What is the Best Automation Workflow Software?

As the pace of business increases, and the reach of commerce extends globally, the logistical capabilities of many companies are stretched to their limits.

Automation workflow software can be used to streamline complex tasks and make everyday business operations more efficient. It also allows businesses to use their human brainpower for more complex functions like planning and analysis.

Here, we will look at what process automation software can do for your business, as well as review some of the best workflow automation tools to choose from.

Coming Up

What is Workflow Automation?

What is the Best Workflow Automation Software?

How to Choose the Best Workflow Automation Solution

What Are Examples of Workflow Automation?

Why is Workflow Automation Important?

What are the Benefits of Workflow Automation?

What Features to Look for When Choosing Automation Software

Closing Words

What is Workflow Automation?

Imagine having to cook breakfast for several picky eaters every morning. One likes toast, while another likes pancakes and another still wants bacon and eggs.

Preparing these three separate meals would be much easier if there was a machine you could program to mix the pancake batter, slice the toast and prepare the eggs for scrambling.

Although this kind of automated capability may not yet exist in commercial kitchens, many companies have increased the efficiency and effectiveness of their operation by employing automation workflow software.

Using these kinds of workflow management tools offers businesses another very practical advantage; when workers can automate mundane tasks, they can spend more time focusing on how to innovate and improve the company’s market share.

This makes the acquisition of workflow software a win-win situation.

What is the Best Workflow Automation Software?

The many advantages offered by workflow management tools has led to a robust market of service providers, all of whom make tools that offer different advantages and disadvantages.

Keep reading to find out our best workflow automation software options.

1. SolveXia

SolveXia offers businesses a powerful suite of workflow automation tools that can be used to carry out a number of essential corporate functions, especially when it comes to finance automation.

The low-code platform replaces the need for spreadsheet-driven data and manual processes without the need for IT.

For example, SolveXia can be used to automate account reconciliation, expense management, APRA reporting, rebate management, analytics, and more. By doing so, your team gets to free up their time to focus on high-level tasks and execute processes with 90% less errors.

Businesses can use SolveXia right out of the box to automate data preparation, reporting and analytics and process improvement.

Perhaps most importantly, SolveXia’s powerful automation software tools require no coding skills, integrates with your existing tech stack, and operates using a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for anyone to customize their workflows.

Plus, with a library of pre-existing workflow functions, you can simply design new business processes or amend existing ones for process improvement.

2. Zapier

Zapier is a user-friendly automation workflow software that offers its users no-code, drag and drop capability to integrate a number of internal processes. Its powerful engine can be used for everything from creating one step tasks to highly detailed workflows.

Zapier is highly compatible, and functions out of the box with over 5,000 different work apps, however, users may need to opt for higher-tier plans to execute more complex automations.

3. Integrify

Integrify offers workflow automation software that is highly geared towards process collaboration. Users can create forms, their own processes and even process reporting tools.

One of the most unique features of Integrify is that it allows users to add notes and comments while building processes. That makes it great for workflow, but Integrify has a steep learning curve for new users and a price plan that is less straightforward than many users would like.

4. Kissflow

Kissflow is a low-code workflow automation tool that is best suited for process reporting. It’s a very user friendly program that also has many no-code functions that will make process automation a breeze for most users.

It has a powerful analytics capability and allows users to easily create their own custom dashboards. Unfortunately, it has a 20 user minimum and charges users extra to access its knowledge base.

5. ClickUp

ClickUp is one of the best workflow automation tools when it comes to project management. However, it’s also extremely versatile, and ClickUp users use it for team collaboration.

It has built in resources like Kanban board, Gantt Charts on top of the tool’s powerful automation capabilities. However, some users have complained that updates can be “buggy” and the automation is not as customisable as with some other tools.

6. Wrike

Wrike workflow software has an extremely powerful engine that allows users to automate a full range of business processes. It offers dozens of preloaded templates, time tracking capabilities and easy to understand dashboards.

However, Wrike is missing some key features, such as the ability to edit shared documents simultaneously.

7. Monday

Monday offers very solid workflow automation capabilities for companies, both big and small. A skilled user can employ Monday’s workflow tools to create everything from CRM marketing campaigns to project management solutions.

Although this is a well-respected tool, some clients have complained about slow photo uploads and a more robust client communication capability. The absence of a “to-do” list also irks some users, who believe a tool this powerful should definitely have that capability.

8. Hubspot

Hubspot is one of the best automation workforce software options in terms of power and capability. It offers users an all-inclusive platform that they can use for marketing, sales and a free CRM software. In addition to that, it offers industry leading UI and UX capabilities.

With that said, all that power is on the expensive side. Hubspot only offers yearly plans (with no partial refunds) and must be used as an “all-in-one” tool to maximize its power. Small businesses may want to look elsewhere due to the cost.

How to Choose the Best Workflow Automation Solution

Choosing the best workflow automation solution for your business will turn on a number of different factors, most of which are unique to your business and what your end goals with the software will be.

Just as you would with any other business investment, choosing the right tool requires a thorough analysis that takes as many variables as possible into account. Some of those variables include:

• The size of your operation (both now and in the future). Can the software grow with you?

• Skill level required for users.If you don’t want the IT staff tied down, you need a low or no-code automation tool.

• Product support? How much customer care does the software offer? Is it free?

