Do you know 90% of your employees are being hindered by repetitive tasks that can be automated? If your aim is to avoid this hindrance, then workflow automation software is your solution.
Workflow automation software will help you automate mundane tasks and make your overall business processes efficient, thereby helping you save 20%-30% of revenue per year. According to another study, workflow automation system can save up to 10 to 50% on costs previously associated with manual processing. It will provide you with a collaborative environment that will make monitoring and evaluating processes and workflows easier.
In the article, we’ll discuss the basics of workflow automation software and the 11 best workflow automation software solutions available on the market. So, let’s begin –
Workflow is a series of steps that are required to complete a task. Workflow describes how something gets done. Each step in the workflow will have a task before and after; the first and last step of the workflow is an exception here.
Also Read: A Complete Guide to Workflow Automation Software
The simplest example of a workflow is the leave application process. This workflow will have the following steps:
Depending upon the complexity of the task, the workflow will have more number of steps and if/then conditions. Some examples of complicated workflows are -
Also Read: 11 Tips to Selecting the Right Workflow Automation Software
Workflow automation is the automation of steps involved in the workflow to execute your tasks efficiently with consistent and accurate results every time the workflow is executed. In other words, workflow automation is a series of automated actions created for the steps in a business workflow process. These actions are automatically routed between people, technology, and data based on pre-defined rules.
Also Read: Effective ROI results with No-Code Business Workflow Automation
Listed below are the top benefits of automating workflow in your business
Workflow automation software helps automate stages of the approval process. Users can submit requests for approval, assign approvers, and set deadlines for their requests. The system automatically notifies the responsible parties about the action due on their end, reducing lags in the approval process.
Whether you want to manage IT requests or onboard new employees, you can do everything with workflow automation software. The system organizes all the requests based on the process in the workflow system, and you can complete your tasks simply by switching tabs.
By bringing workflows such as expense approval into one system, workflow automation software makes team collaboration simpler and easier. It automatically notifies team members about the tasks they are tagged on and provides them with tools to complete their tasks, streamlining the process and making collaboration efficient.
With a workflow automation software solution, you get access to reports with graphical data. These reports and data make it easier for you to identify bottlenecks in the workflow. They also capture vital metrics and help you make data-driven business decisions.
To qualify as a workflow automation tool, a product must have the following features:
Also Read: 20 Essential Features of your Workflow Management System
Here’s the list of top workflow automation tools for you select from.
Quixy is a cloud-based no-code workflow automation software. It can help you automate your workflows and develop simple enterprise-grade applications specific to your business’s unique requirements. It comes with a drag-and-drop application builder that can help you build custom applications in just five steps. This workflow automation software can be integrated with any external application with API-based integration and offers 3000+ Zapier integration.
Kissflow Workflow is a workflow management software solution that you can use to create automated processes. It lets you design fully customizable forms and visualize the workflows. As per the user’s role, level, and nature of data, you can define the user’s responsibilities. Besides, Kissflow delivers insights into workflow processes through personalized dashboards and reports, providing you with the needed details.
Pipefy, as a workflow management software, helps you improve team efficiency by centralizing and streamlining the workflows. It helps automate manual tasks, connect different business processes, and create standards. Its visual dashboards help can help you analyze work efficiency, track results, and make data-driven business decisions.
Trello is no-code automation software. It can help sales and marketing teams and HR and operations teams simplify their business processes. You can automate everyday actions, build processes quickly with custom buttons, surface upcoming deadlines, and schedule teammate assignments. This tool can be integrated with popular applications, including Slack, Confluence, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Evernote.
Automation features of Asana help you streamline your business processes and improve team efficiency. You can create custom rules with its builder and ensure everyone follows the right steps. These rules also help you automate routine tasks. You can convert common processes into custom templates, create forms for work requests, and streamline efforts in the approval process. This tool also offers a range of templates for popular projects and processes.
Automation software, Zapier, helps you create multistep workflows. You can add up to 100 steps to your workflows and get more tasks done. You can also add if/then logic to your workflows and add filters so that system runs only when conditions are met. Zapier comes with a developer platform that you can use to create custom applications to support your business needs.
ClickUp helps you automate routine work and create consistent processes. It comes with process templates that you can customize and use for your tasks and specific business needs. It can automatically assign tasks, post comments, move statuses, and perform many more such actions. ClickUp works with external applications such as Dropbox, Slack, Bugsnag, GitHub, etc.
Nintex is a workflow automation software that helps you streamline business processes. It comes with drag-and-drop visual design tools that make visualizing and automating complicated tasks easier. Its e-signature feature allows you to quickly e-sign documents and create and automate documents that need e-signatures. Moreover, this tool offers pre-built process maps and workflow templates that you can leverage to get a head start on your projects.
ProcessMaker is a low-code workflow automation platform that allows you to design processes using the drag-and-drop feature. It sends you automatic notifications and alerts about any new activity or requests. Using this tool, you can monitor business processes, KPIs, and SLAs through the customizable dashboard. Additionally, this automation software can be integrated with external applications, including Gmail, Slack, Meta, WhatsApp, and Twitter. You can also build your application through API.
Process Street is process and workflow management software that helps you manage recurring checklists and procedures. It has a simple interface that allows you to quickly create workflows and assign them to your team. You can keep track of all activities through the dashboard and get notified whenever there is an update on any task. You can also make use of conditional logic to create if/then workflows. This tool can be integrated with 1,000+ applications, including Gmail, Salesforce, and DropBox.
Consider the following points before selecting the top workflow automation software for your business:
Workflow automation software can have a variety of features. It may look like the more the features, the better the software will be. But that’s not true. Having a lot of features that you don’t know how to use or don’t need can make the software complicated, and instead of saving time, you will end up spending more time understanding the tool.
If your workflows often contain sensitive business data, you cannot overlook the security aspect. You will need features such as data encryption, password protection, and the option to revoke user access. Therefore, look for workflow automation software that offers these features.
If your tasks, data, and projects are scattered on a variety of external software, then you need a workflow automation tool that can seamlessly integrate with them. However, don’t go with the one that offers a lot of integrations. Instead, choose the one that integrates with the tools you use.
To sum up, workflow automation software will take the burden of repetitive tasks off your shoulder. It will leave you ample time to focus on strategic business activities that need your complete attention. Since there are a lot of workflow automation solutions on the market, it can be difficult for you to pick one. We suggest that you weigh them against your specific needs and choose the one that suits you the most.