This is where a BPMS comes into play. Managing your business processes can never get easier than this. You can review, track, monitor, and improve your business processes with BPMS.

Now, what is BPMS, and why is it important for your business? Read on to know. 

What is BPMS?

BPMS stands for “Business Process Management System” or “Business Process Management Software” which can significantly improve the efficiency of business processes. Let us first understand the meaning of BPMS. A BPMS is an automation tool that helps analyze, model, implement, and monitor business processes.

BPM’s main focus is to identify the vulnerabilities in everyday business practices that cost time and money for the business and to control them. BPMS helps streamline the process of business operations and improve cross-team collaboration and communication. In the process of improving the operational efficiency of the business, the quality of customer service is also improved. 

BPMS creates an infrastructure that promotes business agility, flexibility, scalability, and adaptability. The key advantage of BPMS is that its users have the opportunity to play an active part in the improvement of business processes using simple and intuitive tools. Before creating automated BPM workflows, processes need to be documented so that areas for improvement can be identified.

BPMS can be used to create process models and reviewed by stakeholders for an accurate depiction of the process. The most common format that business process models published is business process mapping notation (BPMN). 

Where can common BPMS solutions be applied?

BPMS is mostly applied to processes in an organization that are repeatable, carried out on a regular basis, and have predictable outcomes. Some common uses for BPMS are enhancing the productivity of business functions like purchase order process, content marketing, finance and accounting, and HR and Admin.

All these processes, when managed using archaic methods lack the visibility and transparency required to know which stage the project/process is in. The lack of visibility makes it difficult for managers to understand what is happening at each step and how well the team is performing. The methodology of BPM helps organizations optimize their performance by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their business processes. 

The use cases of business process management systems are endless and keep increasing as different business ideas emerge. BPM is often considered to be the same as BPMS. BPM is a practice carried out by people, while BPMS is a set of technical resources that help practitioners achieve their goals. To produce better performance, organizations leverage BPM to streamline their processes and process automation to automate tasks that are repeatable in nature and produce predictable outcomes. 

Organizations that wish to maximize efficiency by enhancing process management and encouraging collaboration between individuals, procedures, and information systems, go for automation using BPM tools.

Business Process Management System (BPMS) Works in 5 Stages

1. Process definition and analysis

A process may be considered as a sequence of activities that are executed in a specified order to obtain a specific result. Before we automate workflows, we need to first define and document the process. Process documentation requires collaboration and planning amongst stakeholders to figure out the most efficient and suitable actions for fulfilling the task. Process flows can be recreated within a BPMS and reviewed by relevant personnel to ensure that the process is effectively portrayed. 

2. Process design (development)

Once the process has been defined and documented, it becomes easy to determine the most efficient way to improve process outcomes. The new process can be built with a process designer tool like Cflow. The visual process designer in Cflow makes it simple and quick to create process workflows. The process can be defined based on a set of rules and elements provided in the visual process builder. Designing a process based on BPM is of great advantage as it enables the user to make amendments to the weak areas before implementation. 

3. Automation

Automation is the means by which a process is performed with minimal human intervention. Automation of process workflows helps businesses better manage and optimize their workflows. Creating automated workflows involves assembling actions and inputting the mechanisms that drive these actions, with the help of visual workflows that mimic the behavior of the business process.

Ideally, tasks that are repetitive, produce predictable outcomes, and require no human intelligence, are the ones best suited for automation. The primary aspect of process automation is offloading most of the rote work and task management to a BPM solution programmed with business rules and automated triggers.

4. Analytics

BPMS tools offer multiple levels of reporting or the ability to integrate with reporting tools for gathering process performance analytics. Reports based on key performance indicators provide insights into process performance and the performance of teams and individuals. Analytics of process data is useful in identifying process inefficiencies and operational bottlenecks. Armed with analytics data, managers can take corrective measures to improve process performance. 

5. Measurement

As with any business improvement effort, measurement with BPM automation is critical. It is important to first decide on what to measure. While deciding this, you need to bear in mind not to take an unscripted approach that catalogues a wish list of KPIs. Taking this approach results in too long a list of KPIs, KPIs that provide low business value, or KPIs that are not aligned with high-level business objectives. KPIs must be SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

BPM Suite Versus BPMS

A BPM suite and BPMS are often assumed to be the same thing. There are, however, some subtle differences between the two. A BPM suite is a set of integrated tools for the design, execution, and management of a process. A BPMS on the other hand is a platform that runs processes. 

BPMS may be considered as a foundation for building a BPM suite. A BPMS does not have all the capabilities for running a business efficiently. A BPM suite offers a wide range of capabilities that help you manage the entire process lifecycle – from planning through execution and optimization. Advanced features like automation and analytics are offered by BPM suites to personalize customer experiences across digital channels. 

BPMS are the platforms that run processes. They provide the tools to manage and automate business processes, by allowing users to take advantage of BPM benefits. BPMS provides the infrastructure that supports BPM and associated tools. It supports process modelling, workflow automation, and complex event processing. 

BPMS provides tools for managing the development and maintenance of business process models, while a BPM suite integrates both systems to create an end-to-end solution for automating the entire organization’s workflow. 

Types of BPMS Solutions

When choosing a BPMS for your organization, it is important to know the types of BPMS available to make the right choice. There are mainly two types of BPMS, enterprise BPMS, and open-source BPMS.

Enterprise BPMS

This is typically an on-premise solution that is used by large organizations for managing complex enterprise-level business processes and requirements. These solutions provide a high degree of flexibility and customization to business processes. Enterprise BPMS solutions require more time and effort to implement and maintain. 

Open source BPMS

The open-source alternative to enterprise BPMS can cost much less than commercial products. Outright purchases of these solutions can be done instead of paying per-user licenses or annual or monthly subscriptions. These solutions are more customizable compared to their commercial counterparts because they are built from scratch instead of being derived from prebuilt components like those used in proprietary software platforms. 

There is another classification of BPMS based on the processes they handle – Integration-centric, Human Centric, and Document Centric. Integration-centric BPMS handles processes that require minimal or no human interaction, and it depends on the integration of computer and internet-based apps.

Document-centric BPMS handles process documentation and approvals. Multiple approvals at each point of the workflow are characteristic of this type of BPMS. Human-centric BPMS is a more direct approach where humans make important decisions at each step of the workflow. A visual interface guides them in the decision-making process. 

Why is BPMS Important for your Business?

A business process management system improves and optimizes processes systematically. Processes that can derive maximum benefit by implementing BPMS include – HR, Sales, Compliance management, Employee Onboarding, Project management, Procurement, and Finance.

Who can use BPMS?

Irrespective of the type and size of the business, processes are the core. So, a BPMS can be used by any kind of business to automate processes and streamline operations. 

Now, why is BPMS important for your business? To remain competitive and sustain in today’s super competitive business environment, businesses need to perform at optimal levels – every single time! Sticking to archaic manual methods of managing and running a business may seem simple and cost less, but in reality, they are eating into productivity and business budgets.

Here are 5 reasons why BPMS is important for your business

1. Enhances Team Collaboration

BPMS boosts internal communication within teams. It helps the team coordinate multiple functions between employees in different business units. Sharing information across various business functions is a breeze with BPMS. Department silos are broken down and decision-making is accelerated by a BPMS. Both internal collaboration between employees, and external between the organization, stakeholders, and customers, are enhanced by BPMS.

2. Simplifies process improvement

Business processes need to be reviewed and improved on a regular basis for optimal business performance. Especially in businesses that grow rapidly, processes have to adapt to changing requirements. And if you are going to rely on traditional methods, you are going to be left behind in the rat race.

BPMS brings in the flexibility and adaptability required for adapting to changing/growing business environments. Moreover, the review of processes to identify redundancies and inefficiencies is greatly simplified by BPMS. You can adapt quickly and deliver a superior customer experience when you have a BPMS. 

3. Improves employee satisfaction

An organization that does not engage its employees or underutilizes their potential is at risk of attrition and slowdown. When employees are made to work on rote tasks that do not utilize their potential, it is natural that they feel dejected and frustrated with their work. Employees who are stuck in such a boring and monotonous work pattern either leave the organization or perform poorly. BPMS automates rote and low-value processes so that employees can focus on important, strategic work that makes them feel valued and utilizes their skills optimally. 

4. Optimizes process performance

When redundant steps in a process are eliminated, what remains is a process that performs optimally! This is what BPMS does to business processes. By automating repetitive steps in a process, BPMS streamlines the process for maximum efficiency. Consistency of the process is also greatly improved by implementing a Business Process Management System. 

5. Reduces errors and inaccuracies

Business functions like finance and accounting involve a lot of data validation and updation. When an employee skims through huge volumes of data, the chances of mistakes and overlooks are higher. When such data-intensive processes are automated, the error margins are significantly lower. By eliminating the human element from tedious data handling processes, accuracy, and reliability increase exponentially.

Where Does BPMS Add Value?

As mentioned earlier, business processes that are repeatable and produce predictable outcomes are best suited for BPMS. Let us look at some of the common processes that can benefit from BPMS. 

Purchase order process

Fulfilling purchase orders is quite a tedious process, necessary details can get lost wrong invoices could be paid, or there could be a mismatch between the PO and Invoice. BPMS can take care of such issues. From the creation of the purchase order to approval; from order processing to payment – BPMS ensures seamless processing of purchase orders by automating tasks. 

Healthcare management

Admission and discharge in a healthcare facility happen hundreds per day. The admission process involves several stages where information needs to be gathered, recorded, and shared. A business process management documentation System can simplify the admission and discharge process by automating data gathering and management, for a stress-free experience for the patient and the hospital. 

Content marketing

The seemingly straightforward content marketing process is much more complex and longer than what meets the eye. There are several stages in this process: writing content to match the brief, reviewing and editing content, designing, publishing, and monitoring content performance. BPMS ensures a smooth flow from one stage to another and helps spot and rectify redundancies and inefficiencies. 

7 Important Benefits of BPMS

By now you must have got a hand in how BPMS improves business performance. What are the benefits of BPMS? 

1. Boosts process efficiency and productivity by automating rote tasks
2. Minimizes process cost and reduces execution time by cutting out redundant steps
3. Improves agility and flexibility of business processes
4. Strengthens regulatory compliance of business processes
5. Increases profitability by eliminating redundant steps
6. Deepens visibility across the process
7. Increases security of process data by providing role-based access.

Must-Have Features of a Common BPMS

Choosing the right BPMS for your business can be tricky. We have put together a list of must-have features of BPMS to help you make the decision. 

Visual workflow builder

The main reason you go for BPMS is to improve process efficiency. The Business Process Management System tool must be user-friendly, with drag-and-drop functionality for creating workflows. Integrating business rules with workflows must be a simple and quick process. Ample process modeling options, easy definition of sub-processes, easy task delegation and escalation, and seamless integration with third-party apps, are some of the features that the workflow builder must have. 

Role-based access

Process data must be handled with utmost safety and security. Access to sensitive information must be restricted to relevant users only. The Business Process Management System must provide role-based access to data to prevent any misuse of data. 

Process monitoring dashboard

The Business Process Management System dashboard must provide robust process monitoring capabilities that enable users to stay on top of process execution, status, and any performance issues. Restarting a specific process or deploying new processes, or clearing bottlenecks must be an easy and quick task.

Alerts and notifications

Stakeholders of the process must be duly alerted and notified of any pending tasks from their end. They should not have to plow through their inboxes to locate email trails for approvals or review. 

Third-party integrations

Automation of a process requires integration with third-party applications. The BPMS must support seamless integration with third-party applications, without causing any disruption in process execution or loss of data. 

Advance reporting and analytics

The BPMS platform must provide advanced reporting and analytics features that enable process owners to be updated on performance. 

Top BPMS Platforms for 2023

• Cflow
• Appian
• Bizagi 
• Genpact
• Pegasystems 
• IBM

Challenges of BPMS

Any big transformation comes with risks and challenges, it is the same with BPMS adoption and implementation. The biggest challenge is the reliability of the software. Some of the common BPMS challenges are listed below – 

Maintenance and upgrade – Most of the traditional code-driven BPMS platforms are hard to maintain and upgrade. They need in-house talent and extensive training to maintain and decode. 

