Running a business involves juggling many tasks, and managing them efficiently can be tricky. Repetitive tasks like manual data entry or approvals take up valuable time, often slowing down productivity. Considering workers spend 51% of their workday on low-value tasks, this can quickly add up. That’s where workflow automation comes in; it can handle simple tasks, allowing staff to spend more time on higher-value needs.
Table of Contents
What Is Workflow Automation?
The Three Types of Automated Workflows
IT Service Automation
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Automation
Finance and Accounting Automation
HR Management Automation
Marketing and Sales Automation
Procurement and Purchasing Automation
How Workflow Automation Saves Businesses Time and Money
What Is Workflow Automation?
Workflow automation uses software to automatically perform tasks and processes within a set of predefined rules. This allows routine work, such as data entry, to be done with no manual human involvement. Since these rules are well defined, they’re less prone to errors and free up workers time to focus more on higher-level tasks that can’t be automated.
The Three Types of Automated Workflows
Businesses can use workflow automation in many creative ways. While the best approach can vary, most workflows fit within one of three main types. Those are:
Sequential Workflows
When using a sequential workflow, tasks move through a predefined series of steps. There are no additional rules that can otherwise change the order. Since it’s straightforward, it’s good for automating any work that follows the same set of steps from start to finish each time. For example, on a product production line, it’s vital to follow the same steps each time.
Rules-Based Workflows
A rules-based workflow starts adding variables to the mix. While it may follow a core set of steps, it’ll look at additional factors that can impact the order and results. For example, if a company has automated its invoice payment process and exceeds a certain amount, it can be flagged for manager approval.
State Machine Workflows
A state-based workflow is a flexible process where tasks can follow different paths based on specific conditions. This allows for adaptable workflows that can handle complex situations. For example, a customer support ticket might follow different paths through each stage depending on its severity or complexity.
IT Service Automation
Using IT service automation makes tasks like service requests, security access, and account setups faster and more reliable. By automating these workflows, businesses can improve response times and deliver better service.
- Service Requests and Ticket Management: Automated systems, like NinjaOne, route requests to the right team using rules-based workflows. Triggers assign tasks or send automated updates, helping teams resolve issues faster.
- Security Access and Account Setups: Tools like Duo and ITGlue simplify account setup and access management. Specifically, workflow automation and pre-built connectors can ensure a smoother and more secure process.
- Customizable Workflow Tools: Platforms with low-code/no-code tools make it easier to design workflows for IT needs. Automation templates, state machine workflows, and sequential workflows help teams create efficient processes.
IT service management software reduces work and prevents data breaches using consistent rules. Other tools, like ManageEngine, can further help augment IT teams.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Automation
CRM automation simplifies customer management by automating lead management tasks. It saves time, reduces repetitive work, and helps businesses improve customer service.
- Support Ticket Management: Automated tools send tickets to the right person using ticket routing and pre-designed templates. Features like resolution tracking and incident escalations help fix problems quickly.
- Lead Management: Automation organizes leads and highlights the ones most likely to turn into customers. Tools like ClickUp project shortcuts keep everything in one place, making it easier for teams.
- Customer Lifecycle Management: Automation supports customers from the first interaction to long-term loyalty. Email automation, such as email follow-ups, sends timely updates. Customer sentiment reports also show how customers feel and where to improve.
- Email Automation: Automated emails, such as welcome messages or purchase updates, ensure customers get time information.
- Customer Sentiment Tracking: Tools create sentiment reports to track customer feedback. This helps businesses understand what’s working and make better decisions.
- Audit Log Features: Audit logs record interactions to keep everything more organized. Automated dependencies also help ensure tasks are completed in the best order.
CRM automation simplifies processes, helps teams work faster, and improves customer relationships. That makes it a valuable part of any sales stack.
Finance and Accounting Automation
Finance automation helps businesses work faster and with fewer mistakes. It streamlines tasks like expense approvals, invoice processing, and payroll, reducing manual data entry and saving time.
- Expense Approvals: An expense approval workflow sends requests to the right financial approver. That speeds up reviews and makes expense reports easier to track.
- Invoice Processing: Automation tools capture and confirm invoices, ensuring they are accurate and paid on time. This reduces errors and eliminates repetitive tasks.
- Accounts Payable: An accounts payable workflow tracks bills and automates approvals. This helps businesses pay vendors faster and avoid late fees.