• Out of the box capabilities? Does the software do what you need out of the box, or are additional purchases required?

• Budget? If the tool is too expensive to deliver return on investment, keep moving.

• Real-time updates? Can users update information or get updates in real-time?

• Mobile capability? Can your team access the tool remotely?

• Knowledge base? Is there a suite of usage tools or tutorials for users to maximize their mastery of the tool?

• Do they offer free demos?

When you break down workflow automation software with these considerations in mind, it will be easy to narrow the list down to a final few. Then you can begin an apples to apples comparison about the pluses and minuses of the finalists.

What Are Examples of Workflow Automation?

Automation workflow software might sound like a fancy new idea, but it has been around for a long time. Perhaps the greatest testimonial to its success is that you may not have noticed how many areas of your life it has already crept into.

The reality of the matter is that almost all of us are either served by workflow automation processes every day as consumers, or we use them to make our jobs easier.

Some of the most common examples of workflow automation can be seen in the following fields:

• Marketing workflow automation (e.g., automated emails, mailing lists)
• Sales workflow automation (e.g., order fulfillment, drop shipping)
• Customer service workflow (e.g., tracking customer contacts and resolving complaints)
• Operations workflow automation (e.g., logistics, order tracking)
• Human resources workflow automation (e.g., application process, payroll)
• Finance workflow automation (e.g., reporting, monthly reconciliation, accounting)

As you can see, these functions are vital to businesses that you use every day. When you get an automated email telling you there is a sale at your favorite online store, or a tracking alert advising you your order has been shipped, those communiques are almost certainly generated via automation workflow software.

The same thing is true of an accounts receivable alert that advises staff when a client is behind on their bill. Workflow automation is truly changing how finance teams operate by executing repetitive and complex tasks so that employees can spend more time on value-add and strategic tasks instead.

Why is Workflow Automation Important?

Workflow automation is important because it accomplishes core missions that are key to the success of every business:

• Boosting productivity
• Saving money
• Reducing the human error factor

After setting up an automation task, or suite of tasks, the software will perform those tasks accurately, and on time 100% of the time for as long as the company employs the automation tool. The less human hands there are on critical functions like accounting, record keeping, the less likely it is there will be errors when it’s time for account reconciliation or reporting.

Getting mission critical functions such as order fulfillment or payment processing done right the first time will make companies more efficient and reduce the cost associated with correcting errors made by human hands.

Automation spurs productivity growth by cutting down any wasted time between the completion of one task in a workflow, and the beginning of the next task.

When entire workflows are automated, even tasks that may require human intervention (e.g., approvals or sign-offs) can be performed automatically if certain pre-programmed conditions are met.

All of this allows decision makers and thinkers at a company to focus their energy on areas where their brain power and experience will be of greater benefit to the company.

What are the Benefits of Workflow Automation?

It’s not a stretch to say that many of today’s web-based and financially oriented businesses depend on workflow automation to such an extent that they couldn’t operate without the automation.

The benefits offered by workflow automation are numerous, but some of the most important benefits include:

1. Increased Efficiency

Automation workflow software can be used to clearly define and sequence tasks, while automatically passing completed tasks to the next stage of the workflow and updating all the relevant parties in real time.

This means there are no unnecessary delays in productive processes. Finance automation software can help you execute processes 85x faster!

2. Streamlined Flow of Information

With workflow automation tools, every aspect of a project or company task will be laid out in one place that all the users or participants of the workflow will be able to access. So, no one will be “out of the loop” on integrated projects.

3. Satisfied Workforce

A workforce who understands their role in company projects, and feels like integral parts of a connected chain where their individual contributions are noted is a happy workforce.

Additionally, a workforce who is using their brain power to do stimulating work like interpreting data, as opposed to tedious tasks that can be automated, is typically much more engaged.

4. Scalability

The best workflow management tools can be used to augment a company’s brainpower by allowing that company to automate critical tasks. As the company scales upwards, the process automation software can handle more tasks, which helps the company grow even faster.

5. Increased Transparency

Automating key processes, such as order fulfillment, bank reconciliations or accounting allows companies (and their customers) to have greater transparency because these functions are not only done automatically, but the records are also kept in a cloud where they can’t be altered without whoever makes manual changes leaving a digital footprint.

What Features to Look for When Choosing Automation Software

The features to look for when choosing automation software will vary depending on your company’s individual needs. However, here are some basic criteria that you can use to begin painting the broad strokes of what kind of software you need:

• Ease of use
• Scalability
• Cost-effectiveness
• How complex of an operation(s) can the software perform?
• Compatibility with existing apps, workflow solutions and software
• Is there Cloud storage/mobile use capability?
• Reporting and analytics capability

The best automation software will provide an impressive package of out of the box capability, user-friendliness and all with no-code options that will make accounting, reporting, and compliance easier than ever before.  

Closing Words

Automation workflow software helps teams work more efficiently, with greater transparency, and enhanced collaboration. Once you choose to implement your workflow automation tools, you should see the benefits immediately.

You can use finance automation for simple and complex processes, including: account reconciliation, expense analytics, rebate management, reporting, and the like.

With a robust software in place, you can easily keep an eye on analytics to ensure that your workflows are operating as well as you imagined or make adjustments as necessary, seamlessly!