Complex features – BPMS platforms usually come with multiple complex features that users don’t understand and most probably do not use either. 

Conclusion

As businesses continue to grow rapidly, the need for efficient and optimized processes increases proportionally. As per a Market Research Report by the iMac group, the Global business process management market which was valued at 13.3 billion USBs in 2022, is expected to reach 24.5 billion USBs by 2028. Traditional Business Process Management System systems impede business growth with their code-driven approach to process management.

Cloud-BPM solutions like Cflow overcome all these challenges by removing the dependency on coding and bringing in easily adaptable, understandable, and usable no-code visual workflow designers. Give your business the advantage of no-code cloud BPM.

Sign Up and try Cflow for free to see the difference.

The post What is BPMS? (Business Process Management System) appeared first on Cflow.

Marketing workflow automation frees up your time from mundane, time-consuming marketing activities, so you can focus on other tasks that enable better conversions and deliver superior customer experience. This blog focuses on what a marketing automation workflow is, examples of marketing automation, and top marketing automation examples to consider for your business.  

What is a Marketing Automation Workflow?

A clear understanding of marketing workflows is a must before we get into improving these workflows. In simple words, a marketing workflow is a series of tasks or activities that the team needs to perform in order to complete a task or an asset. Depending on the nature of marketing activities in the organization, these workflows can either be simple or complex.

A simple workflow is usually a sequential one where one task’s output is the trigger for the subsequent task. A complex workflow on the other hand is usually parallel tasks and several tasks are covered at a time. Simplicity or complexity of the workflow depends on the task, volume of work, and size of the team. A streamlined marketing workflow software allows the team to be more effective and productive. They help teams work better, faster, and more efficiently. 

Marketing workflows can be effectively streamlined when repetitive and low-value tasks are automated. A marketing automation workflow means automation of certain marketing tasks that are repetitive and predictive in nature and do not require human intelligence for execution.

Marketing automation workflows consist of a set of steps that are performed automatically once the triggers for each task have been set out in a tool or app. An automated workflow goes from one step to another based on preset triggers. Triggers are nothing but certain actions performed by the user or the marketing team.

When marketing automation workflows are created, you ensure a better and more consistent customer experience. According to a social media survey, automated marketing workflows can create a more segmented and personalized customer experience with 46% higher open rates.

A personalized customer experience in turn leads to higher conversion rates, increased lead generation, and a higher return on investment. The best part is that along with happy customers and more effective marketing, automation also frees the team from low-value, time-consuming tasks. 

Marketing workflow automation makes use of technology to automate tedious manual tasks in the workflow. Automation software typically uses conditional business rules and triggers to execute tasks in a predetermined sequence.

A workflow automation software like Cflow uses visual elements to create a workflow, which eliminates the need for complex coding for building marketing workflows. The visual form builder in Cflow allows users to create a workflow in a stepwise manner with complete details of the automation that occurs at each point of the workflow. 

A streamlined marketing automation workflow helps you automate marketing tasks by arranging individually automated marketing tasks into a series of ordered steps that make your marketing campaigns more effective. Marketing automation when done right helps you save time, avoid mistakes, and move potential customers down the marketing funnel faster. 

Synergy of Marketing and Operations

The marketing function is closely associated with operations. Marketing workflows can be extremely powerful and useful to the team in saving time and effort, but they need to be created with much forethought and precision. The marketing team and operations team need to work closely to build robust workflows. Creating a vision for customer experience is for the marketing team, while technical and operational expertise is required to automate the process. When operational realities are made an important part of the marketing vision, it becomes easy for teams to get creative and find the best alternative. 

Need for Automating Marketing Workflows

Workflow automation allows teams to increase efficiency by reducing the amount of time spent on manual tasks in the marketing workflow. Workflow automation is the best alternative when the volume of tasks is more than the availability of resources, or if things are falling through the cracks because you don’t have time to personally guide accounts from one step to the next. Moreover, automation makes it easier for operations and marketing teams to work together. 

Workflow automation saves time for marketing teams by creating a repeatable and predictable marketing experience. Rather than focusing on what the next step would be every time a customer takes an action, an automated workflow would have mapped out the course and decided what comes next. Marketing workflow tools take a proactive approach to managing marketing workflows. 

How to create Marketing Automation Workflows?

Automating marketing workflows offers several benefits to the team, but implementing these flows can be intimidating for the teams. The amount of time, effort, and money required for implementing marketing workflows can be overwhelming for marketing teams. However, the right workflow automation tool can help you set up workflows easily and quickly. Before getting into details on automating the workflow, let us first understand the key components of an automated workflow. 

Triggers

A trigger is an action or event that instructs your technology that it is time to move on to the next step. Typically, user actions or periods of inactivity are triggers in the workflow. Triggers can be chosen from form submission, clicking on a link in an email, or making a purchase. 

Actions

Typically, in programming terms, the trigger is the “If” condition, and the action is the “then” condition. The action taken by the marketing platform in response to the trigger is programmed by the automation tool. For example, when someone opens an email (trigger), then (action) your system sends a follow-up email 24 hours later. 

Conditions

Conditions in the workflow are essentially characteristics that must be in place for the system to complete the triggered action. For example in a marketing automation workflow, the trigger is usually a customer completing a purchase, and the action is to send them a discount code for next time only if the initial purchase was for $50 or more.

In this example, the user must perform the trigger action and meet the conditions for the follow-up action to happen. Conditions exist to set guardrails around automation to ensure that the action is only triggered under the right circumstances. Bidirectional conditions work in two ways; if the condition is met then they receive one message; if the condition is not met, they receive another message. 

Time controls

These controls are also referred to as flow controls. Time controls are used to determine when precisely an action is taken. When time controls are customized according to the workflow, most of the automated marketing tasks are executed on a delay. The delay could be as short as a few minutes to as long as days, or even weeks. 

Points to bear in mind while creating a marketing automation workflow are – 

• A trigger instructs the system about the action that needs to be taken
• Conditions are like guardrails that ensure that the action taken is appropriate for this contact and situation
• Time controls or flow controls determine when the action is taken
• The action engages with the contact to deepen and continue the relationship

The best thing about marketing automation is that after the action is taken, the user has an opportunity to set off the trigger. Setting off the new trigger sets the next step of their customer experience into motion. When customer experience improves, it ultimately leads to higher customer retention and higher revenue. 

Creating a marketing automation flow should be done with all the points in mind. Workflow automation software usually offers a range of ready-to-use workflow templates for common scenarios. These templates can be customized as per the requirements of the business. 

Creating marketing workflows can be done more effectively when the following points are included in marketing automation workflows. 

Segmenting your audience

Segmenting the audience makes sure that the right message is delivered to the right person, at the right time. Segmentation of the target audience allows the marketing team to create much more personalized campaigns. Instead of sending standardized emails to every one of the target audiences, email communication can be tailored based on the recipients. Factors like location, demographics, browsing and purchasing history, the likelihood that they stay subscribed to the business, or the volume of purchases with you, must be considered for segmenting the audience. 

Automation triggers

What triggers the marketing automation workflow is the most important aspect to consider while setting automation triggers. Triggers will vary based on workflows, such as:

• Filling out the sign-up form, triggering the welcome email
• Adding an item to the cart and leaving, triggering a cart abandonment workflow
• Visiting a specific product page, triggering a product abandonment workflow

A/B testing

Creating messages is the first step in marketing workflows. The next step is to check whether they resonate with your audience. A/B testing is the most effective way to verify which piece of content appeals more to visitors/viewers. It is better to have two versions of communication running at the same time to ascertain which one performs better. A number of variables like CTAs, Subject lines, personalization of content, and body content, must be tested to see which drives the most open, click, or order rates. For SMS campaigns the open and click rates can be monitored. A/B testing allows marketing teams to monitor which channel drives the highest overall rate of completed orders on your store pages. 

Communication channels

Using more than one communication channel for marketing increases sales significantly. Statistics show that marketers that used 3 or more channels in a campaign had an order rate 494% higher than those using single-channel campaigns, even better-incorporating push messages drove a 614% higher order rate. Marketing teams can get creative on how to implement multiple channels into your campaigns. One way is to send an email with an offer and follow up with an SMS if the recipient hasn’t opened it within 2 hours. 

10 Best Examples of Marketing Automation Workflows

Let us consider marketing automation workflow examples to understand marketing automation better. Exploring what marketing automation examples help in designing effective marketing workflows for various tasks in the marketing process. 

1. Welcome automation workflow

The welcome workflow is triggered when a user subscribes to a product or a service. A welcome email is the first communication that a new subscriber receives after signing up. The average open rate of welcome emails is 30.69% more than 202% higher than usual email campaigns. Welcome emails can be individual messages or a series of messages, and we usually see a series of 3 emails to generate better results. Some popular ideas for welcome email content are –

• Company’s story
• Showcasing products
• Special offer or discount
• Reviews from existing customers
• Invitation to social media handles

2. Page abandonment workflows

The page abandonment workflow is triggered when browsers leave important pages. Page or browse abandonment workflows help you re-engage visitors who look through your website without taking action. The goal of this workflow is to bring back visitors to the website to recapture lost conversions. This workflow is an effective way of engaging visitors, and if they do buy the product/service, they will also be sent an order confirmation email that would fuel further engagement and interest in the brand. 

3. Product abandonment Automation Workflow

The product abandonment workflow is triggered when the visitor lands on a specific product page only. This workflow is similar to the above workflow, with the only difference being that emails are sent for specific products only. A browser abandonment email on the other hand is broader and is sent on a general basis. Product abandonment workflow is triggered when particular pages have been viewed, hence, highly targeted messages that highlight product features or customer reviews are sent to prospects. 

4. Cart abandonment workflow automation

This workflow is triggered when visitors add a product to their cart, but abandon the purchase. This is one of the most popular marketing automation workflows that is capable of generating substantial revenue. This workflow uses a mixture of communication channels like emails, SMS, exit-intent pop-ups, and retargeting campaigns on Google, to remind visitors of the items in the cart and also help them overcome their hesitation. 

5. Order confirmation workflow automation

This workflow is triggered once the visitor completes the transaction. Order confirmation emails are the most effective in open and click-through rates. This is mainly because the person who has made the purchase expects the email that includes details of the order and the estimated date of delivery. The customer uses these emails for reference to check on the price, date of delivery, and delivery address. To make this workflow more effective, include the following best practices – 

• Include order timeline and set expectations for each step from the order being processed to delivery
• Include details on the best-selling products that other buyers consider
• Include upsells and cross-sells that prompt the customer to pair other items with the order

Order confirmation workflow can be expanded into a larger marketing workflow by sending additional emails that guide the user through care tips for product usage, the best way to pair with other items, or cross-sell related products.

6. Shipping confirmation workflow automation

It is triggered when the order is shipped to the delivery address. This workflow is a relatively short one that consists of a single message that informs the buyer that the order has been sent. The scope of this workflow can however be expanded by replacing the order confirmation series of workflows with an automated email workflow that follows shipping confirmation.

Informing the buyer that the item is on its way is a great time to prepare them for its arrival tips. Apple does this part really well by offering help on trading in or recycling older Apple devices or sharing FAQs and advice on setting setup. 

7. Upselling or Cross-selling workflow automation

The segmentation rules of customers based on their purchase behaviour are what trigger this workflow. The main advantage of this workflow that appeals most to customers is that the buyer already trusts you (because a product/service has already been purchased), and the recommended items are closely related to what has been purchased already.

Upselling is when you encourage the customer to buy a similar item but a higher-end version of the product they are considering. While cross-selling is about encouraging the customer to buy something that complements their purchase. Customer segmentation is the primary basis for upselling and cross-selling workflows.

8. Lead nurture workflow

This workflow guides contacts through a longer buying cycle. This is a very important automation workflow that uses actions to assign user attributes and trigger the most appropriate marketing messages. Communication channels like emails, and SMS marketing are popularly used for lead nurturing. For smoother lead nurture marketing systems must be closely integrated. 

9. Re-engage workflow automation

This workflow is triggered when inactivity is detected at the visitor’s end. Re-engaging with contacts who have stopped interacting with you is an important marketing strategy that helps expand the customer base. The trigger for this workflow can be set based on how many days since the contact last engaged, or how many emails they have received but not opened. Such triggers tell the automated system to start sending messages designed to reach and reactivate inactive users. 

