Samuel John 21:30 on Jul 23, 2023

What is Workflow?

In organisational management, a workflow is an operational system that manages recurrent procedures and activities implemented in a specific sequence. These sequences are the principal means by which individuals and companies fulfil their objectives, whether that involves creating physical products, delivering services, or processing data.

A workflow can be explained as a simplified group of distinct tasks, whereas a business process involves multiple workflows, computer systems, data, people and their working patterns. One key attribute of a workflow is its simplicity and consistency, usually shown in diagrammatic or list form.

Workflow software streamlines and enhances business processes by coordinating communications among different participants, or between individuals and computer systems. Workflow software also sequences tasks to the appropriate staff at the appropriate moment, offering necessary details, reminders and support to hasten operations. Manual and automated operations, including document control for activities such as expense reports, are supported by workflow management systems.

What are the advantages of workflow automation software, and why is it necessary?

Workflow management is a complex task that involves managing multiple projects, complex teams and problems within a given structure and timeframe. Fortunately, workflow management tools are available that can help to organise ideas and turn them into realities. These tools can automate many daily business processes, resulting in a boost in employee productivity and optimised resource allocation. All of this can be done at a fraction of the time, cost and effort. Here are some of the common processes that can be automated within the business:

• Content management;
• Document management;
• Scheduling and calendar management;
• Human resources and recruiting management;
• Syncing tasks across the team;
• Invoicing.

According to the report of businesswire, the market for workflow automation solutions is expected to is poised to grow strong during the forecast period 2017 to 2027, with the automated solutions segment in particular experiencing the highest level of growth. Workflow automation’s flexibility and scalability has made it a popular choice in business environments where workflow management and data processing are of paramount importance.

According to a Forbes article, workflow automation is a valuable tool for businesses of any size, from small businesses to large enterprises. Automating workflows can help streamline processes, reduce costs and errors, and facilitate seamless business operations. Small businesses and e-commerce companies in particular can benefit greatly from workflow automation as it can help them manage their limited resources more efficiently.

For example, Appy Pie Connect is one of the best workflow automation for small business tools that allows to easily connect different business apps without any coding. Additionally, Zapier is a great tool that helps automate tasks between web apps, allowing small businesses to free up time and focus on their core competencies.

The Advantages of Small Business Workflow Automation to Enhance Growth

The utilisation of software in business automation is an effective method for the streamlining of repeatable, multi-level transactions. This automation system is customised to cater to the specific needs of an organisation, and is also integrated across various enterprise IT systems.

Automation can help with lead and contact management, email marketing, social media marketing, spreadsheets and notifications, standard operating procedures (SOPs), customer relationship management (CRM) systems, appointment scheduling, and more. With the right tools in place, small businesses can save time and money while increasing efficiency and productivity.

Reduce Labour Expenses

Businesses that overlook automation often incur high labour costs by hiring workers for time-consuming tasks with little output. Automating workflows will ease your workload, reduce labour needs, lower business costs, and improve profitability.

Improve Employee Satisfaction

Using automated workflows for tasks like travel reimbursement, vacation approvals, employee onboarding, and more, reduces employee frustration and helps them focus on their core responsibilities. Additionally, dynamic forms with autofill fields obtained from databases prevent the accumulation of incorrect information and ensure accuracy.

Enable Remote Work

Managing remote teams can prove tedious if you don’t streamline your workflows and communication. Automation offers intelligent workflows, document sharing, and real-time visibility of business processes. This way, you can maintain seamless communication and collaboration with your employees irrespective of their location.

Increase Employee Productivity

Automation eliminates the need for employees to manually chase down people or paperwork for approvals and status updates. You can monitor the status of your workflows online, discover bottlenecks through analytics, and improve employee productivity.

More Time for Innovation

With automation freeing up your time from manual tasks, you have room to focus on innovative efforts that facilitate business growth. You could prioritise developing unique offerings, obtaining feedback from customers, conceptualising creative ideas, and exploring new markets.

Automating Processes in Small Businesses: What Can Be Automated?

Manual processes are prone to inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and human error that can negatively impact product quality and customer experiences. On the other hand, automated systems are consistently efficient and scalable. Business Process Management (BPM) can help automate tedious tasks by utilising the technology of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). RPA is suitable for automating repetitive tasks like transaction processing, sending automatic email responses when a customer fills out a request form, and communicating with multiple databases while processing an insurance claim. Any operational process, regardless of industry, can be seen as a workflow consisting of repeatable steps and can be automated.

Employee Onboarding

Employee onboarding can be a tedious process, but automation can help streamline the process and make it easier for everyone involved. Automating employee onboarding involves using software to automate tasks such as creating employee profiles, sending pre-hire paperwork, and tracking progress. Automation also allows you to send surveys and questionnaires to gather feedback from new employees.

