Every organisation has some tedious or time-consuming activity that eats up precious resources, hinders employee productivity, and slows the business down. Workflow automation is a way to improve all three of these things by doing two main things:
- Making it easier for employees to do their job by removing manual steps from the process.
- Automating parts of the process that are repetitive, error-prone, or involve multiple people.
Workflow software creates workflows within an application environment where processes can be documented, visualised, automated, governed, and measured.
These applications have workflow components that allow users to define how work should flow between departments or groups through customizable forms. Moreover, A “workflow” is just a series of steps one needs to achieve the desired outcome.
What is Workflow?
In simple words, a workflow is a set of steps or actions that are completed to bring about a final product. In the case of an online business, this may be a customer purchasing a product. This could mean checking out a register after picking up items from the shelf for a traditional brick-and-mortar store.
Workflow is all around us. Just think of the processes you have already completed today! Workflow can include everything from cooking dinner to going grocery shopping. Workflows can also take place in your workplace, whether it’s assembling products on an assembly line or creating marketing materials for clients.
The goal is always to complete tasks as efficiently as possible so that you reach your end goal faster and with fewer complications along the way!
Workflow Examples and Ideas
The following are some specific examples of workflows found in many businesses today. While not all-inclusive, these examples should give you an idea of the different types of workflows that can exist within a company:
Accounts payable workflow automation: This workflow is used to automate paying bills.
The steps include or involved may vary depending on the business but could include:
- Reviewing and approving invoices.
- Assigning payments to specific accounts.
- Printing checks/bank statements.
- Creating reports on spending.
Marketing workflow automation: This type of workflow is used to automate the process of marketing campaigns.
The steps involved could include:
- Creating a project plan.
- Designing the campaign.
- Writing and sending emails/direct mail/phone scripts.
- Analysing the results.
Legal workflow automation: This workflow is used to automate creating and managing legal documents.
The steps involved could include:
- Creating templates for different documents.
- Pulling data from various databases into documents.
- Tracking versions of documents.
- Routing documents for approval.
Insurance workflow automation: This workflow is used to automate issuing insurance policies and claims.
The steps involved could vary depending on the business but could typically include:
- Reviewing customer information.
- Calculating premiums/deductibles.
- Generating policy terms.
- Issuing certificates of insurance.
Government workflow automation: This workflow is used to automate interacting with different government agencies.
The steps involved could vary depending on the business and the agency but could typically include:
- Submitting forms/applications.
- Checking status of applications.
- Receiving approvals/denials.
- Making payments.
Mortgage workflow automation: This type of workflow is used to automate the process of mortgages.
The steps involved could vary depending on the business but could typically include:
- Reviewing customer information.
- Calculating payments/interest rates.
- Generating documents (e.g., mortgage contracts).
- Sending notifications to customers.
Property workflow automation: This workflow is used to automate buying and selling property.
The steps involved could vary depending on the business but could typically include:
- Reviewing customer information.
- Calculating payments/interest rates.
- Generating documents (e.g., purchase contracts).
- Sending notifications to customers.
Clinical workflow automation: This is used to automate providing medical care.
The steps involved could vary depending on the clinic but could typically include:
- Reviewing patient information.
- Ordering tests/medications.
- Generating reports.
- Billing patients.
Education workflow automation: It is used to automate managing educational institutions.
The steps involved could vary depending on the school but could typically include:
- Creating courses/credentials.
- Enrolling students.
- Collecting payments.
- Generating reports.
Contract Management workflow automation: This is used to automate handling contracts for a company.
The steps involved could vary depending on the business but could typically include:
- Creating agreements.
- Storing documents electronically (e.g., Adobe Acrobat).
- Routing documents for approval.
- Tracking versions of documents.
- Notifying parties when milestones are reached.
Key Benefits of Workflow Automation
There are many benefits to its automation, but some of the most notable are:
Increased efficiency: Automating tedious or time-consuming tasks can save time and improve productivity.
Reduced errors: Automated workflows help eliminate human error by taking care of the repetitive tasks that are often the cause of mistakes.
Improved communication: Workflow automation software facilitates communication between departments and employees by providing a central location for all related documents and tasks.
Greater control and visibility: Automated it brings all related information and documentation together in one place, providing control and visibility across multiple departments.
Reduced costs: When tasks are automated, employees need to spend time doing them because software does it automatically. This can also reduce training costs since less time will be spent learning new systems and processes. It’s a win-win state where everyone benefits from this.
How to Implement Workflow Automation
There are many different ways to automate your workflows. Given here are a few tips on how to get started:
- Evaluate your workflows. The first step is to evaluate your current workflows and identify which ones could benefit from automation. Not all it will be suitable for automation, but a few probably could be streamlined.
- Choose the right automation tool. A wide range of automation tools is available, so you need to choose one compatible with your business and goals.
- Create a plan. Once you have chosen an automation tool, you need to create a plan for using it. This plan should include the specific tasks you want to automate and the steps involved in completing each task.
- Test and refine your plan. Once your plan is in place, you need to test it and refine it until it runs smoothly. This process may take some time, but it is vital to ensure that its automation is effective and efficient.
Conclusion
These are just some ideas for workflow automation. Businesses may find other applications that might work better for their needs. The main takeaway is that many companies benefit significantly by automating it using an enterprise content management system (ECM).
Review Workflow Examples And Ideas You Can Automate.