10. New customer onboarding workflow

The manner in which a new customer is onboarded can be pivotal in retaining them. Right from the welcome message to messages updating them on new products to messages containing use and care tips, are all part of the onboarding workflow. An effective onboarding workflow ensures the working relationship runs smoothly. 

Conclusion

Marketing workflow automation is key to lead conversion, lead nurturing, and keeping customers engaged. A well-designed workflow for marketing automation helps the team go about their activities with ease and plan their strategies more effectively. Automating the marketing workflow with a no-code workflow automation solution like Cflow is the best way to set up marketing workflows. To learn more, sign up for the free trial. 

The post Better Conversions and Stronger Customer Relationships with Marketing Workflow Automation appeared first on Cflow.

Do you know why? Ever come across accurate pop-ups and relevant ads for the thing that you have searched for online on a social media platform? Doesn’t it feel like we and our personal interests are being tracked and predicted by digital platforms? Of course! All our data is being collected and utilized for promotional purposes.

Does this happen with our consent? Maybe or maybe not! Yes, that is the catch here, sometimes it is you who affirms the platforms to get access to your private data; while in some cases, you are automatically into the trap of your data being used for creating targeted experiences though you intend not to share.

Data privacy is becoming a major concern in this millennium and hence is the rapidly expanding realm of data privacy regulations. It is overwhelming for the corporate/ privacy management teams to keep up with the fast-evolving compliance policies. Manual data privacy protection remains inefficient to scale with such evolving compliance requirements. Data privacy automation is the key to being able to adapt to these shifting regulatory landscapes according to the organization’s needs.

This blog aids you in knowing the importance of data privacy by highlighting the risks associated with data breaches. It also emphasizes enforcing data privacy automation to efficiently comply with the security policies.

What is Data Privacy?

Data privacy refers to the appropriate handling of user/ sensitive data that is collected, stored, analyzed, or processed for any of your business processes. Data privacy is an act involved in data protection where individuals have control over their data (how and what data can be collected, stored, and utilized).

This process ought to be proper and obliged to comply with legal requirements like GDPR, CCPA, CPPA, HIPAA, POPIA, or GLBA  as an act of data protection. To be simple, data privacy is the regulatory measure to make organizations abide by compliance and realize that they should care about consumer data and act responsibly about giving consumers their rights/choices about using/sharing/deleting the data upon request.

What is Data Privacy Management/Automation?

Knowing why privacy is so important will help you know the importance of data privacy automation. The use of technology to efficiently and effectively enforce and manage data privacy practices and strategies in an organization, is termed as data privacy automation.

Data privacy involves the implementation of data privacy policies with defined plans and strategies: adding automation techniques like workflows to the equation makes data privacy management effective and streamlined in your organization. Data privacy automation aids in streamlining the tasks involved in data privacy management and also in ensuring that those policies comply with legal regulations and individual privacy rights.

Data privacy automation streamlines the activities to protect user data so that the organization never fails to comply with the defined privacy regulations. Data privacy automation sheds light on a few aspects involved in data privacy management like individual rights on consent, purpose and data limitation, notice, and revealing identity.

Every user/ individual has their own privacy limits and organizations ought to respect them. Individuals can have control over their data being collected or utilized i.e. users have the right to provide informed consent on how their data should be collected, how it should be stored/processed, and for what, etc. 

Users also have controls to define the purpose of what their data is specific and legitimate to use.

They can also allow for minimal necessary or relevant data to be collected or detained. Individuals have the right to reveal their identity or not while data collection or utilized in other activities. In some cases, users have the right to access their private data and delete or edit them as they see fit.

Usually, data privacy is governed by legal regulatory bodies and not complying with them poses severe legal risks or penalties. There are multiple regulatory bodies across the world and it is a must for your organization to be compliant with the regulatory body in the country or region in which you are conducting your business. 

In general, every organization is expected to abide by both global and regional regulatory advisories. Here are some well-known regulatory bodies involved in data security or data privacy management.

GDPR– stands for General Data Protection Regulation and is primarily defined by the European Union (EU).  This legislative body provides guidance on how the data should be collected and processed.

HIPAA– stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This advisory was formulated in 1996 for the US region and specifically poses guidance over data regarding medical information.

OCC– stands for Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. This advisory body is formulated to oversee the execution of legal policies of the national banks in the US.

PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security which is a framework built to handle credit cards.

Key Components of Data Privacy Automation

Automated Data Mapping

For decades, there have been practices of manual data mapping which was a tiring process of filling numerous forms and checkboxes. Privacy is very important to be handled with checkboxes. Though there are aspects of checkbox compliance in manual data mapping like unsubscribing/opt-out, and managing the consent for cookies,  these serve as a necessary data protection measure it’s not sufficient in this data-rich world.

Automated systems help you differentiate the sensitive data in your data pools by looking into the context (while manual methods look into the content) and documenting them based on the individual’s preferences. Automation tools like workflow Apps help organizations build and maintain a comprehensive data collection where user consent over their data to be shared/deleted/sold is effectively taken care of.

Consent & Preference Management

Consent keeps privacy management alive. Getting consent from the user helps you build trust but automated systems extend this in a way of automating and providing dedicated mechanisms for every consent or preference. These automated systems eliminate confusion by capturing and recording consent, managing consent preferences, and providing mechanisms for individuals to revoke their consent if needed.

Data Protection & Privacy Impact Assessments ( DPIAs & PIAs): 

With these tech-enabled assessments, organizations identify and address privacy risks associated with new data entry in your data lakes and their changes. This automated assessment technique helps organizations address the issue of losing data that has occurred at multiple places or in multiple formats without the need for manual paper forms.

Data Subject Access Rights Management: 

Individual preferences vary from user to user and with the organization too. Some would prefer sharing their data with a third party while some like to delete the shared content. Such regulations aid organizations in granting the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict the processing of their personal data. Automating DSAR will free up resources and help them focus on other value-added tasks.

Privacy Policy/ Audits  Management:

An automated environment aids organizations in having control over their environment and staying up-to-date about regulatory requirements. The automated insights are so intuitive that aid organizations in maintaining transparency about their ongoing privacy policies, their version aiding individuals to stay up-to-date about their data handling. Automation in privacy audits is initiated with reports and insights over other data breaches and privacy-related incidents.

Automated systems aid organizations to proactively manage privacy risks, streamline privacy-related processes, and demonstrate process compliance with regulatory requirements. Such key features enable efficient and effective management of data privacy, reducing manual effort and improving overall data protection practices.

Importance of Data Privacy Automation

In this data-driven world, everyone is concerned about their data being mishandled or shared in the dark world. At this point, an organization that truly cares and takes ownership of user data privacy protection can stay on the top with the vigor of competitive excellence.

Apart from consumers being comfortable with such organizations sharing their data, the compliance regularities portray the laws that should be enforced to maintain trust at both ends.

Data is so dynamic that it becomes obsolete before you even start practicing the regulatory measure with manual protocols. Automation systems are structured and efficiently navigate through the implemented data privacy regulations on your premises. Data privacy automation helps to bid goodbye to fines, penalties, and sanctions for non-compliance. 

Manual data privacy practices are unviable with fast-changing data which can even damage your organization’s reputation by eroding customer trust making you lose business opportunities hindering your viable growth.

Violating a law can be easy but the outcome is not going to be easy to handle with legal penalties, huge settlements, or loss of your business license. The data privacy automation system works with advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) so they are able to differentiate the sensitive data by knowing both the content and context. This can prevent organizations from dealing with any non-compliance risks that are capable enough to disrupt the business operation and limit growth and market access.

Implementing an effective data privacy automation system is the need of the hour to stay vibrant and build your business reputation.

Data Privacy Vs Data Security

Data privacy focuses on individual rights to their private data and takes effective measures to safeguard them. However, data security focuses on any vulnerabilities/threats or breaches of the data. Data security employs the required tools and techniques to avoid any unauthorized access to the data or misuse. It safeguards data against any vulnerability and strives to ensure confidentiality and integrity.

Here is an instance to help you better understand. You might have encountered a situation where your inbox is being bombarded with irrelevant ad campaigns/newsletters. And you realize there are no choices of opting out or unsubscribing? Do you realize what would be done before? Probably you could have shared your data with an organization that never cares about user privacy. But sometimes, the same scenario could be in control when you find an unsubscribe button or checkbox letting you give consent for how the data should be handled. Thanks to the data privacy regulations!

Some organizations even care to protect their user data from vulnerabilities and data breaches. They should encrypt all their sensitive data so any malware attacks would fail to capture and utilize such protected data. Thanks to data security compliance! 

Benefits of Automation of Data Privacy

With data privacy automation you are entitled to avail the benefits such as:

• Your organization is user-preferred in terms of data privacy and security.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the journey of the data throughout the organization.
• All the nuances of data privacy are documented and monitored. i.e. what is being collected, stored, shared, deleted, edited or even sold/purchased, and how is it handled? etc.
• Ensured data handling and its alignment with compliance policies and security measures.
• Automated data discovery to remediation for building a data-safe business model where data is assessed for risk and protection throughout its lifecycle to automate data privacy compliance model.
• Insights and reports on handled breaches and incidents so that you can automate redaction and segregate sensitive data from the data pool/lakes.

Best Practices in Implementing  Data Privacy Workflow Solutions

Privacy workflow solutions enable businesses to keep up pace with the implemented regulatory measures and mitigate their financial rivals from government investigations and fines. Automated privacy workflow solutions facilitate easy and deeper audit trails with proper tracking and insightful reports on your data privacy practices.

• Specify your data privacy and security policies aligning with the regulatory measures and let the privacy workflow(automation) spin the wheel for the rest.
• Ensure the privacy policies adhere to both global and regional/local regulatory laws. Build a model where neither data privacy nor data security is compromised.
• Check the data privacy readiness of your model. 
• Score your model on some criteria like user content/ notice for cookies, risk management, data access request, right to be forgotten, data sharing control, PII management (Personal Identifiable Information), and data processing record management.
• Make sure the automated system is autonomous to build customer trust and adhere to regulatory requirements.
• Build an automated privacy workflow that automates data discovery, data security enforcement, and safe sharing, and takes account of sensitive/ customer volunteered data without failing to impose the individual’s preferences. 
• Make your workforce aware of the implemented privacy regulation and the privacy workflow and train them accordingly.
• Enforce RBAC (Role Based Access Control) and zero trust policy to avoid any security threats from inside or outside the organization.
• Keep all the tools and software updated with security measures like multi-factor authentication to keep away from malware, spyware, etc
• Specify clear roles and responsibilities to impart the privacy policies efficiently and encourage regular backups to avoid data loss.

Cflow in Data Privacy Automation

Cflow is a cloud-based workflow solution that can help you build solid data privacy policies as per your privacy regulations. Cflow offers a wide variety of features to aid you in achieving the highest degree of reliability and data security. 

• The dynamic workflows help you design workflows based on user preference (user-defined rules) to enforce privacy/risk assessment, maturity assessment, and incident management. 
• Experience best encryption techniques as data is secured when static on the move, or accessed in different devices.
• Users can define what data ought to be encrypted with SSL encryption and is hosted on the AWS cloud to defend against any unethical hacking attempts.
• Best-in-class security with multi-factor authentication and password expiry timelines or non-repeatable passwords.
• 24*7 active physical servers on the cloud or on-premise with a huge backup configuration.

The intuitive user interface and no-code workflow builder with drag-and-drop feature enable you to build the data privacy framework that you have envisaged for years. The data integration is so simple and unauthorized third party access is denied with your user-defined custom rules with  Cflow’s rules engine. The data mapping and visualization with the automated workflows are simple with customizable forms and cloud-based data log management. Version control is exemplary with access control and permissions, all defined by your rules.

Wrapping Up

Choosing the right fit workflow solution and implementing an automation system for data privacy requires much care and attention since there are risks when your data or user data is shared with a third-party website. In that case, you cannot expect that third-party site to adhere to the regulatory measures you abide by and also you can’t stop sharing data with them in many business processes like purchase and procurement. So, a workflow solution like Cflow should be your choice for data privacy automation. Sign up now to experience real data privacy!

