Whether you work in an ad agency or a law firm, recording and organizing financial operations documents used to mean a mountain of paper and unread emails. But these days, finance is shifting. Executives are beginning to employ digital tools in order to streamline and ensure that financial documents are consistent across all departments.
If you haven’t considered using workflow automation software in your business, here are five points that will make you into a digital convert.
On The Record
Did Sharon forget to turn in a budget proposal before she went on vacation and you can’t find a copy? Scenarios like these play out daily in offices around the country, oftentimes with frustrating results that stall operations. Now, you can stop putting tasks on hold. When using document automation features, documents and forms can be created within the program, allowing you to maintain a digital record of the files you need to send.
Reduce and Remodel
Do you ever feel like your company’s approvals process has too many steps? Good news and bad news: You’re right, it probably does. One way that workflow automation helps you streamline is by giving you a stark visualization of current workflows and where approvals inefficiencies lie. Since your entire workflow will now be mapped digitally, you can make easy tweaks to current processes in order to create optimized workflows that make the most sense for your company.
Sign, Sealed, Delivered
For a finance team, chasing down signatures can become a huge burden filled with nagging email follow ups. But through workflow automation platforms, you can easily request the appropriate levels of sign-off without batting an eyelash—just set up the approval chain and a sign-by date, then send your tasks on their way. Managers can securely sign documents on any device, or use a legally-binding e-signature, while you track progress on the platform’s simple-to-use dashboard.
Cloud Safe and Stored
Did someone add one too many zeros to a reimbursement but Sharon is on another vacation and needs to immediately review forms from her personal laptop? You can take a deep breath—since many workflow automation platforms are web-based, your teams can easily access documents without worries. Your documents are securely stored in the cloud, which allows team members to review past and current workflows in the event that an error should occur.
Time is Money
If your business is inefficient, that’s time not spent on activities that could be impacting growth. Because workflow automation frees your employees from the clutches of manual, repetitive processes, they can then leverage their free time for deep productivity or creating profitable change for your company. Maybe Sharon has a great organizational idea? Now, she can focus her time on implementation instead of sending budget request emails.
Implementing a workflow automation solution may seem like a huge lift: you’ll need to train employees and create new processes. But in reality, the return on investment can be staggering. By reducing the amount of time devoted to menial financial tasks, your team can be more strategic and focus on work that truly matters to your company’s bottom-line.Â
