In most cases, companies use documents for handling all types of processes related to contract management, onboarding of new employees, customer approvals, accounting, and many other procedures. It does not depend on the ability of an organization to produce such documentation, but on its ability to organize every subsequent stage of the process. This process may include data collection, documentation preparation, requesting approvals, signing, and more.
Rather than treating each individual document as a separate process, firms may leverage document workflow automation to handle the entire process end-to-end. Firms interested in this methodology will do well to investigate further what is covered at https://altaflow.com/blog/workflow-management, which is related to better workflow management practices. No-code workflows have the ability to create documents using business information, approve those documents by routing them to the right people, obtain electronic signatures, and synchronize the output back into the system of origin.
What Is Document Workflow Automation?
Document workflow automation is an approach where defined guidelines and connected systems are employed to facilitate the flow of documentation through the process of doing business. This approach avoids having workers memorize all the details of the process since it defines how information flows into the process, what action follows, and where the final documentation goes.
From Manual Tasks to Connected Workflows
Let us take the example of a firm that wants to create a customer agreement. In a manual approach, an individual would manually extract details of the customers from the customer relationship management software to prepare a document, e-mail this to a manager for approval, sign it, and update the customer data.
With document automation, all these steps become a single process. The business data drives the document creation, document approval routes the document to the right reviewer, and e-signing deals with signing of the document. Finally, the outcome is synchronized with the right source system.
Why Businesses Need Document Workflow Automation
The manual process of documenting is prone to delays because the information is dispersed between different spreadsheets, emails, shared files, and business applications. The employees might repeat the same information multiple times, use obsolete templates, or even fail to understand whose turn it is to approve the document. The more transactions the organization processes, the harder it becomes to address those issues.
Connected workflows offer a solution to this issue. They will help eliminate unnecessary information entries, set up the correct approval order, and check the status of the documents. Moreover, it will be easier to recognize the bottlenecks and improve the process.
altaFlow is a no-code platform for automated documentation which allows executing document-based processes as one connected workflow. altaFlow includes the following features: document creation, approval workflow execution, e-signatures collecting, and synchronization with the source system. The integration of those capabilities is especially useful for companies that aim at automating their processes without developing different stages of the process separately.
How No-Code Document Automation Works
With no-code workflow automation, businesses do not need to depend on custom coding to automate business processes. Rather than building up a new software system for each type of document, companies can simply create the procedures and connections that will govern the process.
Document Generation From Business Data
Workflow starts from information stored in enterprise systems. For instance, in the case of the sales department, there can be customer names, firm names, and commercial conditions stored in its CRM. Document generation involves the use of appropriate business information in order to fill the fields of the respective document.
It is applicable to contracts, proposals, service agreements, and other types of documents that have repeatable structure. However, it is necessary to mention that automation of generation process is possible only in case when accurate source information is provided and templates are regularly updated.
Approval Routing and eSignature Collection
Once the document is created, the approval process then forwards it to the right person in line with the process followed within the firm. For example, a financial document would require approval by a financial manager, whereas an employee document would require approval from the HR department.
The document can then be ready for the step of electronic signature once all the approvals have been done. Following the signature process, synchronization between the results and the right source system can then be achieved. This way, there will be no manual coordination of handoffs needed by the staff.
Real-World Applications Across Business Departments
Document workflow automation can be valuable for any business process that requires information gathering, document preparation, approval, and record-keeping. The specific steps may differ among departments, but the common thread is making this process more dependable without eliminating the required human check.
Contract Generation and Legal Approvals
The legal and commercial teams deal with agreements where collaboration with the sales team, finance, management, and legal approval may be necessary. Such workflows allow creation of the contract on the basis of business data and its passage through all the needed stages of approval prior to signature.
Thus, for instance, a sales agreement can be prepared based on customer and transaction data present in the CRM. The document may be sent to legal approval before signing. However, it is necessary to define those terms that require special approval.
Employee Onboarding in Human Resources
The process of onboarding usually includes signing employment contracts and agreeing to policies. Where there are separate documents that need to be signed, the HR team can use up a lot of time verifying and routing forms among various departments.
Automation allows for proper organization of document generation, routing for approvals, signing, and synchronization of records. A uniform system can be implemented by the HR team, while maintaining the necessary processes for validation. However, organizations should comply with all the employment, tax, identification, and recordkeeping laws.
Student Enrollment and Patient Intake
Educational organizations will need to capture enrollment data, acknowledgment forms, and associated documentation. Patient organizations will be responsible for handling patient intake forms and related documentation. For both scenarios, having a workflow that is predefined can aid in directing the appropriate documents to the right people.
The two applications will have to be careful when handling sensitive information. Student information will be covered by FERPA legislation while healthcare organizations will need to determine their HIPAA compliance. Suitability of automation will depend on configuration, information being captured, and the compliance requirements of the organization.