The post Data Privacy Automation: Most Needed Solution of the Time! appeared first on Cflow.

A process is typically a series of steps that are repeated to produce a product or service. Processes can be repeatable, documented, standardized, and monitored. The purpose of process control is to ensure that the same results are consistently achieved when performing a process.

Process control involves monitoring and correcting for deviation from predetermined standards within these processes by adjusting inputs as needed. This is an essential part of continuous improvement, which aims at reducing waste in all forms from your business processes by eliminating non-value-added activities (such as rework due to defects) that are harmful to both employees’ health and the environment.

Businesses today need to continuously re-examine and improve their processes.

As you’ll see in the rest of this section, business processes are essential. They allow businesses to operate efficiently and effectively. However, it’s important to note that these processes need to be constantly re-examined and improved. Adapting your process is key to keeping pace with changing conditions, responding quickly to new opportunities, improving your internal operations, and reducing costs.

What is a Business Process?

The definition of a business process is often misunderstood. People tend to think that a business process is the same thing as an organizational structure–but it’s not!

A business process is a sequence of activities that produces a specific output, for example, “order processing.” It’s a set of related tasks that produce an outcome or result. A business process integration is the way organizations perform tasks to achieve goals and objectives.

A more technical definition of a business process in the context of business process reengineering is as follows:

“A business process is a collection of activities which comprises different inputs that create value output to the customer.”

From the perspective of process innovation, a business process can be defined as

“…a constructed and sustained set of activities that are designed with the aim of getting a specific output targeting a particular market or customers. Business processes monitor how work is done within the organization and create a strong emphasis on responsibilities among different teams within an organization[…]. Therefore, a process is thus a specific ordering of work activities across time and space, with a beginning and an end, and clearly defined inputs and outputs: a structure for action.”

Defining the business processes in terms of process innovation and business process reengineering is essentially focused on generating outputs for potential customers. It is essential to understand it in these contexts to face the competitive and dynamic business environment where the existing processes are not effective. You need to redesign and reengineer based on what the customer expects.

Understanding the definition of business processes is essential from a management perspective for companies to utilize technical resources effectively. The resources can be machines, information systems, and other allocated resources.

What is the difference between a Workflow and a Business Process?

A workflow is a series of tasks that have been automated and assigned to users. A business process, on the other hand, is a collection of multiple workflows that have a beginning and an end (usually). It’s possible for one workflow to be part of multiple business processes at once; indeed, it could even be the only component in another business process. While it may seem like there isn’t much difference between the two designations—a workflow can be thought of as a single task within a larger operation—they actually represent two distinct models for automating work processes.

Why Are Business Processes Important?

Business processes are the way we do things. They ensure that we deliver on our customer’s expectations, manage our business, and operate it efficiently.

As a matter of fact, processes are so important to us that their importance has been elevated to the level of cliche. We hear this all the time: “We need to improve our processes.” But what does this really mean? It could be a lot of things!

How Do Business Processes Work?

A business process is a set of activities that produce a specific outcome. A business process can be defined by four stages: planning, execution, control, and review. These stages are repeated over time to achieve continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of your business processes.

Steps in a Business Process:

The business process steps can be broken down into phases, which are individual steps in the process:

1. Input phase

The starting point is where data is gathered and submitted to the system to be processed. In this phase, you might collect information from customers when they purchase something from your company or register for an event.

2. Process phase

This is where work is done on information submitted during input so it can be used later on in other parts of the process (for example, if you’re ordering custom furniture for one of your clients). You might also enter orders into an accounting database here if those orders will require payments before shipping out products or services requested by customers.

3. Output phase

This is where results come back from processing with updated data stored somewhere else (like accounts payable records). It could also include notifications sent out informing people when they need additional documentation or follow-up questions answered by someone else within the organization before finalizing transactions related to what was ordered during input phases (e.g., after receiving an order number printed on packing slips attached to boxes containing new furniture).

Lifecycle of a Business Process

When you’re designing a business process, it’s important to keep in mind the life cycle of your process. It is a cyclic methodology that involves the investigation of business processes from several perspectives at each stage. The business process lifecycle is recursive – meaning each phase can have similar phases throughout the lifecycle.

The life cycle of a business process is divided into four stages:

Initiation

this is the planning phase where analysts define the business processes required for the project in order to get the desired results. The goals and objectives are defined in detail, and the design characteristics are conceptualized.

Design

in this phase, different aspects of the processes, such as functional activities, behavioural conditions (iterations, conditions, and parallel), and informational requirements, are described in detail. The target characteristics are also defined here, with which the detailed design model is created for the implementation and operation phase.

Implementation and operation

upon designing the business processes, they are implemented. The successful transformation from design to implementation depends on the granularity level of the models and the description of language. All characteristics should be supported by information technology (IT). They should be easily mapped by the IT services in the organization.

Optimization

once the business processes are executed, it’s time to collect customer feedback and fulfil them. Since business processes are based on a defined event, the output should be optimized through constant monitoring. Performance analyses are conducted periodically to create value-induced output satisfying all the requirements of the customer. This can be done using quantitative and qualitative methods such as statistics and process mining etc. This eliminates any unforeseen deficiencies, which improves subsequent phases in the future business process lifecycle.

The 3 Major Types of Business Processes

A Business Process can be split into three major types based on its application and how it plays a role in the organization’s daily functions. They are,

1. Operational Processes

* Operational processes are the primary processes that are supposed to be carried out promptly to deliver a product or service in time to a customer.
* They are essential for the company to function and make revenue which is mandatory to handle daily expenses.
* Processes like manufacturing, delivering, and maintaining records of products sold can be classified as operational processes.

2. Supporting Processes

* The name suggests that these are secondary processes and they obviously are but they are the backbone of operational tasks.
* When the core team is working towards customer satisfaction, these processes are focused on supporting them by providing employee benefits, salary, bank account management, and expenditure to improve the organization’s capability and leave the management of employees.

3. Management Processes

* The management has to make a lot of decisions on a daily basis, such as investing to buy new equipment, OPEX, strategic planning to make better use of the available workforce, infrastructure management, and related tasks.
* When these three processes work together and complement each other, it leads to better business process management and obviously contributes big time to the company’s growth.

A business process management tool can help you keep track of the changes you make to the process and how well those changes work for your business. It’s important to keep track of this because it allows you to see what is working and what isn’t. In order to know what to improve at work. it’s important that you understand what changes have improved the process and which ones have not had any impact on it.

Once a change has been made, its success should be measured against its original goals(this sounds obvious, but I’ve seen so many projects fail because no one bothered to measure whether or not they were successful). If those goals are met, then great! If they aren’t met, it may be time for another round of improvements.

Business Process in BPM

The Business Process in Business Process Management (BPM) denotes a series of tasks that are carried out to ensure the smooth operations of the company.

There are many internal processes such as HR onboarding, salary management, leave approvals, invoice processing, and purchase orders that should be done in a timely manner with precision so that the company can run without any slowdowns.

At times, organizations may choose to outsource this process due to limited resources but when you use workflow software and utilize the best automation solutions, it is much easier to get it done.

Business Process Examples

Here is a list of some common business process examples that a company can implement:

Procurement

the process of procurement in a business involves selecting vendors and establishing payment, negotiating to required price, and getting the purchasing supplies needed. Having a comprehensive procurement process will strengthen the vendor-supplier relationship. The well-documented workflow process will help you devise cost-effective strategies, financial stability, and quality improvements.

Customer service

this is one of the best examples of business processes. The process includes investigating and addressing customer concerns. Having a well-defined business process for customer service can make you consistent and gain more customers.

Marketing

the marketing process in any enterprise includes the design, development, and launching of the product or service to the market. You can use business process tools to streamline marketing activities and automate marketing processes to increase conversion rates.

Project management

nowadays, more and more companies are utilizing project workflow tools to keep track of the project progress. You can simply automate project management using a business process tool like Cflow, which will enhance your productivity.

Product development

successful companies, develop products and services, which is itself a business process. But, when you have a business process specifically for product development, you can enhance the production quality, and provide tangible service-based products through effective conception and market research.

Client onboarding

new clients are the assets of a business, and welcoming them displays your organization’s level of professionalism, expertise, and courtesy. Having a comprehensive and documented onboarding process will ensure compliance and increase client satisfaction which will be helpful for future business growth.

Asset management

operation, maintenance, renewal, and disposition of assets is an integral part of organizational growth. When you streamline your asset management, it will help improve the potential of existing assets and reduce risk and cost. Also, having an asset management process will help identify and evaluate assets and timely removal of ghost assets in the organization.

Diagramming Tools For Business Processes

You’re probably familiar with the concept of a business process. For example, let’s take a look at a simple business process scenario of the process of ordering a pizza from your favourite delivery service might involve three stages:

• deciding what kind of pizza to order
• making the order
• waiting for it to arrive at your door.

Each step in this process is an activity that contributes toward completing the task overall—and the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) makes it possible for different people within an organization to share their ideas about how different processes should be organized.

This graphical notation can help all stakeholders involved in a project develop a shared understanding of how individual parts fit together into an overall system or workflow. It also gives them tools for communicating those models both within their own organizations and with external partners like clients or vendors who are interested in working together with them on projects involving shared goals but different perspectives about how best to accomplish those goals.

Business process management (BPM) is an approach to managing the core of an organization using a collection of proven concepts, methods, and tools. BPM aims to improve productivity by improving the way work is performed.

Workflow management systems are software applications that provide for the automation of business processes across a variety of computer platforms and operating systems. They are designed to handle both simple and complex tasks across several interconnected departments or organizations.

Benefits of Business Process Management

Business process management, or BPM, is a system that helps you improve your business processes. This will result in improved customer service, reduced costs, and increased productivity.

As stated above, business process management can help to improve the quality of your products and services by making them more consistent. It also reduces costs by streamlining inefficient processes and eliminating redundant tasks. Additionally, it allows you to realize greater employee satisfaction by making sure they’re not bored with repetitive work or overworked on tasks they don’t enjoy doing.

A business process is a series of actions that companies take to produce a valuable service or product.

A business process is a series of actions that companies take to produce a valuable service or product. Often, these processes are documented and repeatable; they’re performed by multiple people, and they can be automated or measured. Business processes exist in many industries, but the concept is especially important in software development because it’s how companies make sure they deliver what clients want on time and within budget.

The most common approach to improving your business process is known as continuous improvement (CI). CI refers to the practice of examining your current practices at regular intervals, looking for ways you can improve them without changing their fundamental nature—whether manually or digitally—and then making those improvements over time until the new practices become second nature for everyone involved with completing them.

Create a Map to Implement New Business Processes

You have to get down and dirty to create a business process. Business processes are not born fully formed; they’re created by people who know how the world works. And how does the world work? It has things called “processes”, which can be mapped out in diagrams that show what happens at each step, where data comes in, where it goes out, who does what, and when. A good model of a business process allows you to see all these things at a glance—and then modify them if necessary (because you find out something is missing or wrong with your initial design).

A smart way is to implement business process mapping. The first stage in creating a business process model is usually called “business process mapping” or “business analysis”: this involves getting together with your colleagues (from across departments) and working out what needs to happen between various departments/people within an organization when an order arrives from outside.

You’ll draw up lists of steps involved in each part of the process, which will help you figure out whether any steps could be done away with altogether (or combined), whether new technology could make some steps faster/easier/cheaper/more accurate than they currently are…

Making a timely decision is essential for any business process initiative to be successful. Implementing a process can be simplified with the help of workflow automation software like Cflow.

Before that, you need to define the problem before starting on a solution.

Set goals before you start working out, and make sure they’re realistic—it’s better to reach most of your goals than to try for all of them and fail at all of them because you didn’t have time or energy for the other ones.

The most common and preferred way to implement a business process is to go with a sequential process which will be planned earlier and implemented with a clear-cut idea. It will have a specific duration; all the elements will be sorted out and implemented in a sequential manner.

Be ambitious: set up status status-driven process based on the current situation and requirements. It is more of a situational decision, while a parallel business process is something that is carried out parallelly without disturbing everyday operations.

Business Process Management Software

Business process management (BPM) is the automation of business processes in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness. It can be used to manage all aspects of your business or just one aspect. Business process management software makes it possible for you to do so without having to hire an army of employees!

