Summary: Workflow automation tools have become a must-use software for businesses of all sizes. These tools help businesses to handle tedious tasks, reduce human errors, and improve productivity. Learn what it is, its importance, top tools and how you can implement it.
Every business or organization has a workflow that employees must follow. However, sometimes these tasks can be really time consuming and prone to errors.
Although companies nowadays are using project management tools and Excel to tackle redundant tasks, it is still insufficient. To streamline those tedious tasks, we have been introduced to workflow automation tools.
But what exactly is workflow automation and how do they help businesses? In this blog, we will take a look at its definition, importance and top tools you can use. Moreover, we will also talk about some use cases. So, let’s get started.
In simple terms, workflow automation is defined as the technique that automates repetitive tasks to make the workflow smoother and faster. When you set the rules, automation software can schedule tasks, send emails, start marketing campaigns, and more – without any regular supervision.
Additionally, workflow automation is a way of working that makes things more efficient, saves time, reduces mistakes, and makes people more productive. Let’s understand it better through examples.
Here’s an example of how workflow automation works for marketing agencies.
Suppose you work at a marketing agency, and you send out daily reports to the clients. Instead of compiling the data from multiple sources manually, you can use a workflow platform to create a setup that automatically extracts necessary details, formats it into a report and schedules the mail daily.
This will not only save time and reduce errors but also ensure that your clients receive their reports promptly every day. Furthermore, work flow software can help you with the following:
Now that you have understood what automation is and its importance, let’s discover some of the best workflow management software for automation examples.
ClickUp is all-in-one cloud-based project management tool which includes various workflow automation features. It helps you to easily create and automate routine tasks using process templates. It can automatically assign work, provide reviews, track statuses and much more. ClickUp also integrates with other tools like Slack, Dropbox, GitHub, Bugsnag, etc.
ClickUp offers a free plan and three paid plans.
Jira is no-code automation builder which is an ideal solution for non-technical teams to streamline their tasks. It is good in project and task management and enables teams to assign, track, and create tasks efficiently. The software also offers customizable workflows, enabling businesses to modify it according to their needs.
Just like Jira, Zapier is a no-code drag and drop process making software. You can automate everything-from simple tasks to complex workflows. Moreover, what sets Zapier apart is that it connects with over 5,000 different apps.
Whether you use Gmail, Slack, Trello, or Stripe, Zapier can help you automate tasks for all your business processes.
Zapier offers five types of plans:
Microsoft Power Automate is one of the well-known business process automation tools that helps users automate tasks between different apps and services. It can automate desktop apps, and websites with AI and digital and robotic process automation.
You can sync, gather data, receive notifications, and automate emails or approval requests with Power Automate.
Microsoft power automate offers 3 types of plans:
Kissflow is workflow management software which lets you automate processes and create apps with both low-code and no-code approaches. It can be used for marketing automation, project management, and workflow management.
It offers you an analytics dashboard with an easy-to-use interface. You can check simple reports with basic metrics to see how your automation system is doing or you can create your custom reports.
Kissflow offers two plans:
| Features | ClickUp | Jira | Microsoft Power Automate | Zapier | Kissflow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Project management | Task management | Robotic process automation | Software integrations | Process reporting |
| RPA (Robotic process automation) | No | Limited | Excellent | Limited | No |
| Integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free option | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Starting Pricing | $10/month | $8.15/month | $20/month | $12/month | $1,500/month |
Workflow automation tools have become a must-use software for businesses of all sizes. In fact, a recent study at Zapier stated that over 66% of SMBs rely on automation tools to make their business more efficient.
These tools help businesses handle tedious tasks, reduce human errors, improve productivity and more. Here are some of the reasons why workflow automation is important and why you should consider it.
If routine business operations are automated, your employees are no longer required to waste their time on repeated activities or tasks. This will help organizations simplify the job process, manage their time, improve employee’s performance and productivity.
Humans are prone to errors, and it is natural to encounter issues while working manually especially with a large set of data. With workflow automation, there will be less human touchpoints and minimal scope of mistakes which can help businesses reduce errors and improve accuracy.
When you work in a remote setting, then you probably deal with lots of emails and messages which can get overwhelming. But workflow automation can help by keeping track of your interactions and organizing them neatly.
Automation tools can be customized as per your company workflow, making it goal oriented. This means everyone in the company can work together for better collaboration and communication.
Workflow automation can save costs by reducing labor costs and improving efficiency. For example, automating routine tasks can free up employees to focus on more important tasks, reducing the need for additional staff or overtime pay.
Automated workflows are naturally scalable and adaptable. As businesses grow and evolve, workflow automation can easily handle any changes in volume or work complexity. This scalability ensures that the system remains effective and efficient for evolving needs of organization.
If things are done manually, there’s often no record, and managers might face difficulties while tracking them. Automation tools for workflow management let you create tasks, assign them to employees, and set priorities. This helps recognize each employee’s role and makes everything clear.
You can implement workflow automation by identifying repetitive tasks, analyzing workflow steps, testing the automation and monitoring results. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can implement workflow automation:
The very first step in implementing workflow automation is to identify repetitive tasks and workflows. Check which tasks are good for automation i.e. those which are repetitive manual tasks. Additionally, consider the tasks which are more prone to human errors.
Once you have discovered the tasks for automation, break down the workflow into detailed steps to understand the process clearly. Then identify triggers that can start any specific actions within the workflow.
For example, if you are automating your hiring process, the workflow automation can trigger once someone has applied for a job or sent their resume.
Select the best workflow automation software based on your business needs and the complexity of tasks. Check all the automation rules within the chosen tool and map your trigger accordingly.
Now conduct thorough testing of the automated workflow in your chosen software. Identify and address any issues, errors, or inefficiencies during the testing phase. Also, gather feedback from users involved in the workflow to refine and improve the automation.
Once you have successfully tested your workflow, monitor and measure the results to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Regularly analyze the results and identify areas for improvement.
Workflow automation software is mainly used for software development in IT industries. Below are some of the use cases of workflow automation:
In the end, automation with rules and logic is a great way to make your work easier. It helps organize and customize your tasks and reduce errors. Workflow automation also makes things more reliable, helps you finish tasks quickly and easily, makes employees more accountable, saves money, reduces mistakes, and more.
Every organization has its own way of making tasks easier based on what they need. But work flow software is something every organization should consider.
As your organization gets bigger, you’ll have more things to do. Automation can help with that. So, if you want better results with a more efficient team, workflow automation is the way to go.
Workflow automation can help businesses save time and money, increase productivity, reduce errors, automate manual tasks and more.
Workflow automation is defined as the use of tools to complete repetitive tasks and activities, without the need of human input.
You can create an automated workflow by using automated workflow software, testing your workflow conditions and monitoring them for improvements.
The three basic components of a workflow are input, process and output.
Workflow diagram is known as the graphic overview of business processes. It includes different shapes and sizes and shows the step-by-step process on how your work will be completed.
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