Factors to Consider While Choosing the Best Workflow Automation Software
by Mashum Mollah Business Development Published on: 16 October 2017 Last Updated on: 27 August 2020
You need to be extremely careful while making a decision on the workflow automation software you will install in your workplace. One of the most important tips for choosing this solution is to make sure that it meets your business needs with a lot of precision. Making a wrong choice can come with several adverse effects to the business. Here are some of the pointers that can help you to choose the best workflow automation software for your organization.
Read also: 4 Ways Office Automation Helps Employees Stay Productive
Simplicity
You need to ask yourself whether all employees in the organization can be able to use the workflow automation solution or they will be required to have specialized skills. Make sure that the workflow automation software you chose is user-friendly. There is no need to go for a tool that will require you to spend a lot of resources and time to train your employees about it. It beats logic to go for a tool that calls for expertise knowledge when there are simple but more efficient solutions out there. Some of the tools allow all the employees including those who don’t have programming knowledge and new members of staff to make maximum use of them. A poorly designed solution will complicate tasks as employees will be unable to identify the features they are looking for. Make sure the interface is simple to understand and easy to use.
The Tool Must Have the Capabilities you are Looking for
You need to pay a lot of attention to the features of the product during the demonstration stage. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what the tool can do and what it can’t. It will assist you to reconsider your choice in case the tool cannot handle some of the tasks that your organization wants to automate.
Cross-Compatibility
You need to confirm whether the workflow automation tool you wish to adapt can be integrated with the tools that are already in the workplace. There is a high possibility that you have several tools that you use for various organizational purposes such as payment approval and invoice processing. The team should be able to migrate to the software with a lot of ease if you want to enhance your productivity. Integration simplifies the process and will assist you to save a lot of time. A good vendor will always list the third-party servicers that his product works with so as to avoid any form of disappointments.
Pricing
You cannot run away from the issue of cost while choosing a workflow automation software for your organization. In fact, most business owners put a lot of emphasis on price while purchasing any business tool. No one would like to pay unnecessary costs for a workforce automation software as it is good to get the value for your money. most of the workflow automation tools are based on subscription programs and customers are expected to pay every month for the service they receive. You can always upgrade to a premium version if your business grow because most of the scalability of most of these solutions. The pricing model you choose should make a lot of business sense to your organization.
Security
You should never settle on a business tool before you know the level of security it offers to your data. You will use the workforce automation software to process some of the sensitive business information including the finances of the organization. Workflow automation tools also allow the organization to store their data in the clouds. Remember you don’t want to share confidential company information and private data with third parties. The software provider must give you a guarantee that there will be no data losses or leakages before you settle on the tool.
Relevancy
Is the software you are buying applicable to the needs of your team? You can either choose a process specific or general-purpose application. General purpose automation tools can help you to automate the whole organization while a process-specific software goes deeper and addresses inner and definite processes. The guiding principle is getting a solution that addresses the needs of the organization with a lot of precision.
Customization
A good workflow automation software should be flexible enough to allow you to customize it to specific purposes. Workflows that are not flexible can make it very hard undertake some tasks. The tool should allow you to build customizations and workflows that way you wish. The team should find it easy to change, add to and adjust information without any exorbitant or additional requirements for training.
Conclusion
All the above factors are important when looking for a reliable workflow automation software. However, you also need to look at maintenance issues especially the frequency of updates that the system will require. Most of the cloud-based workflow automation tools will not require any maintenance from the side of the user. The other important factors are scalability and level of support. You need a workflow software that will grow with your business needs and a lot of support from the provider when technical issues arise. The most important element is to get a software that will address most if not all your business needs.