- Payroll Automation: Automates pay calculations, taxes, and payments, ensuring accuracy while saving time.
- Automated Ticketing System: Tracks issues, like missed payments, and routes them to the right team for quick fixes.
- Inventory Management: Looks at stock levels and costs in real time. That keeps financial records accurate and decisions well-informed.
Automation improves financial workflows by improving accuracy and reducing processing times. With fewer repetitive tasks, teams can focus on growth while maintaining strong financial controls and using data-driven insights to plan.
HR Management Automation
HR automation makes tasks like employee onboarding, expense reimbursement, and payroll changes faster and more accurate. Automating routine work saves time and reduces mistakes, freeing up HR teams for other tasks.
- Onboarding and Offboarding: Automation speeds up processes for new hires and departing employees. Tools for remote onboarding make it easy for employees working from anywhere. Additionally, HRIS integration ensures data stays accurate across systems.
- Payroll and Status Changes: Payroll automation handles pay updates, taxes, and compliance automatically. It also simplifies employee status changes, like promotions, keeping everything organized.
- Approvals for Expenses and Time Off: It can route expense reimbursement and vacation requests to the right person, reducing delays and making the process easy to manage.
- Performance and Asset Tracking: Automating performance management helps monitor employee growth and feedback. Asset management tools also track equipment like laptops, ensuring nothing gets lost or overlooked.
HR automation saves time, reduces errors, and keeps HR processes organized. With strong security measures, it also protects sensitive information. Project management software can further boost efficiency. Smart automation can help HR teams focus on supporting employees, creating a better workplace.
Marketing and Sales Automation
With marketing and sales automation, it makes tasks like lead scoring, task organization, and drip campaigns faster and easier. These tools save time and make it easier to convert leads into customers.
- Lead Scoring and Enrichment: Automated lead scoring ranks potential customers based on their activity. Lead enrichment adds extra details, giving sales teams the information they need to prepare.
- Sales Pipeline Management: It can help create tasks for each stage of the sales pipeline. This keeps opportunities moving forward without extra manual work.
- Audience Segmentation: Automated drip campaigns send personalized content to specific groups. Businesses can also use audience segmentation to share the right message with the right audience.
- Chatbot Enrichment: Chatbots engage leads by answering questions and providing key details. They help keep prospects interested and informed around the clock.
- Customer Journey Builders: A customer journey builder maps out the steps a lead takes. This ensures smooth transitions and consistent communication throughout the sales process.
- Campaign Management: Automation speeds up marketing collateral requests and simplifies campaign management. That allows teams to spend more time on planning and strategy.
Using a sales automation tool helps teams manage the sales pipeline and easily track progress, allowing them to spend more time on each lead.
Procurement and Purchasing Automation
Procurement automation makes purchasing technology faster and more efficient. By reducing manual data entry and automating processes, it helps businesses manage procurement pipelines more effectively.
- Request Templates and Task Creation: Pre-built request templates and automated task creation in pipeline stages make it easy to submit clear requests. This speeds up approvals and keeps the process consistent.
- Contract and Invoice Management: Automated systems simplify contract approvals and track invoices. Payments are handled quickly and accurately, reducing errors.
- Equipment Provisioning: Automation helps with equipment provisioning, ensuring teams get the tools they need without delays or confusion.
- Troubleshooting and Collaboration: Automated workflows reduce redundant troubleshooting by routing issues through preset steps. Using a business communications platform improves teamwork between departments.
- Integration with IT Tools: These work with IT service desks and project management software to keep processes organized and easy to track.
With solutions like automation recipes, procurement automation streamlines complex workflows, ensuring faster processing and greater precision in task management.
How Workflow Automation Saves Businesses Time and Money
Workflow automation helps businesses save time and money by handling repetitive tasks. These can range from automatically processing invoices and managing customer follow-ups to streamlining employee onboarding and scheduling. Through this, employees can focus on other hands-on tasks that can’t be automated. It also reduces mistakes, like errors in invoices or missed deadlines, which can cost businesses extra money.
Automation also makes it easier for businesses to grow without adding extra staff. For example, customer management tools can automatically follow up with leads, letting the sales team get a head start. In IT and procurement, automation speeds up equipment setup and contract approvals. By automating work across different areas, businesses in most industries can save time and cut costs.
