <p><a href="https://appexchange.salesforce.com/mktcollections/curated/bots/">Learn more about RPA.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="sales-automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Sales Automation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>The technology that removes or minimizes many of the manual, tedious tasks associated with the sales process.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> This could include creating automatic email alerts for deals over a certain size, auto-assigning tasks as a deal moves through its stages and automating approvals.</p> <p><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/products/sales-cloud/features/workflow-process-software/">Learn more about sales automation.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="service-automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Service Automation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>The technology that helps streamline customer service and support to improve efficiency and the customer experience.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Automatically routing cases to the right department and suggesting relevant knowledge articles to address the customer’s issue.</p> <p><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/customer-service-automation-process/">Read more about service automation.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="task" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Task </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>A single step or group of steps within a process that needs to be accomplished.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Any singular action taken, such as filling out a form.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="trigger" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Trigger </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>Any action or event based on user or machine input that starts an automation task.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> Items left behind in an ecommerce shopping cart can trigger a reminder email after a preset number of hours of inactivity.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="workflow" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Workflow </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>A people-centric process involving multiple tasks completed over a period. As a result, workflows often involve dependencies, delays, and the potential for human error.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> A new hire workflow may involve filling out new hire paperwork such as government documents, direct deposit forms, and benefit forms.</p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="workflow-automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Workflow Automation </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>The process of optimizing or automating tedious, manual tasks within a larger workflow. Workflow automation helps reduce bottlenecks and the potential for human error — leaving people to do what they do best: analyze data to make decisions and build customer relationships.</p> <p><b>Example:</b> After manually updating a new employee’s address in one system, the address is automatically updated in every system of record related to it reducing the need for duplicate data entry.</p> <p><a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/workflow-automation/">Learn more about workflow automation and how it works with CRM.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="why-invest-in-automation" class=" avantgarde-m text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-30-top-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Why invest in automation? </span> </h2> </div> <div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-60-right-lg margin-0-right-md margin-20-bottom-lg text-size-default line-height-32 "> <p>According to the “<a href="https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/trends-in-workflow-automation/">Trends in Workflow Automation” report</a>, technical leaders who have implemented automation report strong ROI. Nearly 75% see time savings equivalent to at least four hours per a 40-hour week.</p> <p>Our research also found that 95% of IT leaders are prioritizing process automation. Automation for IT workflows often includes automated incidence responses, purchase order tracking, or asset management.</p> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid margin-30-top-lg margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-xs margin-20-left-lg column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="visible-lg"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-md"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-sm"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="visible-xs"> <div class="columns-wrapper row column-container-image lazy bg-left-center bg-auto" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/john-kucera-headshot-2.png"> </div> </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper xs-min-height-100" style="min-height: 100px; 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"><div class="bodyCopyComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-30-top-lg margin-10-top-xs margin-100-left-lg margin-100-left-xs text-size-default line-height-default "> <b>John Kucera</b><br /> <b>SVP, Product Management, Salesforce</b><br /> John Kucera leads the Automation Services product team, directly responsible for Einstein Chatbots, Flow, and Einstein Next Best Action. He is also responsible for driving the Einstein Automate vision across the Platform, Mulesoft, and Salesforce Industries, enabling end-to-end automation, integrated across any system. </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-3 col-md-3 col-lg-3"><div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"><div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="related-content" class=" h3 