August 1, 2022
In the business document world, a workflow is simply the path your paperwork follows through its lifecycle. You can think of it literally as work flowing from one stage to the next. A workflow can be executed by one person, or it can involve a whole team with strategic roles to play.
What Is a Business Workflow?
Business workflows are often complicated steps that involve multiple meetings, handoffs, reports, and departments. Let's take a look at a simple workflow in action.
A paper invoice is received in your company by Jane in logistics. Jane scans the invoice to her desktop, and names the file. Jane then emails the scanned file to your Accounts Payable department where it is received by John. John prints the attachment and processes the invoice. John pays the invoice via check and files the invoice along with the printed payment documentation in a vendor file in a file cabinet.
This workflow is an example of multiple people working together to correctly process a document. Every company will have its own processes and procedures on how to intake workflows, but the general steps are as follows:
- Team member brings in the invoice
- Scanned to desktop and named
- Email scanned document to AP
- AP prints and processes payment
- Payment documentation is printed and filed with the original invoice
Your paper processing should grow and expand over time as you scale. This can lead to confusion, miscommunication, and misfiling. Investing in creating a workflow can help your business run smoothly and identify where you might be wasting time to run your processes more efficiently.
Reasons To Invest in a Workflow Optimization Partner
There are lots of efficient solutions in the business technology world that address problems. Utilizing technology in your workflow is helpful, but not just any technology solution will be the best for you. Finding the right partner to offer expertise in technology and process areas is key to making your workflow go smoothly
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When vetting technology partners, look for creative problem solvers. Sometimes there may not be an out-of-the-box solution to address your unique challenges. How hard does your vendor work to solve your business challenges? Having a support partner that goes beyond the basics makes all the difference to your team and to your bottom line.
When searching for a partner that will assist in building out your workflow, here are some areas to look for support:
- Budget — Stay on track in cost with a partner that regularly assesses costs in relation to your document process and workflow.
- Backup and Disaster Recovery — In the face of data loss, power outages, or extreme weather, you need to ensure that your data is backed up securely.
- Secure IT — You need monitoring and rapid resolution of any cyber threats to your network.
- Reliable support — When something goes wrong, you shouldn't have to wait on hold to talk with a live technician. You need a partner that will respond quickly and efficiently to your needs.
As stated, the technology you invest in makes a difference, but not as much as the right partner. The right partner will know how to maximize technology solutions to improve your document processes and make your processes scalable.
Unlock the Benefits of Business Workflow Optimization With UBEO
At UBEO, we understand the intricacies of business workflow management and optimization. We know each business has unique needs, goals, and constraints, so we don't take a one-size-fits-all approach to workflow optimization.
Instead of sending you off with a generic software or expensive shopping list, we'll conduct a deep dive into your organization to identify the best technologies and processes to support your goals and empower your teams in IT and beyond.
To learn more about improving your business workflows, reach out to our team today.