It’s certainly been an interesting year for the workplace. Work-from-home policies, flexible schedules, and remote work technology have all become very common, very fast.
Whether you’ve decided to embrace remote work for the long haul or will be transitioning employees back to an office, there’s still more change to come.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned through all of the COVID-induced transitions, it’s that preparation is paramount. From weather events to power outages to pandemics, disruptions can hit at any time—and change your business in an instant. Which is why digital workflows will be key to future success.
Having efficient processes in place today can help ensure a steady stream of productivity tomorrow. But how do create the right workflows for your workforce?
To help, we’ve pulled together some of our top workflow tools, tips, and templates for streamlining common business practices.
Why every organization needs digital workflows
We all deal with them—the little interruptions and distractions that keep us from getting work done. Which is unfortunate, since a lot of those disturbances can be prevented easily with workflow automation.
Workflow tools can be a great way to automate routine tasks and streamline business processes. But only if you know how to make the most of them.
In Formstack’s state of workflow automation report, 76% of managers and administrators said they’re already using these tools to automate daily workflows. Yet 62% still identified at least three big bottlenecks that could potentially be solved with effective workflow automation.
That means there’s a lot of untapped opportunity to help teams work faster and more efficiently.
Workflow templates and examples to power productivity
If you’re still relatively new to digital workflow tools, the good news is that they can be relatively easy to get the hang of. Here at Formstack, we regularly use document generation tools, online forms, and even electronic signature software to streamline routine activities. Processes that used to span hours or even days are now completed in minutes. And most of the time, the responsible parties don’t have to do much more than click a button or provide an approval.
Once set up, digital workflows can ensure important actions aren’t overlooked during times of uncertainty, and that critical activities continue no matter where employees are located. Our teams rely on them so much, we decided to make our workflow templates available to others.
For example, many organizations are using the employee contract template to streamline onboarding and digitize paper processes. Once it’s customized, all you have to do is share a link where new hires can complete online forms and sign documents before their first day. That way, there’s no need for human resources to spend time on paper files and document preparation, and your new team members can dive right into work-related training.
For companies that find their teams are hiring more outside help, the vendor contract workflow is a way to quickly collect vendor details and signatures online, and then have important information automatically sent to project stakeholders. You can even send the data you collect straight into a document generation tool to have a new contract created automatically.
And if you’re transitioning employees back to the workplace in the midst of the current COVID crisis, workflow automation can help with the back-to-work transition, too. We’ve created templates that can be used to automate symptom checks, keep communication open, and enable no-touch mobile ordering.
Employee training, engagement surveys, project proposal processes, and even tax documentation can all be automated with digital workflow processes. It’s one of the simplest, fastest ways to keep your business moving forward—even when the unexpected happens.
Looking for more ideas you can use to simplify and streamline? Watch these workplace woe videos for simple solutions you can use to overcome your biggest frustrations.
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