This type of software allows you to track different pieces of information, such as when things are done or completed, where those tasks are located, who is working on them, etc. It’s important that the BPM tool you choose allows you access to all the data related to your business process so that you can utilize this information effectively when making decisions about how best to move forward with implementing changes based on what’s currently happening within each area being tracked by individuals operating under its auspices today.

Looking for a Business Process Software?

Business processes are the foundation of a company’s success. The world is changing, and business processes must keep up. Businesses that don’t adapt will be left behind. The good news for you is that there are tools available to make your job easier. By using business process management software, you can increase efficiency and reduce costs while increasing customer satisfaction through improved service.

Cflow is a Business Process Software that has earned the reputation and love of hundreds of regular users who love its intuitive UI, features, and the ability to automate some of the most repetitive tasks.

There’s more to it than what meets the eye, as you can change the way your organization works and implement any type of business process as required without disruption by using Cflow.

The post A Comprehensive Guide For Developing Business Processes That Work! appeared first on Cflow.

Prior to digitization, workflows were either verbal instructions or paper notes that list out various functions/roles. Excessive paperwork, redundancy, errors, tediousness, and repetition were some of the characteristics attributed to manual workflows.

Digital workflows came into the picture with the promise of eliminating all the shortcomings of manual workflows, and the efficiency of the process. Workflow automation is an orderly sequence of the internal and external processes of a business, the outcome of which is predictable in most cases. Workflow automation brings down the margin of human errors and discrepancies in the output.

For processes that require approvals, digital workflow automation can speed up the approval process and eliminate human bias.

With so many pros to workflows, can it be assumed that once implemented there is no need to audit workflows? Are digital workflows smart as they are portrayed to be?

Issues can arise in Workflows

The first step in digitizing your workflow is to audit manual workflows currently followed by the business. This is done to identify the flaws and bottlenecks in the existing process and to arrive at a solution to rectify the same.

The workflow process is designed to address the shortcomings identified in the workflow audit. So digital workflows are seen as a one-stop solution, which once implemented requires no audits or alterations at a later date.

After implementing workflow automation, most business leaders take pride and completely (blindly) trust the transformation to provide optimal results – every time. Many businesses that have automated their workflows are unknowingly involved in heavy manual tasks.

Take for example a scenario at ABC Industries, a computer hardware manufacturer, which recently digitized the procurement and budget approval process workflows.

The procurement workflow prior to digitization was tedious and involved too much paperwork. The main reason for digitization was to eliminate dependencies and speed up the approval process. However, 6 months down the line, the procurement manager realized that their main vendor (who was supplying parts ever since the business started) was no longer on the list of vendors. Also, the quality came down drastically and deliveries were delayed. The software was designed to identify vendors based on discounts and bulk sales, which was not the USP of the vendor.

Although there were no discounts, the vendor was spot on when it came to quality and meeting deadlines. Since the digital workflow focused more on discounts, there was a compromise on quality and meeting deadlines.

How did this flaw go unnoticed? Had there been a workflow audit done after implementation, this flaw could have been identified and rectified. Another common shortcoming of digital workflows is that businesses tend to overcomplicate the process in the name of digitization.

Need for Workflow Audits

Businesses looking to optimize and improve their operations through workflows. However, workflow automation needs to be reevaluated to see if it is delivering the expected results. Automated workflows are no doubt the best method to optimize workflows and bring in efficiency, but they can be 100% smart at all times only when workflow audits are performed from time to time.

Here is why you need to audit workflows:

1. Timely audits not only identify flaws (if any) but also change the route of the workflow for even better performance.
2. Another scenario is when there has been a process upgrade. Existing digital workflows need to be audited for their effectiveness over the new upgrade.
3. Previously developed workflows from older processes or previous leadership need to be reevaluated and redefined to fit the current process goals. A workflow audit helps identify the gaps and alter the workflow to suit the current process or team goals.
4. Workflow audits also help identify bottlenecks in the operations and address the root cause. In some cases, the operational speed can come down due to digitization. An audit can be really useful to identify the root cause and rectify the same.
5. In scenarios when leadership feels that digitization has not met the goals, a workflow audit can help identify the gaps.

Even if there is no slowdown or bottleneck or change in processes, it is advisable to perform a workflow audit at least bi-annually to ensure that the desired goals are met and the process flow is optimized.

Focus Areas of a Workflow Audit

The steps involved in designing a digital workflow and auditing a workflow are more or less similar. Here are the areas you need to focus on while auditing a workflow.

• Before defining the workflow audit process, you should have clarity on the final outcome of the process. Make a comprehensive list of the outcomes and note where their goal isn’t met.
• Evaluate the workflow for any overlapping of processes. Complex workflows must be carefully mapped out to identify overlaps or bottlenecks.
• Clearly define the roles and responsibilities at each stage. Make a note of any role or designation changes that have occurred during the audit period.
• These are the primary areas to concentrate on during a process audit workflow.

Key Takeaways

A workflow audit is as important as implementing the workflow. Timely and regular audit of the process workflow ensures that business goals are met.

Cflow workflow automation solution that can be customized to suit the unique needs of your business. Our automation solutions ensure better business outcomes. You can choose a live demo of Cflow. Get in touch with us to know more.

The post Workflow Audit – A Must for Efficient Process Workflows appeared first on Cflow.

A surprising aspect is that both these personalities happen to be mechanical engineers and management consultants. They realized the importance of automation decades ago before it became the norm on computers, smartphones, and the internet, creeping into organizations as an integral aspect.

The concept of the workflow was conceived and developed inspired by the work of Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran. It took place in the 1980s but once the base was set, all that has to be done is wait for newer technologies to emerge that eventually lead to where we are right now.

Before you venture into the world of automation, here are the key things to look for in workflow automation software.

• Role-based access
• Proper notifications and reminders
• Storage on the cloud for shared access
• Visual workflow builder
• Intuitive graphics and designs that are easy to understand
• Easy-to-use forms

Integrating multiple automated workflows together

Considering the power of devices and the internet these days, all these features can be found in the most popular workflow software solutions available today. However, choosing the right software will go a long way in changing the way your organization handles various departments like HR, Operations, Finance, Engineering, and their activities.

Primary Examples for Workflow Automation and its Application

1. Document Access

An exceptionally useful area where documents are all stored in the cloud provides role-based access and is safer, and easier to access than ever before.

2. Task Management

An organization is made up of lots of tasks that employees handle on a daily basis. There is a hierarchy that is being followed and instead of being a bottleneck, the workflow automation software helps manage tasks in a streamlined manner.

3. Automated Invoices

Invoices can be fully automated and save a lot of burdens imposed on the finance team. While people will still verify the invoice, it can be generated by different teams within the company and can also be used to send invoices to vendors/ customers when required.

4. Customer Support

A key area that is the backbone of every business is providing impeccable customer support. With the power of workflow automation, it is easier than ever to receive requests, guide them to the respective department, and solve customer queries in an efficient manner.

5. Lead Management

Your marketing efforts can reap more benefits when you have an automated lead management system in place. All the calls made and leads generated through vigorous marketing efforts can now be put to good use. You can directly automate lead information to be saved and create a database.

Bringing Cflow as Your Choice for Workflow Automation

Rather than just examples, the power that Cflow can bring to your daily office activities with workflow automation is phenomenal which you should experience in person.

Be it an employee, team leader, or manager, the ease through which you can share tasks, assign people, and automate everything so that you can focus on what matters can bring out a favourable change in every aspect.

Right from providing more time to handle meetings, discuss possible future changes, and implement creative ideas, the teams can work for the betterment of the organization rather than on trivial things like missed notifications or delayed invoice payments. Cflow will handle it all and you just have to create the right workflows to get things going.

The post Workflow Automation History, Real Life Examples and What Lies Ahead appeared first on Cflow.

Companies that use a manual accounts payable invoice approval process would end up spending long hours just validating and matching data, instead of focusing on work that adds value to the business. Explore how workflow automation streamlines the AP approval process through this blog. 

What is AP Invoice approval?

The invoice accounts approval process encompasses all those steps followed by the accounts payable team to get the supplier invoice approved and paid. This process begins when the invoice is received from the vendor, and ends once vendor invoices are paid out. Let us look at each of the steps in the AP approval process individually. 

1. Receipt of Invoice

Once the goods/services specified by the purchase order have been delivered, the goods received note is prepared by the buyer. Upon receiving the receipt of goods, the supplier prepares the invoice. The vendor invoice contains complete information on the quantity of the goods/services delivered, the cost per unit, and the total cost of the consignment delivered. The date and time of goods delivery may also be mentioned in the invoice. The invoice is either delivered by hand (in case of a manual process) or sent as an electronic invoice (in case of a digital process). 

2. 3-way matching

Once the buyer receives the invoice, the details mentioned in the invoice are compared with those mentioned in the purchase order and goods received note. This step is extremely important in the AP invoice approval workflow because it ensures that the payment is done only for the goods/services delivered, and the supplier has delivered only the goods/services listed in the purchase order. Important step as it is, the 3-way matching is also tedious and data-intensive. Accounts teams spend several work hours just matching and verifying data manually. 

3. Review of invoice

Invoices that are okayed by the 3-way matching process pass the data-verification step. The accounts manager is usually the one to review the invoice. If required, the accounts manager can verify the invoice with the procurement manager for further verification. The accounts manager reviews and approves the invoice and forwards it to the payments team. In case the invoice is rejected, it is returned to the supplier for corrections or modification. The accounts payable team clarifies data, prices, and items associated with invoices. Invoice confirmation ensures that the supplier is charging the client only for what the client benefitted. 

4. Create an invoice in the accounting system

Invoices that are approved are included in the accounting system. Once the invoice is included in the system, an audit trail is created so that the team can keep track of the payments. 

5. Pay the vendor

The approved invoice is moved further into payments. Processing the final payment to the vendor is the last step in the AP approval process. 

Depending on the maturity of the accounts payable team and the procurement to pay cycle automation, either the full accounts payable approval process can be automated or a few steps in the process can be automated. 

Why is Manual Invoice Approval, not the Best Option?

When the accounts payable invoice approval process is carried out manually, it can be quite a task for the accounts payable team to track and manage invoices. In addition to the additional costs that manual invoice processing involves, the incidence of errors and inaccuracies is also high in manual processes.

According to a 2020 report by Levvel, the average cost of processing an invoice ranges between $10-$15. Manual invoice processing can be tedious for the accounts payable team, as it eats up into their work hours. There are 3 main steps in the accounts payable process that add up to the cost of processing the invoice. 

1. Invoice capture

The invoice is received from the supplier in the form of emails with downloadable attachments, or by invoices that are scanned. When invoices are sent to stakeholders, the additional step of following up with stakeholders for receiving invoices is also included. This process amounts to 20% of the cost. 

2. Invoice processing and matching

Processing and matching invoice data with that in purchase orders and goods received notes, is a laborious process that requires keen attention to detail and high levels of accuracy. Most of the time, the accounts payable team might be looking up the PO against a spreadsheet managed by operations.

Even if the PO matches, the AP team needs to follow up with stakeholders to see if they have received the product in good condition. In case there is no PO, then the team needs to get approvals over email. Matching and processing of invoices is by far the step that involves high costs. This step amounts to almost 70% of the cost. 

3. Invoice creation

Once the invoice is approved, the invoice is created in the accounting system. This requires high levels of accuracy in ensuring that data is as per the original invoice. This process entails the least amount of cost (10%). 

Manual processing of invoices is not the best option for businesses mainly due to the cost and time involved in processing. The time taken to approve the invoice is a major factor in the overall time and vendor invoice policies. Manual AP approval takes more time and takes up a substantial amount of the work hours of the accounts payable team. 

Aside from this discussion on manual invoice approval not being beneficial, another factor that we need to consider is the approval levels for every invoice. How many levels of approval does every invoice require? Do you need every invoice to be approved by a single approver? This depends largely on the compliance rules followed by your business. For example, some companies may be OK with 2-way matching, while other companies may mandate a 3-way match. 