text-stratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-30-top-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Related Content </span> </h2> </div> <div class="barComponent parbase section"><div class="margin-20-top-lg margin-20-bottom-lg bg-karl-the-fog bar-align-center " style="height:2px;width:100%;"></div> </div> <div class="cardComponent parbase section"> <div class="thumbnail bg-snow "> <div class="thumbnail-content thumbnail-linked" data-href="/resources/research-reports/trends-in-workflow-automation/?d=cta-right-rail-1"> <a href="/resources/research-reports/trends-in-workflow-automation/?d=cta-right-rail-1" class="card-destination-link hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs" title="Trends in Workflow Automation">Trends in Workflow Automation</a> <div class="graphic "> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive margin-0-top-lg margin-0-bottom-lg " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/research-reports/trends-in-workflow-automation/og-socia-tia.png"/> </div> </div> <div class="caption"> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="report" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-right-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Report </span> </p> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="read-the-trends-in-workflow-automation-study" class=" h4 text-cirrus text-left salesforce-sans-regular " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Read the “Trends in Workflow Automation” study </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="card-overlay-container"> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="/resources/research-reports/trends-in-workflow-automation/">Trends in Workflow Automation</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="cardComponent parbase section"> <div class="thumbnail margin-40-top-lg bg-snow "> <div class="thumbnail-content thumbnail-linked" data-href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/marketing-workflows-slack-grow-relationships/?d=cta-right-rail-2" data-new-window="true"> <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/marketing-workflows-slack-grow-relationships/?d=cta-right-rail-2" class="card-destination-link hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs" target="_blank"></a> <div class="graphic "> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/marketing-workflows-slack.jpg"/> </div> </div> <div class="caption"> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="blog" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-right-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Blog </span> </p> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="3-tips-to-improve-marketing-workflows-and-grow-relationships-with-slack" class=" h4 text-cirrus text-left salesforce-sans-regular " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> 3 Tips to Improve Marketing Workflows and Grow Relationships with Slack </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="card-overlay-container"> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/marketing-workflows-slack-grow-relationships/"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="cardComponent parbase section"> <div class="thumbnail margin-40-top-lg bg-snow "> <div class="thumbnail-content thumbnail-linked" data-href="/resources/articles/workflow-automation/?d=cta-right-rail-3"> <a href="/resources/articles/workflow-automation/?d=cta-right-rail-3" class="card-destination-link hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs"></a> <div class="graphic "> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/what-is-workflow-automation/what-is-workflow-automation-og.png"/> </div> </div> <div class="caption"> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="article" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-right-lg margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Article </span> </p> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="what-is-workflow-automation" class=" h4 text-cirrus text-left salesforce-sans-regular " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> What is workflow automation? </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="card-overlay-container"> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="/resources/articles/workflow-automation/"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper column-container-component"> <div class="bg-snow bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-12 col-lg-12"><div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="more-resources" class=" avantgarde-l text-stratus text-left avant-garde-demi margin-40-top-lg margin-30-top-xs margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-xs " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> More Resources </span> </h2> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper container-fluid column-container-component"> <div class="bg-snow bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-4 col-md-4 col-lg-4"><div class="cardComponent parbase section"> <div class="thumbnail margin-0-top-lg margin-60-bottom-lg bg-snow "> <div class="thumbnail-content thumbnail-linked" data-href="/resources/articles/ready-to-automate-workflows-heres-where-to-start/?d=cta-bottom-row-1"> <a href="/resources/articles/ready-to-automate-workflows-heres-where-to-start/?d=cta-bottom-row-1" class="card-destination-link hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs" title="Ready to automate workflows? Here’s where to start.">Ready to automate workflows? Here’s where to start.