As a business owner, it's crucial that make sure your organization is equipped with the best tools and tech to streamline your operations, and one of the best places to start is using a workflow management system to automate as much as possible.
Automating business processes eliminates tedious tasks and increases productivity. By automating when possible, team members can avoid wasting the resources, money, and time normally spent performing mundane, repetitive job functions. If you want some assistance with automating your workflows, please consider the following.
Identify Your Business Needs
Identifying your business needs is the first step toward finding a perfect automation system for your organization. Making a list of high-priority functions, features, and requirements for enterprise apps will help you filter through potential options quicker. The idea here is to prioritize what you need and which solutions are most critical to help you develop an efficient, effective plan of action.
Consider the Pros and Cons of Automation Systems
Weighing the pros and cons of candidate systems will help you understand which applications are more beneficial for your organization's specific needs. You can't just go around installing every system that comes your way to verify whether or not it will work!
Instead, take a look at the feature sets of each system and make an informed decision on whether that workflow management system is worth further testing. The following are a good jumping-off point when it comes to the pros and cons you should consider:
Some pros may be:
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- Increased efficiency - are the potential benefits quantifiable?
- Improved transparency and accountability - will you be able to track individual employee data?
- Reduced errors and redundancies - does the system offer solutions specific to your business’s needs?
- Easy management - are you able to perform a quick set up and let it work its magic?
Some cons may be:
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- Maintenance required - how much scheduled (or unscheduled) downtime should you expect?
- Software complexity - will you need to hold multiple trainings to get your team set up?
- IT complexity - will you need a team of IT professionals by your side?
Save Time and Money With Integrations
If you want to make your workflow management system even more efficient, integrating it with other apps and software can take it to the next level. You can use app marketplaces like Workato Marketplace to discover new software and automate tedious tasks at the push of a button.
Focus on Security and Data Sharing
You will want to be sure that the workflow management system you ultimately put in place that offers robust security and data sharing. Look for an automated workflow management system that can lock, encrypt, or delete data according to your needs. You may want to answer the following questions:
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- Does the workflow management vendor have a documented security policy?
- Can you restrict access so that users can only use the parts of the system they are authorized for?
- Is it possible to authenticate using your existing systems, such as Active Directory or another directory service?
- Is Single Sign-On available?
Popular Workflow Management Systems
To get a little more familiar with these systems, here is a quick overview of a couple of popular workflow management systems:
PowerAutomate
Previously called Flow, PowerAutomate Cloud ECM is a secure, simple, and scalable workflow management system that supports all kinds of workflows. It's an ideal solution for managing document-intensive processes with efficiency and scalability. The platform provides a complete suite of apps that include Asset Management, Imaging, Workflow Automation, Paperless Office, Capture, Email Management, and eSignatures.
Zapier
Zapier is an automation tool that enables users to connect their workflow management system with 1,000+ apps including ClickFunnels, Google Drive, Mailchimp, Google Sheets, Google Forms, Outlook, Trello, and more. It's one of the best tools for integrating different software and apps in your workflow management system.
Bottom Line
Workflow automation allows you to automate repetitive tasks, increase operational efficiency, and reduce human error. We hope the tips above are helpful in your quest to implementing a reliable workflow automation system and power increased success at your business.