Failure to adopt effective accounts payable processes can adversely affect the company’s ability to process invoices on a timely basis. In the absence of a streamlined AP workflow, businesses are unable to leverage discounts or set clear payment terms with suppliers. Relying heavily on error-prone manual processes for approving invoices, POs, and requisitions puts businesses at a disadvantage. Another issue with manual invoice processing is over-, under-, missed–, or duplicate payments to vendors. 

How to Automate the AP Invoice Approval Workflow?

The longer you wait to set up the AP invoice approval workflow, the more savings and cash-related cash flow opportunities you lose. The electronic accounts payable approval process on the other hand helps AP teams substantially reduce time by up to 80% in the AP and payments reconciliation process.

Automating the accounts payable approval workflow also speeds up vendor verification and validation of accounts payable invoices. Approval requests and status updates are automatically sent to the respective stakeholders through an automated accounts payable approval workflow. The workflow can be customized to include the 2-way or the 3-way invoice automation matching process, as per the compliance policies followed in the organization. 

An automated AP invoice approval process makes it easy and quick to validate and approve invoices. Also, duplicate or error-prone invoices can be avoided by automating the accounts payable approval process. Let us go through the steps in automating the AP invoice approval process. 

1. Centralizing Invoice Capture

The first step is to automate the invoice capture process so that invoice management is centralized. A set of standard procedures can be followed to capture all the invoices in an automated workflow. A centralized invoicing process helps the AP team stay updated on the status of invoices instead of having to chase each stakeholder for the status of invoices.

A centralized invoice process involves 2 main setups – one is setting up supplier invoicing policies, and the other is communicating policies to vendors. The first step defines a process to capture the invoices according to business rules. Rules like all suppliers must send invoices via email, setting up a separate email for invoices, and mandating a PO policy, are extremely useful in streamlining communication with vendors. 

2. Electronic invoicing

Using electronic invoices eliminates the need for manually entering invoices into the accounts payable system. An automated AP system can be used for sending invoices, instead of emailing the invoice. If the invoice is issued against a purchase order, then it is automatically matched against the PO and sent for payment.

The manual effort required for matching is greatly reduced. It is important to bear in mind that electronic invoices do not work for all vendors. Implementing electronic invoices works best for large and high-volume vendors.

The volume and spending must be considered before choosing to enable electronic invoicing for the vendor. You should also check if the vendor has e-invoicing capabilities before zeroing in on the vendor. Once a vendor is chosen, you must implement and test the invoicing process.

3. Automation of PO and non-PO invoices

The processing of invoices with and without the PO is different. When an invoice is received with a PO number on it, it becomes easier to carry out the 3-way matching process. Automating the 3-way matching process saves a lot of time for the accounts payable team.

In the case of invoices without a purchase order, there are 2 ways to process the invoice. You could create a PO first and then process the invoice, Or you can route the invoice to the appropriate manager for review and approval. Automating this step significantly reduces approval time and provides a complete audit trail. 

4. Set up invoice approval workflow

The invoice approval workflow is automated in this step, so you don’t have to manually follow up with employees for approvals. You need to clearly define what should happen if an invoice needs approval after the 3-way matching is complete.

There are 3 different types of workflows that can result from 3-way matching – missing receipts, pricing mismatch, and quantity mismatch. Missing receipts is a common issue faced in 3-way matching. It happens when the vendor sends an invoice, but the person who ordered the product has not received it or forgot to create it. When invoices are missing, they can elongate the invoice approval time. An automated flow can remind the employee to create the receipt. 

Pricing mismatch occurs when you don’t have a negotiated rate with the vendor, and so they charge you the market rate. It can also occur when you are purchasing a volatile commodity, or you are purchasing custom parts. Negotiation with the vendor helps keep the cost fixed. A review workflow will be needed when there is a price mismatch. 

Quantity mismatch occurs when the shipped quantity does not match the ordered quantity. The most common cause of this is a discrepancy in the unit of measurement. To resolve the mismatch, you will require a review workflow. 

Set up tolerance levels – When you set up tolerance levels, it becomes easier to automate the process of approving invoice exceptions. This comes in handy when you are handling small price changes. Tolerances help in the auto-approval of the matching exception when the exception is within the tolerance limit. The amount and the threshold percentage control the tolerance matching. 

Invoice approval tracking dashboard – The final step in the AP invoice approval automation is implementing a central invoice approval tracking process. A centralized dashboard helps the AP team track invoices from one place. You can get a summary of all invoices along with their status. You can easily follow up on pending invoices with the overview provided by the dashboard. The dashboard also provides information on all the missing receipts so that they can be followed up with the respective stakeholders. 

Integration with the accounting system – Automatic routing of the approved invoice to the payment system. Automating the routing of the invoice eliminates redundant data entry into two different systems. Once a single invoice is approved, an entry should be made into the payment system as well. 

Best Practices in the AP Invoice Approval Process

Several accounts personnel have confirmed that they spend a substantial amount of time managing approvals. To think that they do this on a daily basis in addition to sign-offs from other employees or departments. This is a highly inefficient use of resources and causes much frustration to employees. Automating the accounts payable approval process is the best way to streamline invoice approvals.

We are listing some of the best practices in the AP invoice approval process. 

1. Streamlining approval channels

Approval channels route purchase orders and expense vouchers to designated team leaders or managers. Payment is authorized once the designated approver signs off on the order. Creating multi-level approvals (at least 2) brings accountability and consistency in invoice approvals. Having separate approval channels for invoices and payments fortifies your risk prevention strategy, and prevents fraudulent approvals. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) recommend segregation of duties for accounting best practices. 

2. Automating approval channels

Organizations looking to implement a streamlined approval channel must consider automating the approval channels. An automated approval system prevents unauthorized access, customizes invoice routing, and helps create approval sub-sets. 

3. Build a purchase order approval workflow

Creating a purchase order approval workflow entails setting up of internal rules before placing an order. The purchase order approval workflow can be created with a requisition for internal approval that is authorized by the manager of the finance department and then to the supplier. 

4. Creating approval subsets

CFOs can create subsets or criteria for certain types of invoices. For example, an invoice can be designated as approved only after one of the two approvers has okayed it. Or the workflow can be modified so that an invoice is only authorized after all approvers have reviewed and approved it. 

5. Institute formalized approval procedures

It is important that everyone involved in the process understands and follows the documented, formal organizational structure of the approval workflow. A clear definition of the approver, approval timelines, and secondary approver would in the absence of the primary approver be necessary for seamless invoice approval. 

6. Customize routing

The invoice workflows are unique for every organization. Parameters like location, department, project, and vendor vary in every organization. Invoice routing must be customized based on the location, department, vendor, and project. For example, an employee working at a different location must be able to send an invoice to the head of the marketing team located at a different location.

Although geographically separated, the marketing head should be able to collaborate on the document and enter comments, or questions online without the need for a paper or email trail. Each invoice, therefore, will have a clear electronic audit trail of all the correspondence and approval steps. 

7. Restrict unauthorized access

Finance information should be handled with utmost care and safety. Unwanted access to finance and accounting information can cause a lot of issues for the business. Role-based access must be given by the accounts payable invoice approval process so that only the concerned approvers can view the status and history of a purchase order. 

Automating the accounts payable approval process can improve the financial stability of the organization. An automated system provides much-needed visibility into accounts payable by implementing paperless approval. You can make better business decisions through real-time access to financial metrics and KPIs. 

Conclusion

Being a back-office function, the accounts payable do not always take centre stage. As a matter of fact, accounts payable takes a back seat due to management’s competing priorities. Although a backstage process, errors in the accounts payable process may cost the business dearly.

A streamlined accounts payable function, helps the business identify opportunities that yield substantial benefits. Cflow helps streamline the accounts payable approval process so that invoices are paid on time and without any discrepancies in payments. To know more about Cflow and its rich workflow automation feature set, sign up for the free trial now. 

The post A Strategic Approach to Automate Accounts Payable Process appeared first on Cflow.

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” -Bill Gates.

We live in a rapidly progressing era that is heading towards automation and artificial intelligence. You need to understand how the salespeople spend much valuable time on mundane tasks such as getting contacts for subscribing to newsletters, sending welcome emails, setting follow-up emails for reminders, etc. Imagine the difference in productivity when there is task automation, and they concentrate on selling instead.

Task automation permeates our day-to-day activities. From weather forecast notification when the alarm goes off to the toaster notification that pops up with the email – all these simple tasks are automated, It is sometimes hard to realize that these tasks were done manually. With the world evolving technologically, there is no need to work harder when you can work smarter. The need for task automation is becoming more than just a hobby – it is a necessity.

“Automation is cost-cutting by tightening the corners and not cutting them” – Haresh Sippy, founder, and CEO of Tema India Ltd.

With the simple everyday life activities permeated by technology, digital transformation drives leaders to modernize their business processes using innovative tools. Robotics, AI, and predictive analysis are just a few that impact our society at large. These modern technologies reduce the human factor. Initially, technology made automation possible and replaced menial tasks. But as the technology advances, so does its ability to automate complex tasks. Practical task automation can be found in almost every industrial sector. This article explores how to automate repetitive tasks that require human intelligence.

What is Task Automation?

Task automation can be defined as applying modern technology to minimize or eliminate human intervention in completing a task. People experience many forms of task automation in their daily lives. Task automation examples are airport check-in kiosks, fast food online ordering, subscription services, etc. Human intervention in these tasks has completely been eliminated from these processes.

For instance, previously, passengers should obtain a boarding pass in airports by standing in line for hours. Nowadays, it can be printed at home or obtained using airport kiosks, or even displayed on mobile phones. Another automation instance is the chatbots and personal assistants like Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri.

How Do You Ascertain Repetitive Tasks/projects?

Hearing the word automation can be exciting, but how do you identify recurring tasks? This may sound silly but getting down to the actual automation can be pretty challenging.

Typically, we go for automation because we spend a lot of time doing the same task repeatedly. So how do you know which one to automate? Well, you need to ask these questions which might help you.

• Keep a record of the tasks performed daily. Record how many times the task is done and how much time it takes.
• What do you think the most effective solution might be?
• What are some of the available tools with efficient features and integration capabilities?

The first step can be asking your team to perform the same task for weeks and identify which tasks are repeated. The record can be maintained in a spreadsheet. Also, when you work as a team, you can quickly identify the repetitive tasks to be automated. Since each person has their own specific tasks, working as a team can help you streamline the repetitive tasks. Upon identifying, you can build an automated system where you can add recurring tasks to get them done. You can also use task automation software to simplify the process further.

Example of Task Automation

Task automation involves using a tool or software like Cflow to eliminate or minimize manual effort. Here is an example of task automation done using Cflow.

You can create workflows from scratch completely online with no coding using Cflow. Business workflows can be defined as the set of predefined set of tasks that are converted into processes that happen in sequential order. The workflows produce predictable outcomes when automated.

The above image is a simple process to check payment requests for procurement. An employee will submit a request form for the check. If the check amount is said, for example, within $150, then the request will be reviewed by Approver 1, and it will be finalized. If the check amount exceeds $150, then the request form will be reviewed by both Approver 1 and Approver 2. Once it is approved by Approver 1, it will be moved to Approver 2 for final validation. If this recurring process needs to be done in the procurement workflow, then it can be automated using Cflow.

The second example is to review an e-commerce product catalogue update. An update for a product catalogue needs to be reviewed in the above image. If it is a small update, then it will be reviewed by the marketing manager and be given the final validation. If the marketing manager is not satisfied with the update, it will be sent again for revision. If it is a major e-commerce update, then it will be reviewed by both the marketing manager and the marketing head for review, and then it will finally be validated. If the product catalogue is updated regularly, then this can be automated using Cflow.

What are the Benefits of Task Automation?

Here are some of the benefits of task automation to help you answer the question – “why should I consider automation for my business?” According to Gartner’s predictions, by 2024, automation software will replace 69% of managers’ tasks and workloads.

Enhancing customer service

imagine a scenario of a health care centre worker. The worker’s primary job is to manage patients’ complaints. The worker must enter the complaint requests into the system, field them, and assure customer satisfaction by resolving them quickly. Simultaneously the worker must handle real-time patient requests by entering the information into three different systems and searching for the data from three other databases. When these tasks are handled single-handedly, they can be overwhelming.

