What managers should look for in effective workflow software

Adam Shapiro, CEO of AutoCollect

The high-level coordination of activity across or between people can contribute a lot to work going smoothly, thereby decreasing opportunities for conflict, increasing productivity and contributing to high staff morale. If you believe that merely using email is effective for trafficking your teamwork, think again.

Email cannot replace the value that business process management software brings. Effective workflow software is at the centre of any effective management strategy.

A workflow solution should help you:

• get consistent, reliable action and measurable business practices
  
• streamline the flow of data through the business and standardise steps involved
  
• streamline multi-participant collaboration and empower accountability
  
• minimise human errors and delays
  
• reduce materials, time and effort spent
  
• increase organisational efficiency
  
• lower operational costs
  
• stay on top of everything going on and feel business is in control and on course.

The right tool for the job

Choosing the type of business process management software that suits the specific functions your employees carry out is key. First make sure that it’s easy to use because, let’s face it, there’s no point in having software that’s so complicated nobody can figure it out, or it takes more time to roll out than it saves.

Your system needs to deliver the right information to the right people and ensure that things happen when they need to, saving you the stress of wondering whether “Suzy from accounts has actioned that invoice”. Conversely saving Suzy the pain of having you at her desk three times a day, doing that “thing” staff hate – micro-management.

Some tips to look out for when choosing your process automation software

• Ensure that you can get off the ground quickly. The system should ideally have templates which can be configured to suit your business requirements.
  
• Digital forms enable clean data and collaborative input, so you can eliminate manually managing paperwork, reduce materials, human errors and delays.
  
• Flows (defined sequences of action) streamline the movement of info through required steps and ensure that processes are done in a consistent manner every time, so you can start to get measurable business practices.
  
• Dashboards allow you to see exactly what tasks are happening, who is responsible and how they are progressing. Easily track what’s been done, what’s been said, and take action as required.
  
• Scheduling enables recurring routines to begin automatically even if you’re not around, giving you peace of mind that things happen when they need to and reliably follow your operational rules without constant hand-holding.
  
• Connected automated reminders ensure nothing is forgotten, slips through the crack or catches you by surprise.
  
• All your company activity can be rapidly analysed and reported on, enabling you to see how your business is doing and identifying where to improve.

In this highly evolving world of work, it is vital to combine the use of technology to support us to engage with the often overlooked human element that is vital to any business’s success.