</a> <div class="graphic "> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive margin-0-top-lg margin-0-bottom-lg " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/business-automation-definition-meaning/badm-1-1.png"/> </div> </div> <div class="caption"> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="article" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-top-lg margin-10-top-md margin-10-top-sm margin-10-top-xs margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Article </span> </p> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="ready-to-automate-workflows-heres-where-to-start" class=" h3 text-cirrus text-left salesforce-sans-regular margin-10-bottom-lg bottom-row-headline" style="; " data-equalize="bottom-row-headline"> <span class=" header-text "> Ready to automate workflows? Here’s where to start. </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="card-overlay-container"> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="/resources/articles/ready-to-automate-workflows-heres-where-to-start/">Ready to automate workflows? Here’s where to start.</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-4 col-md-4 col-lg-4"><div class="cardComponent parbase section"> <div class="thumbnail margin-0-top-lg margin-60-bottom-lg bg-snow "> <div class="thumbnail-content thumbnail-linked" data-href="/products/platform/solutions/automate-business-processes/?d=cta-bottom-row-2"> <a href="/products/platform/solutions/automate-business-processes/?d=cta-bottom-row-2" class="card-destination-link hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs"></a> <div class="graphic "> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive margin-0-top-lg margin-0-bottom-lg " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/ready-to-automate-workflows/rtawhwts-2-1.png"/> </div> </div> <div class="caption"> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="webpage" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-top-lg margin-10-top-md margin-10-top-sm margin-10-top-xs margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Webpage </span> </p> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="build-process-automation-into-your-business" class=" h3 text-cirrus text-left salesforce-sans-regular margin-10-bottom-lg bottom-row-headline" style="; " data-equalize="bottom-row-headline"> <span class=" header-text "> Build process automation into your business. </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="card-overlay-container"> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="/products/platform/solutions/automate-business-processes/"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-4 col-md-4 col-lg-4"><div class="cardComponent parbase section"> <div class="thumbnail margin-0-top-lg margin-60-bottom-lg margin-30-bottom-xs bg-snow "> <div class="thumbnail-content thumbnail-linked" data-href="https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/lizcook/trailmixes/salesforce-workflow-automation?&utm_source=sfdc&utm_medium=web-landing-page&utm_campaign=trailhead" data-new-window="true"> <a href="https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/lizcook/trailmixes/salesforce-workflow-automation?&utm_source=sfdc&utm_medium=web-landing-page&utm_campaign=trailhead" class="card-destination-link hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm hidden-xs" target="_blank"></a> <div class="graphic "> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive margin-0-top-lg margin-0-bottom-lg " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/ready-to-automate-workflows/rtawhwts-2-2.png"/> </div> </div> <div class="caption"> <div class="labelSmallComponent headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="trail" class=" h5 text-altostratus text-left salesforce-sans-bold margin-10-top-lg margin-10-top-md margin-10-top-sm margin-10-top-xs margin-10-bottom-lg " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Trail </span> </p> </div> <div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <p id="learn-to-build-automations-on-the-salesforce-platform" class=" h3 text-cirrus text-left salesforce-sans-regular margin-10-bottom-lg bottom-row-headline" style="; " data-equalize="bottom-row-headline"> <span class=" header-text "> Learn to build automations on the Salesforce Platform. </span> </p> </div> </div> <div class="card-overlay-container"> <a class="screen-reader-text" href="https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en/users/lizcook/trailmixes/salesforce-workflow-automation?&utm_source=sfdc&utm_medium=web-landing-page&utm_campaign=trailhead"></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="referenceComponent reference parbase section"><div class="cq-dd-paragraph"><div class="columncontainer_773f columnContainer parbase"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" columns-wrapper column-container-component"> <div class="bg-rain bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="container"> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-3 col-lg-3"><div class="spacerComponent parbase section"><div class="spacer hidden-xs hidden-sm hidden-lg" style="height:5px;"></div> </div> <div class="imageComponent parbase section"> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive hidden-xs hidden-sm margin--10-top-lg margin-80-top-md margin-60-top-sm " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/RC-RBN-footer-banner-fg.png"/> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-9 col-lg-9"><div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" hidden-md columns-wrapper container-fluid column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-8 col-lg-8"><div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="get-timely-updates-and-fresh-ideas-delivered-to-your-inbox" class=" avantgarde-lgr text-stratus text-center avant-garde-demi col-md-12 col-lg-12 margin-40-top-lg margin-30-top-sm margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-md margin-20-bottom-sm " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Get timely updates and fresh ideas delivered to your inbox. </span> </h2> </div> <div class="buttonCTAComponent parbase section"> <div class="margin-20-bottom-sm text-center "> <div class="cta_0 buttonCTAItemComponent parbase"> <div class="btn-container "> <a class="btn btn-lg btn-primary salesforce-sans-regular " aria-label="Sign up now for newsletters" data-content-replacement-close-color="sfdc-swap-button-day" href="/form/other/role-based-newsletter/?d=cta-footer-57" target="_blank"> <span> Sign