Hi Guys! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. In this post, I’ll walk you through Introduction to Workflow Automation.
Workflow automation is a critical part to run a successful business. It is used to improve the efficiency and productivity of the business to provide a better user experience, reduce errors and increase revenue. Workflow automation is the process of automating a set of repeatable tasks to achieve a certain goal within the software or app you use.
Confused?
Don’t be.
We’ll touch on this further in the article.
Curious to know more about workflow automation, its benefits, how to choose workflow automation software, and how it can help your business?
Keep reading.
Introduction to Workflow Automation
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of workflow automation we must know what workflow is.
What is Workflow?
Every business is based on a predefined process. It’s the set of activities including manual tasks like creating reports, data transfer, collaborating within the company and more… all these tasks are performed to fulfill the business needs. Workflow guarantees all these processes are planned and executed in a sequential manner by the people or systems to achieve a certain goal.
Know that a workflow image can be a simple flowchart diagram representing a set of activities to reach the desired goal.
What is Automation?
And automation is the process that repeats itself without human intervention. It works on WHEN and THEN rules. For instance, when the temperature falls below 30 C, then turn on the AC.
What is Workflow Automation?
Simply put, workflow automation is automating the workflow – it involves incorporating the automated software system within the company to monitor and control business processes. The software is used to perform a repeated set of steps consecutively to do a certain task. In this process the work goes from start to finish without human involvement, eliminating the manual steps and ensuring the error-free work on time.
The workflow automation you can implement in the business processes includes sales and marketing, human resource, lead management, and more. This way businessmen can pay careful attention to the more important tasks rather than worrying about properly executing the workflow within the software.
Workflow Automation Benefits
The key benefits of workflow automation include:
- Helps you to determine the custom metrics and real-time analytics. With data derived from the automation process, you can predict the future outcome and can execute your process based on the calculated data.
- Helps you automate the business processes to save time and additional workforce requirements, allowing you to pay attention to the key areas that add value to your business.
- If done manually, the workflow can lead to scores of errors especially in data entry and form filling jobs. Wrong data entry will lead to the wrong outcome and can drastically generate compliance issues. So incorporating automation in your workflow can help you figure out the areas of improvement in your business process for optimal results.
- Can identify the information and data to further streamline the business process and connect the different stages in workflows on time.
- Allows you to customize the workflow process as per the needs and requirements of the business. Business goals change as the business grows. Things you need to execute at the start of the business may need modification over time and with workflow automation, you can make the process work as you like better for your agency.
- Provides a better customer experience. The priority of any business is to satisfy their customer and turn them into recurring clients. With workflow automation, products and services are delivered to the audience on time and correctly. This way customers not only put their trust in your business but also feel less hesitation to connect with it with user-friendly and less complex workflow automation software.
How to Choose the Right Workflow Automation Software
Choosing the right workflow automation software is a bit tricky. It depends on the workflow processes you want to manage within a business.
There are two types of software used in workflow automation: no-code tool and low-code tool.
The no-code tool works better for the beginner with no technical expertise. Some of these tools come with a drag and drop feature, allowing you to easily customize the workflow for your business process at hand. The low-code tool, on the other hand, requires coding skills to put into practice. Low-code tool doesn’t mean you have to be a tech-geek to get a hold of it. And you don’t require any software degree either, you can learn it easily if you put a deliberate effort and attention.
Other things you must consider while choosing the right tool include:
The tool comes with easy to handle user interface UI which means you can learn it yourself, if it requires technical support at every step, you better skip it.
The tool must be economical and scalable so you can modify it as per the business processes.
The tool must be compatible with your apps. What may fit for other businesses might not work for your business. If everyone is buying it doesn’t mean you also have to buy it. Keep your business processes in mind before choosing the right tool.
How Workflow Automation Can Help Your Business?
Workflow automation sets you free from doing manual repetitive tasks and automates your business processes to improve efficiency and productivity.
Following are the key areas of your business you can automate with workflow automation:
Invoice Generation
Invoice generation is a crucial task to create a document to bill your clients. When done manually, mistakes are obvious. But with workflow automation, you can automate the invoice generation process to bypass the multiple manual processes. You can use workflow automation software to create the invoice to bill the client month after month for a definite amount. Plus, you can keep a record of the invoices you create for a particular client.
Onboarding New Candidates
Onboarding new candidates is overwhelming at times. It requires a lot of brainstorming, resources, workforce, and time. However, with workflow automation, this process can be straightforward without the involvement of repeated manual processes. Workflow automation software allows the new candidates to list their information and submit it directly to the HR department. It removes the need for manual tests and check-ups to reach the hiring manager, effortlessly bridging the gap between the company and new candidates.
Lead Management
Quality leads form the basis of any business growth. Manual lead management requires a lot of data filtering and manual follow-ups that slow down the process of reaching potential clients.
Workflow automation allows the companies to discard the low-quality leads, and automate the process to turn the visitors into customers. Moreover, it allows the sales team to streamline the sales funnel process, stuff CRM with the required information, direct new leads to the sales manager, and effectively deliver the products to the customers.
Refund Staff Expenses
Manual handling of staff expenses is a tedious job. But workflow automation is here to rescue you. At times you spend money on the behest of the company. If you want to have approved those expenses from the company, first you need to write the email to the manager who will approve it and then send it to the accounting department. Everything will be documented in a report before the accounts department refund the money to the employees. However, workflow automation software can simplify this and other manual processes including creating reports, managing travel tickets, approving leave and vacation requests and producing purchase orders, and more.
Conclusion
A workflow automation software is an important tool for your business growth.
Using this tool, redundant tasks are eliminated and repetitive and manual tasks are put on auto-pilot.
Whether or not should you pick the automated workflow software for your business is a tricky question and unfortunately, there is no simple formula to figure this out. However, the business processes that can use automation to drive value include time-bound activities, manual repetitive tasks, lead management, customer support and data entry jobs, and more.
Keep two things in mind while picking the right tool: it meets your business's core objectives and it should be economical.
That’s all about the Introduction to Workflow Automation. If you have any questions in mind, you may ask me in the comment section below. I’ll help you to resolve your query. Keep sharing your feedback and suggestions to help us improve the quality of our content. Thank you for reading this article.
