The Importance of Workflow Automation

CIO Review Europe | Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Companies need workflow automation to decrease their dependency on the task management tools that rely on human memory.

FREMONT, CA: Workflow automation allows digital technologies to replace paper-based and manual processes, usually through a single work platform that interacts with current business systems and controls. The tactical goal is to make sure that the right people are working on the right tasks at the right time and that they have all they need to finish their jobs when it is necessary.

Workflow automation refers that businesses should standardize work, ensuring that preset business rules and compliance policies are followed, reducing or eliminating human error and deviation, and providing visibility and transparency at any level of the automated process.

Why You Need Workflow Automation?

In a world where email, telephone, spreadsheets, whiteboards, and Post-It notes influence task and job management, modern companies are dealing with the digital transformation problem of unifying internal and external business communications. These task management tools depend heavily on human memory, rendering them inefficient for collaboration and generating visibility when a worker or decision-maker requires it.

Workflow automation platform helps organizations reduce their dependence on these communications and tracking tools by guaranteeing that all work task information and communications are performed within the platform or by keeping track of communication within the applicable work tasks.

There is far less dependency on human memory or task tracking spreadsheets that may not have been distributed after being modified by a worker elsewhere in the business. Instead, the workflow platform stores this data in a centralized repository that can be shared or accessed by anyone with the necessary permissions (usually utilizing Role-based Permissions).

The Value of Workflow Automation

A workflow automation system is essential because it continuously provides a positive experience for the clients, both external and internal when it comes to the finished work product.

The Primary Benefits of Workflow Automation

The following are some of the main advantages of automating manual workflows and processes:

Increased productivity

Increased visibility into work in almost real-time

Reduction in use of assumptions/feelings and increased use of facts in decision making

Increased data security

Enhanced efficiency

Increased accuracy and reduction in deviations

Granular accountability down to the individual level

The capability to impose meaningful KPIs and generate real-world data for use in process improvement