Using automated onboarding tools can help ensure that new hires have a proper start at your company. Automation can also improve compliance with regulations and reduce time spent on manual tasks. Additionally, automating your onboarding process makes it easier for new employees or customers to become integrated into your business.

Sick Leaves and Vacation Requests

Automating leave and vacation requests can be a great way to streamline the process for both employees and employers. It can make it easier to track absences, free up your human resources department, and make leave requests quick and painless.

To set up an automated leave management system, you’ll need to start by creating a time-off request form. This form should include all the necessary information such as dates of absence, type of leave, and any other relevant details. Once the form is created, you’ll need to build an approval flow that will allow managers or supervisors to approve or deny the request. This approval flow should also include multiple layers if necessary. Finally, you’ll need to track all forms so that you have a record of who requested what days off and when they were approved or denied.

Invoice Management

Invoicing is a necessary process for most businesses, however, it can damage your reputation and stall important processes if not managed well. By automating your invoicing with templates, quick approvals and payments, and reminder notifications as well as streamlining workflow, departments and employees can have on-time invoices on autopilot.

Employee Training

Training employees is a difficult task, but automation can make it easier. Automated training is workplace learning delivered and efficiently administered through software. It’s important for HR professionals to understand how to automate the training process in order to optimise employee performance and free up time for more meaningful tasks.

When done correctly, automated training can save time and money while also engaging employees and improving training ROI. Automation features make tracking specific training outcomes and qualification expiry dates much simpler, while reducing the need for manual labour. Additionally, automated training allows employees to learn at their own pace and follow a personalised learning path.

How to Automate your Small Business

It is generally advised to begin with a pilot that can yield quick results and involve minimal implementation risks when investing in automation technology:

• To ensure successful implementation of an effective project, it’s imperative that you select a highly valuable and impactful opportunity that will demonstrate significant progress upon completion. Be careful not to choose a project that could lead to potential system breakdowns
• When deciding on the project, approach it with the end goal in mind. Begin with mapping out the desired experience and make sure it’s a front or back-office operation that is critical to your business.

Viewing the major players in your industry, particularly those experiencing rapid growth, can reveal possibilities. Remember, you’re analysing all of their efforts, which could encompass multiple automation initiatives that together achieve a transformative impact. So, select one or two tasks and ensure each is independently beneficial, knowing that the benefits can be exponential as they construct and integrate.

List of Top Workflow Automation Software for Small Businesses

With a plethora of options available, choosing the right fit for your needs can be perplexing. This list of the best small business crm with workflow automation software can simplify that process. Keep in mind the problems you aim to solve while reviewing features, and measure your budget to determine the best fit. Note that most of the software listed offers free lifetime trials with limited functionalities.

SmartTask

SmartTask is a comprehensive work management tool that automates workflows, tracks tasks, and simplifies team collaboration. It integrates with popular platforms like Zapier and Pabbly Connect, making it easy to connect to over 1000 applications.

Portfolio View displays tasks and deadlines for all current projects, and missed deadlines can be automatically rescheduled. Detailed reports can identify hold ups with “Baseline Comparison.” Video meetings can be initiated with team members directly from the chat and task window. Custom charts aid productivity and project management.

Asana

Asana is the app to use when streamlining workflows is a must. Asana’s new Workflow Builder is a visual tool that helps teams with flow, organisation, and project completion all in one place. It also connects seamlessly with popular apps like Microsoft Teams, Trello, and Google Drive.

Asana creates rules to help automate tedious tasks and provides custom templates and workflows to get started. For agile software development teams, Jira is recommended, as it streamlines processes and workflows.

Appy Pie Connect

Appy Pie Connect is a cloud-based workflow automation platform that easily connects different business apps without coding. It helps you automate your business processes, from basic assignments to complex workflows. With its intuitive interface, businesses in manufacturing, logistics, IT services, etc., can create, edit and run automated tasks and workflows. Appy Pie Connect is an award-winning App with integration solutions for Zoom, Slack, Teams, and more.

Wave

Despite the competition in the SaaS industry, Wave Financial remains a classic choice of workflow automation saas for small businesses. It stands out with its unlimited service model, and offers free accounting tools, including invoicing, payroll, tax calculations, and more. It’s the perfect no-strings-attached software for small businesses.

CMW Platform

CMW Platform is a low-code business process management software that automates workflows, optimises business processes, and models business architecture using visualisations rather than coding. With its drag-and-drop simplicity, it empowers business people to create the applications they need. Apart from the graphical process engine, it includes web forms automation, task and project management, and flexible reports and analytics for informed decision-making. With multi-tier Service Oriented Architecture, it provides guaranteed reliability. Integrations with Microsoft Outlook, Salesforce, DocuSign, Slack, and other third-party software happen via fully Open API.