up now </span> </a> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-4 col-lg-4"><div class="spacerComponent parbase section"><div class="spacer hidden-xs hidden-sm" style="height:10px;"></div> </div> <div class="imageComponent parbase section"> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive hidden-xs hidden-sm margin-80-top-lg " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/RC-RBN-footer-banner-fg-right.png"/> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="columnContainer parbase section"><div data-target-init-function="columnContainer.targetInit" class=" hidden-xs hidden-sm hidden-lg columns-wrapper container-fluid column-container-component"> <div class="bg-default bg-opacity">  </div> <div class="row columns-wrapper " style=" 500"> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-9 col-lg-9"><div class="headingComponent parbase section"> <h2 id="get-timely-updates-and-fresh-ideas-delivered-to-your-inbox" class=" avantgarde-lgr text-stratus text-center avant-garde-demi col-md-12 col-lg-12 margin-40-top-lg margin-20-bottom-lg margin-10-bottom-md margin-20-bottom-sm " style="; "> <span class=" header-text "> Get timely updates and fresh ideas delivered to your inbox. </span> </h2> </div> <div class="buttonCTAComponent parbase section"> <div class="margin-20-bottom-sm text-center "> <div class="cta_0 buttonCTAItemComponent parbase"> <div class="btn-container "> <a class="btn btn-lg btn-primary salesforce-sans-regular " aria-label="Sign up now for newsletters" data-content-replacement-close-color="sfdc-swap-button-day" href="/form/other/role-based-newsletter/?d=cta-footer-57" target="_blank"> <span> Sign up now </span> </a> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> <div class="col text-left col-xs-12 col-sm-12 col-md-3 col-lg-3"><div class="spacerComponent parbase section"><div class="spacer hidden-xs hidden-sm" style="height:50px;"></div> </div> <div class="imageComponent parbase section"> <div class=" image-link"> <img class="lazy img-responsive hidden-xs hidden-sm margin-80-top-lg img-bleed-right " alt="" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_base/imgs/spacer.gif" data-src="//www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/RC-RBN-footer-banner-fg-right.png"/> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="row"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="modal fade main-modal" id="mainModal" data-keyboard="true" role="dialog" aria-modal="true"> <div class="modal-dialog"> <div class="modal-content"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"><span aria-hidden="true" class="icon-sfdc-icon-x h3"></span></button> <div class="modal-body"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="aem-c360-footer"> <hgf-footer home-href="us" legal-only="false" origin="https://wp.salesforce.com/en-us/wp-json"></hgf-footer> </div> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_analytics_bottom.min.js"></script> <script src="//www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-aem-master/clientlibs_evergage.min.js"></script> <div class="hidden" data-load-libs="commonlyUsed"></div> <div class="hidden" data-load-libs="dropPanelContainer"></div> <script type="module" src="https://a.sfdcstatic.com//digital/@sfdc-www/clientlibs-web-components/v1-stable/attribution.js"></script> <span class="hidden data-runmode" data-runmode-ispublish="true" data-runmode-isprod="true" data-runmode-isnonprod="false" data-runmode-isstaging="false"></span> <script type="text/javascript" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/vendors~scriptloader.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/scriptloader.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/vendors~utils~webpack-script-manifest-SfdcWwwBaseCnc-js~webpack-script-manifest-commonlyUsed-js~webp~72b17f21.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/vendors~utils~webpack-script-manifest-SfdcWwwBaseCnc-js~webpack-script-manifest-commonlyUsed-js~webp~8dbeef75.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.salesforce.com/etc.bundles/sfdc-www/bundles/utils.bundle.914d89992c829da7cb32.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> window.sfdcBase = window.sfdcBase || {}; if (!sfdcBase.env) window.sfdcBase.env = ({ 'www.salesforce.com': 'PROD', 'www-uat1.salesforce.com': 'UAT', 'www-uat2.salesforce.com': 'UAT', 'www-perf.salesforce.com': 'PERF', 'www-qa1.salesforce.com': 'QA', 'www-qa2.salesforce.com': 'QA', 'www-int.salesforce.com': 'INT', })[location.hostname] ?? 'PROD'; window.sfdcBase.locale="en-us"; window.sfdcBase.chat = window.sfdcBase.chat || {}; window.sfdcBase.chat.preventChat=false; </script> <style> .sf-call { bottom: 91px; position: fixed; right: 30px; z-index: 105 } .call-btn-wrapper { display: none!important } .call-btn-wrapper a,a:active,a:focus,a:hover { text-decoration: none } @media(max-width: 767px) { .call-btn-wrapper { background-color:var(--hgf-g-blue-vibrant-50); border-radius: 50%; display: block!important; height: 60px; margin-bottom: 9px; width: 60px } .call-btn-wrapper a.btn { background-image: url(https://www.salesforce.com/etc/clientlibs/sfdc-www/clientlibs_www_livechat/img/call-icon.svg); background-position: 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 100%; touch-action: manipulation; width: 100% } } </style> <div class="sf-call"> <div class="call-btn-wrapper"> <a class="btn" href="tel:1-800-664-9073" aria-label="Call Us"></a> </div> </div> <script defer src="https://a.sfdcstatic.com/digital/xsf/components/v1-stable/miaw.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/jnmYwLhDSrvFsn4x7w/hOOiJDEu7mNw/EUpJKi4/VUY9E/QchagAB"></script><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/jnmYwLhDSrvFsn4x7w/hp/b1c9Ki4/DHdjC/Xt1VSFY"> <script src="/jnmYwLhDSrvFsn4x7w/hp/b1c9Ki4/fm0SA/nIfM04o" async defer></script> <div id="sec-overlay" style="display:none;"> <div id="sec-container"> </div> </div></body> </html>

CINXE.COM

What is Automation? A Glossary of Automation Definitions - Salesforce.com