Finance and Internal Approvals
Finance teams tend to approve expenses, vendor agreements, payment-related paperwork, and internal approvals. The workflow will dictate who should review that document, what approvals are necessary, and how that finalized document gets returned back to the business system.
For example, the vendor agreement must be reviewed by procurement and finance before finalizing. An established workflow ensures that the document does not move ahead without going through the necessary approval. It is important for the team to clearly define who needs to approve documents and also maintain evidence for future verification.
Connecting Document Workflows With Existing Business Systems
Automated workflows are more helpful where they integrate with applications that employees are already using. Making employees change frequently between applications may result in some friction despite automation of tasks.
altaFlow integrates with Salesforce, NetSuite, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Google Sheets, and UiPath. Integration of these solutions may help companies to tie their document-intensive workflow to customer data, corporate information, productivity software, etc.
Prior to implementation of any automated system, companies should draw up a list of data needed at each step and define a source of that data. They should also find out how completed documents and statuses are going to be integrated. The testing process should include scenarios with incomplete data, incorrect entries, failed transitions and other kinds of exceptions.
Security, Compliance, and Accountability
These document workflows will involve the handling of contracts, financial data, personal records, and various types of sensitive data. It is important to take into account security issues from the moment when the document is created until it is stored and synchronized.
The security features mentioned by altaFlow include AES-256 encryption of data at rest, encryption of data in transit, SHA-512 password hashing, single sign-on (SSO) via SAML 2.0, multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access, auditing, real-time threat monitoring, infrastructure access only via VPN, backups and disaster recovery, etc. The list of compliance frameworks includes SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS, FERPA, etc.
Companies should evaluate what compliance needs are relevant for their operation instead of taking for granted that just mentioning such capabilities on the website means compliance with them. It is still crucial to have appropriate access rights, retention policy, third-party evaluations, etc. Audit logs may assist teams in analyzing who did certain things and when.
Measuring the Value of Automation
The effectiveness of document workflow automation should be measured based on operational outcomes, not on the quantity of tasks that are now performed digitally. Metrics that could be helpful include processing time, approval time, number of errors in entering the data, incomplete forms, and the amount of time spent by employees on coordination of their routine work.
altaFlow offers unlimited-user licensing, is 30-40% cheaper than any competitor software, has set up 80% faster than a competing product, and has 2x ROI. Setup speed comparison of altaFlow is described as reducing setup time from more than 100 hours to 20-30 hours. These are outcomes reported by the company, not guaranteed ones for each enterprise, since performance is affected by the existing conditions.
An evaluation process must start from selecting a process which has some well-defined requirements and some measurable problems. A company can measure its performance at the moment, use the automated workflow, and evaluate the difference between outcomes.
Best Practices for Implementing Document Workflow Automation
Successful automation requires understanding of the process before configuration of the technology. Automated inefficient processes will only automate those problems, so people should map out the process, responsibility for approvals, sources of information and exceptions which should be considered.
The following measures will help build up a solid foundation:
- Select a repeatable process: It is best to start with a document workflow which takes place often and has all necessary requirements.
- Use standardized templates: Analyze the fields in the documents, the information needed and conditions of approvals before generation automation.
- Identify the responsibilities: It is essential to determine who prepares, reviews, approves, signs and keeps track of each document.
- Integrate and test: Ensure that the information from business and completed documents transfers properly between integrated systems.
- Consider exceptions: Define measures for cases when information is not available, approval is refused, mistakes occur and synchronization fails.
- Check performance: Track the processing time, error rate, completion rate and employee feedback after the implementation.
Employee training is no less significant. Staff needs to know how to control the workflow, detect problems and deal with exceptions requiring human decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is document workflow automation?
The automation of document workflows integrates processes related to documents. They can range from document creation based on business information, review and approval of the documents, digital signing, to synchronization of the documents with the original systems. The purpose is to minimize redundant administrative tasks.
What is the difference between document automation and document workflow automation?
While document automation is normally geared toward specific tasks like producing a document from data, document workflow automation handles the overall process, which includes document creation, routing for approvals, obtaining signatures, and synchronizing records. Linking these processes helps in minimizing the need for manual handoffs among various processes.
Can no-code document automation support HR and legal workflows?
Yes. No-code document automation allows the automation of repeatable HR and legal processes like generating onboarding documentation, generating contracts, obtaining approvals within the organization, and signatures. It is recommended to be careful about approval policies and keep specialist approval if needed.
How does document workflow automation help with compliance?
Good workflow design allows an organization to ensure consistent process application, access management, and the keeping of audit logs for any transactions relating to documents. This could be useful when dealing with accountability and compliance auditing processes. But then, an organization needs to consider what legal requirements it is subject to.
How should a business measure the ROI of document automation?
Businesses can measure the time taken to process, administrative efforts involved, errors that take place, partial submission, and cost of implementation both before and after the automation process. Businesses can also consider other factors such as maintenance, training, and integration. This is better than using industry standards as the basis for ROI calculation.