Here is where task automation tools come to save the day! A task automation tool like Cflow can automate the status reports, data entry, and health queries in the background. You can easily streamline workflows to focus on the prioritized ones to have a more positive customer experience.

Minimizing human errors and improving employee time

When you automate your business processes the possibility of human errors is drastically reduced. Since repetitive tasks can become mundane and tiresome, employees are prone to make mistakes. Moreover, one of the most significant benefits of having task automation is it saves time. Employees can be more productive and creative without being bogged down by mundane recurring tasks. They can spend more time on other important projects which require their time and assistance.

Automated compliance

In most countries worldwide, employees must keep track of their work time by clocking in and out at least four times a day – starting of work, lunch break, end of lunch break, and signing off for the day. It is ineffective to maintain manual records. Since this recurring activity must be recorded daily, automating the employees’ working hours would enhance compliance.

To accomplish these many companies, use digital assistants like Zoho, Toggl, Timecamp, Clockify, Hubstaff, and much more. With these automated timesheets, the activity can be configured as a one-click clock at the end of the day. This task can now be automated, thus saving time and energy as well as fulfilling compliance requirements.

Improved business operations and cost-effectiveness

You gain new business opportunities when you automate tasks. You can be able to configure valuable assets in your business which is not possible only through manual operations. Since automation can free up man-hours, it significantly enhances organizational performance. You can also reduce the overall cost of business operations.

Unlike human resources, you can run automated tasks for hours, which require breaks and rest. With task automation, you can get instant outputs by continuously running the software and maintaining quality consistency. Moreover, with improved quality, you can get better insight into the company’s data. When you get a deeper insight into the company’s performance metrics, you can analyze better, find potential areas of improvement, and prioritize them accordingly for its growth.

How to Set Up Task Automation?

Now that you have seen the benefits, you are convinced about setting up task automation. Now the question arises of how to begin your automation journey. The following are simple steps to follow for setting up task automation. However, there is no specific law for task automation, and it is generally set by businesses based on their operational needs.

Step 1: Configuring your daily tasks and business processes

This is the very first step in the task automation process. Identify the daily tasks and make a list. The list should not simply contain the tasks, but it should be made with a description for each task. Highlight the frequency of the tasks, especially specific tasks with a high repetition rate. The list of tasks should be made by each team in your company. Once everyone is done with the list, have a team discussion to develop effective solutions and decide on the automation tool to be used.

Step2: Exploration

In this step, the perfect tool is identified, considering all the pros and cons of the task automation tool. When your company already uses a task automation tool, check whether it has options for integrations and automating day-to-day activities. If there is no integration feature in the existing tool, you can look for other software which can perform the same automation operations. The automation tool should be chosen based on their business’s needs and should fit your organizational workflows.

Step3: Mapping new workflows

In this step, you need to map the new workflow by visualizing the tasks which will be automated. Mapping is an essential step as this will provide a visual representation of how the automation tools will perform the job. Moreover, this will keep the teams updated about the changes happening to avoid potential hiccups and confusion. You don’t want your workers to experience sudden changes. Therefore, this map will help your team to be prepared for the changes well in advance.

Step4: Construction and implementation

Now that you have readied the map, it is time for your workflow to be put in place. Based on the complexity level of the automation process, it may require additional time from other teams, such as IT, which may take a while to complete.

Step5: Examining and testing

Since the automation is done, you cannot take a rest. The automation must be evaluated and tested to ensure that it works just as implemented. You need to be vigilant that the automated tasks are benefiting your employees and helping them to be more productive. Ensure that the automation process runs smoothly and there are no backlogs or any other issues that might affect the workflow operations result.

Task Automation Software

As said earlier, the use of task automation software varies with the complexity of your business processes. For instance, a tool like Cflow offers a more straightforward integration feature. Task automation tools are also gaining popularity, thanks to the user-focused tools which simplify the more complex human tasks into a series of simple tasks. Most task automation tools come with the drag and drop interface where the tasks are arranged. The tasks are arranged so that it simulates real-life task workflows. This is referred to as “workflow automation.”

Some of the best automation tools of 2022 available right now include Zapier, Cflow, Integrify, Kissflow, Zoho, SMA OpCon, Microsoft System Center, and IBM Robotic Process Automation. Over 50 years ago, computer automation began to operate the first set of batch jobs. Technology has undergone a colossal evolution producing tens of thousands of tools for automating tasks, activities, and business processes. These automation tools can be crafted to suit your specific business niche.

A recent research study from McKinsey global institute states that 60% of occupations can have around 30% of their constituent activities automated. This doesn’t mean that these jobs will be taken over by robots. But the mundane and complex tasks, when automated, can refine employees’ job responsibilities, thereby improving business value. Task and process automation are gaining widespread attention from businesses worldwide as they promptly follow this trend. This is because robots and artificial intelligence become more competent and wiser every day.

How to Choose the Right Tool?

From law offices to marketing professionals to sales teams, the benefits of task automation are endless. With endless benefits, you need to choose the right tool for your business, which can be overwhelming. These are some of the commonly used task automation tools by businesses – Google Analytics for getting web traffic reports, Gmail for automated email responses, Dropbox for data backups, WordPress for scheduled blog posts, and Hootsuite for social media posts. Here are some of the ways to help you choose the right automation tool.

• Before selecting the tool, ensure that all the members can use the software. There is no use in choosing an automation tool that takes up employees’ precious time to get used to the tool.
• Avoid choosing a one-trick pony. The automation tool you choose should be efficient and automate most of the tasks instead of only one. Ensure that it contains features relevant to your company’s business operations.
• The top four features you must look for in a task automation tool include – pricing, integrations, email competencies, and dependencies.
• In addition to the above features, ensure that your automation tool has these features – easy drag and drop interface, integration with other software and tools, real-time scheduling of weekends and holidays, web and mobile services, search and report functionalities, automated notifications, especially the ability to configure the software tool without coding knowledge.
• Cost. This is the primary point as you want to select a cost-effective tool and justify the benefits. Ensure that the price stays within the budget.

Will Automation Make Your Job Obsolete?

In his book Automating Humanity, Joe Transco warns us that “change is coming” on how technology and automation will transform our workplaces. Automation has had a significant impact on the business world in recent years. Robotics and other means of automation have proved to exponentially improve productivity, significantly reducing employment. For instance, in the U.S., more than 5.6 million jobs were lost in the manufacturing industry in the early 2000s.

This accounts for 88% of the employment decline. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there has been a steady decline with the increasing automation; the cost of robotics and automation technology is expected to decrease by 65% by 2025.

However, professional service jobs are at the stake of the high end of the skill ladder. They depend on highly trained professionals to do specific tasks which can never be replaced by automation of any form. Self Service Technologies (SSTs), including AI, are replacing frontline workers, but it has both advantages and disadvantages.

One of the primary advantages of automation is increased productivity and reduced labor intensity. Especially workers with long manual labor hours can be liberated through automation. Well, the disadvantage of automation is revealed in a recent study done by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The graph from the study shows which countries are likely to lose jobs due to automation soon.

Professional deskilling is one of the significant disadvantages which gets replaced by automation. Imagine this amount of unemployment caused simply because of automation. When we look from the perspective of global employment, automation replaces manual labor and removes human resources. There is no equivalent job opening created which creates a massive inequality resulting in a major social upturn. When more and more employees lose their jobs due to automation, it will have a rebounding effect. Due to unemployment, they will settle for low-end jobs for low wages, thus affecting the economy.

Seeing the above graph can be a little daunting, but this wrinkle in employment has not yet been caused by automation. Of course, the extent to which the automation takes place remains an open question: autonomous vehicles and drones replace delivery workers; robots replace warehouses. But the mere existence of these technologies does not guarantee that jobs will become obsolete in the short term.

The pace of automation heavily depends on unforeseeable factors such as market forces, institutional practice, and governmental policies. Overall, it is prudent to know the risks of automation through education and training to prepare the workers for the unforeseeable future filled with automation.

Desktop & Cloud automation – What, Why, and How

Automation’s productivity varies with integration with different cloud-based apps and desktop apps. Businesses use both based on their needs. Desktop-based tools are generally used as hotkeys and can be used to automate workflows within your system. However, in more recent years, automation has been pushed by cloud-based tools that use APIs to trigger different preset actions. Desktop tools want you to log into your system to use them, whereas cloud-based automation tools function on the inside platforms, eliminating the need to log into them from your browser.

Desktop automation tools act as personal assistants as these powerful bots can help in increasing accuracy. These bots can help anyone from sales to the IT team by providing error-free task completion. The bots interact with the latest browsers at the graphic interface level. Automated data scraping and extraction are done by extracting and transforming crucial data from any source.

The bot extracts the data, which can be automated by sending the relevant information directly into the documents, reports, and other critical business applications. Report generation and distribution are done by these desktop automation tools wherein take care of the CRM, ERP, and ledger maintenance, irrespective of how critical the business application is.

Cloud automation is slightly different from desktop apps, enabling IT teams to create and modify tasks – everything on the cloud automatically. Cloud automation requires expertise in using specialized tools. There are options for leveraging automation features offered by your public cloud vendor like AWS or Azure or when you use a private cloud platform such as an Open Stack.

In addition to this, you can also leverage the features when you use third-party cloud automation tools in a cloud environment, such as Cloudify, Chef, Puppet, and Kubernetes. Cloud automation has several benefits, such as improved resilience, enhanced security, and improved governance.

Automation in Mac

Macs are a little different from windows. You can save time by using task automation tools like AppleScript and Automator to automate tasks on Mac. The tool Automator is predominantly used by Mac users for automating their repetitive tasks. It can be integrated with iCal, which schedules tasks on the run. Apple provides a free version of Automator with various features to help automate tasks with images, audios, documents, files, folders, etc.

Begin the Automator from the applications and launch the Automator. Now create a new task by dragging the task’s name from the Automator library. For instance, you can drag a series of tasks to select a specific folder containing images to be copied and pasted into another photos folder. Now you can save the created task by clicking on the “File” option from the Automator menu. Now click iCal to launch Apple’s calendar and select a day for scheduling.

The new event appears on the selected date, and you can give this by clicking “File” from the iCal menu. Click the ” Repeat ” option to schedule the way you need it – every day or every week, or month. Click on the “Alarm” option and select “Open File.” Now click “Other” and click on the folder where you have saved the created task for Automator. Finally, the clock is done. Now, the Automator will run the created task on the scheduled dates you gave in iCal.

Build Powerful Automated Workflows Using Cflow

In Cflow, we’ve got you covered, from sales and marketing workflows to IT operations. You can simply automate complicated business processes using Cflow’s predefined workflow library. Even if the workflow is completely new to the business, it can be created from scratch and can be added.

Cflow automation can be used for the following business fields – operations concerning labor and services; finance sector involving purchases, investing, and other business activities; IT sector involving networking workflows; procurement sector, which is the major usage of automation involving vendor management, tendering, funding, and compliance requests; HR and admin sector involving recruitment and onboarding approval requests; and sales and marketing sector involving customer service automation, sales process management, and promotional activities. All these crucial business processes can be efficiently automated using Cflow.

If you haven’t had hands-on experience with Cflow, now is the time to explore our automation software. We bet you’ll be impressed with how this workflow automation tool can help you accelerate your company’s business processes. Why not give it a test drive and step into the world of automation today? Explore more by signing up for a free trial today.

The post How Task Automation can be a Stepping- Stone for Your Business appeared first on Cflow.

An organization requires a business rules engine and a workflow engine to function efficiently.

Most of the working population and sometimes even senior managers assume both serve the same purpose. They couldn’t be more wrong as a business rules engine is completely different from a workflow engine.

Before getting into the technical aspects, here’s a simplified definition to help you understand the terms.

What is a Workflow Engine?

A workflow is a streamlined flow of multiple processes that when completed lead to the finished state of a project.

The workflow engine is time-bound and is designed to carry out a sequence of tasks in a seamless manner.

When you purchase a new smartphone with a popular e-commerce retailer like Amazon, it kickstarts a series of workflow processes that start with order placement to shipping details, payment, and timely delivery.

A typical workflow process will look like this. The visual workflow editor used by popular software programs makes it easy for non-tech-savvy users to utilize a workflow engine.

