What Is a First-Pass Automation Rate?
A first-pass automation rate measures the share of items that complete their initial processing cycle without requiring manual review.
In MCA and small business lending, this typically means ISO packets, bank statements, or decision emails that are ingested, scrubbed, and written back into the CRM entirely by automation.
The metric is often used as a benchmark for operational efficiency. Operators track it to understand how well their automation tools are handling volume, and to pinpoint where exceptions or manual interventions still occur.
How Does a First-Pass Automation Rate Work?
First-pass automation rate is calculated by comparing the number of items processed automatically against the total number of items submitted.
- Input capture: Submissions are received via email, portal, or API.
- Automated workflow: Items are classified, scrubbed, and parsed by automation without pausing for human review.
- Successful write-back: Clean data is pushed into the CRM or system of record.
- Metric calculation: The number of fully automated submissions is divided by the total submissions, producing the percentage.
In Heron, this rate is a key measure of workflow effectiveness.
- Automated intake: Submissions arrive through shared inboxes, portals, or direct APIs.
- Scrub results: Completeness checks, fraud flags, and policy rules are applied automatically.
- CRM integration: Data is mapped and written back into structured CRM fields.
- Tracking: Items that complete all these steps without exception contribute to the first-pass automation rate, while flagged cases are routed to exception queues.
This makes the rate a reliable indicator of how well Heron reduces manual work.
Why Is a First-Pass Automation Rate Important?
For brokers and funders, a first-pass automation rate is important because it directly ties to labor savings and throughput. A higher rate means fewer submissions require manual intervention, which speeds up decision cycles and reduces operating costs.
Heron helps improve this metric by continuously optimizing scrubbing, detection, and write-back accuracy. Even when exceptions occur, Heron ensures they are isolated without slowing down the majority of the flow.
Common Use Cases
First-pass automation rate is applied as a performance benchmark across intake and underwriting workflows.
- Measuring how many ISO submissions are processed fully by automation.
- Tracking the percentage of bank statements scrubbed without human review.
- Evaluating decision emails parsed and written back with no intervention.
- Monitoring progress as new automation rules are deployed.
- Using the metric to forecast headcount savings and scale capacity.
FAQs About First-Pass Automation Rate
How does Heron improve first-pass automation rate?
Heron increases automation accuracy by combining scrubbing, fraud checks, and CRM write-back in a unified flow. This reduces exceptions and boosts the number of fully automated items.
Why is first-pass automation rate valuable for MCA brokers and funders?
It measures the true impact of automation on daily operations, showing how many deals can move forward without staff time spent on intake or corrections.
What outputs should teams expect from tracking a first-pass automation rate?
Teams can expect a clear percentage that reflects efficiency gains. Higher rates mean more submissions are “underwriting ready” faster, while lower rates highlight where exceptions still need tuning.