Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Top Features Of An Ideal Automated Workflow Solution

By Peter Sanders


Business can easily solve their operational challenges by automating their business processes. One way of doing this is by using workflow systems. With a proper automated workflow solution, these businesses can effectively manage their routine processes. The bigger challenge, however, is finding the right workflow system that works for their business. This mainly arises because most businesses are not sure about the kind of features that a workflow should have and if those features fit their needs. The worst thing is investing in a system that will cause more challenges than staying without. Considering this situation, here are some of the features that you should consider when choosing your workflow program.

In order to remain relevant, you should always choose cloud-based technology. Cloud-based software is important for any business. Users should have the opportunity to access data, reports, and make approvals from anywhere. Moreover, a cloud-based system will reduce the upfront investments in infrastructure and software updates.

Besides cloud-based technology, you should also look out for a system with WYSIWYG form feature. This will let you design relevant forms because you are able to make adjustments as needed since you can see what they look like. The form designer should not be complex to work with.

Another thing that you have to be keen on is if your processes software allows you to create workflows using business steps, not technical activities. This arrangement fits well with how most process owners think. In most cases, business people would draw a straight line if you were to ask them to sketch the business processes or workflows. This could be different from how programmers would think. A good system should let you think along linear scale while the program handles background stuff.

One way of gaging a good automated workflow system is if it has KPI-based reporting. This is important because you will be able to identify and solve the bottlenecks on each step. Apart from this, your system should be able to send notifications to users through mobile or email about approvals.

One thing you will notice when you start automating businesses processes is that you will experience the urge to automate every other business process. While this might be beneficial from an operational perspective, it can also cause challenges if it is not well managed. So, a good system should have inbuilt SLA status indicators as a way of showing the progress.

In addition to the above features, a good workflow software should also provide a way of managing information to be shared among different users. There is some information that is sensitive in nature and should only be shared among few concerned persons. In such a scenario, a system with customization capabilities will come in handy. The program should let you set the limit on what each person should access.

Essentially, workflows should not be operating independently of other procedures within your organization. For instance, sales reports, calendars, documents, contact details and cash flows are some of the important elements that cannot be separated from the system. Considering this, an ideal system should integrate with other cloud-based services such as QuickBooks, Google Calendar, or SalesForce.




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