Traditionally, businesses relied on manual papers, invoices, and files to carry out a workflow that later evolved into spreadsheets and e-mails. A modern workflow engine also known as workflow management software helps reduce human errors, is easy to keep track of, and is cost-efficient.

A workflow program is made for software users in an organization who may not have the ability to write code.

Hence, the workflow software uses a process designer that allows users to create workflows using a simplified visual builder. An administrator can create linear tasks, assign rules based on data entered, and specify conditions to be met besides other customization options.

How useful is a workflow engine in an organization?

When a workflow engine is introduced in an organization, it makes it easier for an administrator to schedule tasks, and automatically trigger them to flow from one step to another in a linear phase until it reaches the final stage.

A workflow engine refers to the brain in the back that is integrated into a workflow software program which forces the task to move from one step to another when certain conditions are fulfilled.

Important Note: A workflow engine can be used in any type of organization as it does not impose on how a task is accomplished but can streamline multiple tasks to complete a job.

What is a Business Rules Engine?

A business rules engine that is driven by basic rules. Setting these rules puts goals into action within business applications. Workflow software runs on the workflow design for specific processes that need to be automated. Workflow engines help perform business functions, while rules engines are focused on developing business knowledge.

A business workflow engine primarily refers to software and the set of rules that guide its processes.

An authorized employee in the organization can choose to customize it without any coding knowledge. The engine makes use of superior technology and computing power to make decisions that are difficult for the average human.

The purpose is to save time and to get the process going in an organization without any delay.

The business rules engine, known as BRE is designed to make autonomous decisions based on set rules, unlike a workflow engine that is made to connect employees and make informed decisions every time a notification lands in their interface.

Do you need a business rules engine or workflow engine?

A simple answer is, yes you need them both.

The workflow engine or workflow automation software helps connect teams to streamline daily tasks. The workflow engine is a core and integral part of the workflow software.

The business rules engine is an important component of a larger solution primarily for enterprises with a complex set of rules. Unlike workflow software, the enterprise solution may exist by itself even without the business rules engine.

A Real-Life Example at The Departmental Store

Imagine you are walking into a departmental store to buy some groceries and the monthly essentials.

You pick all the items you need, get the shopping cart to the billing section and wait in line. The billing assistant is expected to complete each customer’s bill before arriving at your cart.

You get all your items billed, it’s verified at the exit using automatic sensors and you get to your car.

Everything sounds simple and easy, right?

It actually is because an enterprise solution is at work in everything that you did in the store from start to finish.

Modern-day stores and organizations use a complex business rules engine that checks the inventory of items as soon as they were scanned, and automatically creates new orders if the current quantity falls below a threshold based on demand, season, and so on.

You might go back home and file an expense claim on the business travel that you took a couple of days ago. You filled in a form, attached scanned receipts, and hit submit. You probably received a thank you email and a note saying you will be notified when the claim is approved and credited to your bank account.

Behind the scenes, you submitted the form on a cloud workflow software similar to Cflow that automatically routed the request to your manager. Based on the expense claim amount, the request might be sent to a director or routed directly to the Finance department for final review and approval.

Comparison Chart – Workflow Engine vs Business Rules Engine

Good luck and let us know what you choose for your company.

If you want a Workflow engine and want to make the leap into Workflow Automation to automate business processes, Sign up and start a free trial by visiting our Cflow application!

The post Business Rules Engine vs. Workflow Engine: A Comparison appeared first on Cflow.

Streamlining the business process of an organization can be tiresome leading to poor business management. An unmanaged business process requires new strategies and plans to streamline business operations. Automation of business processes helps such organizations achieve their goals and objectives more efficiently. 

Business process automation helps businesses identify their potential loopholes and mitigate inefficiencies. Thus, these automation strategies and tools are the game-changers that redefine business workflows and help organizations stay ahead of the curve. No code business process automation is the latest trend in business process automation. No code process automation enables quick and easy automation of business processes with visual automation tools. 

Code-based Process Automation to No code Process Automation

End-to-end refining of business processes with automation tools takes a digital shift reducing the redundancies that occur while humans handle mundane tasks. Technological advancement has reached a state where you can embrace the digital transformation of your business without any dependency on code. Yes, you heard it right. You can now focus on your business without worrying about the coding part. Developing the tools without writing codes will be better than any business’ wildest dream ever.

Knowing your business pretty well, you know the tools that fit you the best. Do you think knowing the tool for business is already a win-win with no code for BPM platforms for business process automation? Yes, for sure! Opting for the right no-code business process automation tool enhances your business process cohesion and eradicates errors. Now working towards the goals and needs of your business is super easy! Let this be the perfect time to bid goodbye to code-based business process automation and say hello to easy and simple no-code business automation. 

What does No Code Process Automation Mean?

No-code Process Automation is a platform that lets anyone without coding knowledge, often termed as, ‘citizen developers’, automate any business process and connect them to achieve full automation functionality. No-code automation has extended benefits to boost productivity in more efficient ways. 

Benefits of Using No Code Business Automation

The urge for business automation is more than enough to develop your own business tools now! No-code business automation tools make this possible and here are a few benefits of them.

Bridging IT skill gaps

Forget the hassle of hiring a dedicated IT team or trying hard to learn those tough computer languages to develop tools. Entrepreneurs, non-techies,  vendors, or anyone can just drag and drop templates in no-code solutions and connect them to build fully functional tools. This lifts the workload pressure off the IT team, enabling them to focus on solving crucial tasks rather than menial routine tasks. No-code business automation is a solution to bridge the IT skill gaps and slash away process budgets.

Gearing up business productivity

Digital transformation has made innovative breakthroughs like no-code and low-code automation more normal in business process management. Adopting a faster pace with no-code automation aids businesses to thrive and hop on other priorities. Thus, no-code business software helps businesses focus on other tedious streamlining activities in a minimal time period. No-code automation platforms are known for their greater flexibility and enhanced scalability that is built for handling various verticals in enterprise-level business.

Envisaging higher and assured ROI

Assuring the return on investment is the most crucial business factor to focus on, which no-code automation helps achieve easily. Risk mitigation has been the significant effect of no-code/low-code tools in business automation. The customization and integration are made simple with these no-code / low-code automation tools.

The no-code business automation tools ensure cross-platform support and data integration are feasible, ensuring equitable ROI. Reduced cost and time with minimal development and deployment are good enough to reach a higher ROI.

No more security threats/ Shadow IT war

No-code automation platform has been a doorway for businesses to satiate all their demands for tools and software. This new technological era of no-code platforms has visibly reduced the dependency on third parties for support and deployment.

This can help unmask threats related to shadow IT war. Though the term looks a little unserious, there is an underlying risk associated with shadow IT. Depending on third parties also welcomes threats that are opaque to the in-house IT people. With no-code process automation, your business is safe from the threat of shadow IT. 

The easy-to-develop and deploy nature of no-code automation tools can pitch perfectly with numerous industries making their business more streamlined without compromising on their customer experience.

A few such examples of automation tools with no codes include

• Affordable Customer Relationship Management tool and Human Resource Management tool (CRM &HRM) for MSME
• Marketing and analytics tool
• Procurement and supply chain management tool
• Business and process management tool.
• Billing or payroll enrolment tool

Why No-code is an Innovative Idea?

What couldn’t be enough if you can build the tool and reap the most benefits without having the proficiency to code? Standard no-code software automation allows the creation and modification of processes or bespoke tools for automation. No-code is an idea of innovation not because it bridges the gap between techies and citizen developers, but because the future revolves around embracing a no-code environment in workplaces. 

No-code business solutions foster more convenient migrations to the cloud, which empowers organizations to create a user-friendly work environment.

No-code software automation solution improves the flexibility and agility of business operations when they adopt more advanced architectures.

No-code tools facilitate the concept of data for everyone. Stressing the importance of easy data accessibility, no-code tools aid businesses in making reliable decisions.

As per IDC, By 2024 incorporation of low-code, no-code, and intelligent developer technologies (LCNCIDT) revenue will grow to $21.0 billion in 2026 with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 17.8%

Exploring a few Top No-code Automation Solutions for 2023:

1. Cflow

Cflow is a strong no-code business automation software for seamless business process automation. The user interface in Cflow is appealing and the drag and drop is so simple to create multiple workflows on the go. The implementation process of Cflow is super easy to slash away the cost and support required. You will be fascinated to know about the easy setup and 14-day free trial which you can avail of with all premium features. Cflow provides seamless integration with other apps and is maintenance-free. Cflow offers a 3-tier pricing plan, customized to suit businesses of varied sizes. 

2. Automate.io

Automate.io serves to be the best automation tool for small businesses of up to 10 members. The drag-and-drop interface of Automate.io makes it easier even for beginners to use it, of course without any code. This beginner-friendly tool provides good customer support and integrations with Google apps, Hubspot, Salesforce, and more. This tool provides varied pricing with a robust free plan but it has comparatively limited integrations.

3. Zapier

Zapier is a popular no-code automation tool in the market as it allows easy connections across many web applications like Mailchimp, Airtable, and more. With Zapier, the functionality in the free plan is limited to single-step automated workflows named Zaps with the free plan while it has customizable paid plans in accordance with the functionality. Zapier has a mentionable con as it doesn’t have mobile apps, and automation cannot be done from a phone.

4. Unito

The automation software Unito differs from the other no-code tools with the unique feature of bidirectional syncing. Unlike other integrations, Unito has automatic, two-way synchronization which means changing something in a tool and also changing the other integrated app sync with the change. This helps every other system be on the same page, saving time and efficiency. Organizations like Trello, Netflix, Uber, and Harvard have benefited from Unito. Unito supports feasible integrations with 30+ apps like Jira, Hubspot, Mailchimp, and many others but their limitations are subject to a narrower range of tools.

5. Decisions

Decisions are easy to use with an in-built workflow library and thrive as a powerful no-code process management tool. Decisions are proclaimed to be intelligent process automation software that is driven by certain rules. Other Features like third-party integrations, specified dashboards, process mappers, and reports of this tool suit medium and large organizations. This may cost a moderate budget for the organization to simplify its business operations.

6. Outfunnel

The no-code software platform, Outfunnel sketches its integration to the specific audience – sales, and marketing people. It aims to fulfil the needs of this group and is built in a way to provide the best integration with marketing tools like Hubspot CRM, Pipedrive, etc, Outfunnel is also designed for seamless marketing that automates marketing strategy by syncing data leads and in-built lead scoring capability. Outfunnel is a paid no-code automation software platform.

7. Workato

Workato is a unique and superior no-code workflow automation tool that claims to be 10x faster in automating as it uses machine learning or artificial intelligence. Though Workato has a broader limit of integration and an obligation to user security it stands out of the crowd. Their unique style of pricing has gotten some big wizards like AT&T, adobe Atlassian, etc. to be their customers. With Workato one has to pay in accordance with the apps and integrations utilized. As machine learning requires minimal code knowledge, this sets out to be its dark area as far as zero code is strictly taken into account.

8. Make

When you want no-code platforms to be much more fun to work with, go for ‘Make’. Make spices up the no-code platform more engaging with its well-designed user interface. The drag-and-drop interface is capable of making users build entire systems on their own.  Make, formerly known as Integromat, is an advanced zero-code automation software. Make has restricted usability and limited customer support with its cheaper plan.

Checklist to Help You Find The Right No-code Fit:

No-code process automation has become the need of the hour for a business to thrive digitally. The pros of the no-code platform make it a perfect fit to get into the place and pace a business prefers to stand out of the crowd.  Other additional boxes to tick while considering a no-code platform would be,  a detailed operating / easy-build approach,  Scalable functionality and security,  Exceptional governance, and UX design.

No-code solution adoption will be aided by ongoing digitalization as an inevitable business strategy to flourish the market trends. Any size of the business may automate routine operations by employing low-code/no-code technologies. Organizations will be able to overcome skills shortages by expanding the use of cloud technologies with development environments while also offering staff assistance and opportunities for training. The secret to success is selecting the toolkit that bridges the gap between coding experts and laymen and helping your business reap the best. 

No more complexities in streamlining your business even with the codes. Experience No-code business process automation with Cflow. Sign up and Start a 14-day free trial now!

The post No code Business Process Automation-Redefining your Business tools appeared first on Cflow.