Workflow Automation

For many years, the software industry has promoted the virtues of standards, approved common models by which all programs could co-exist and effectively communicate.  We’ve learned of great function, interoperability and even exchange of information across multiple programs developed by multiple vendors.  Too many times, these standards were expected to be the saviors, allowing organizations to operate efficiently, improve customer service, and provide a platform of shared information among all employees, divisions, and locations.  And for many large organizations, they’ve performed.  It may have taken many years, millions of dollars, and full implementation staffs to get there, but if the … Continue Reading

The Client
The client is an online provider of products for the telecom repair and refurbishment industry. The company provides a wide range of replacement accessory supplies including batteries, handsets, cables and more.

The Client’s Need
The client was dealing with a break down in communications with their overseas manufacturers. When a new product was developed, it was shipped to manufacturers for bidding purposes. Along the way communications went back and forth between both parties. If the bid was accepted, the communications continued back and forth. The problem is, there was no system in place to catch missed … Continue Reading

Business Process Management hasn’t always been a tool for small business. There was a time when workflow automation was a luxury item reserved for only large companies with large budgets. But technology and Software as a Service (SaaS) applications have together changed all of that and made business process management a viable tool for the small business staff.

When they were first introduced, application service providers (ASPs) were far too expensive for the average business, and were mostly implemented among the Fortune 500 … Continue Reading

So, you want to automate a business process. Well, you basically have three primary methods to choose from:

1. Out of the Box Software
2. Custom Application Development
3. Workflow Automation Toolkit

In today’s post we’re going to cover your options in detail and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Out of the Box Software
The first option is to use some sort of out of the box software solution. The first and most obvious advantage to this solution is it is readily available and it is the most affordable option of the three. Plus it’s the easiest solution to set up. Out of … Continue Reading

Because workflow automation used to be reserved primarily for big budget Fortune 500 companies, many small to medium sized businesses still carry the mentality that, for whatever reason, it’s just not for them. They may think they can’t afford business process management. It’s a common misperception. Even if they know they can afford it, they may struggle to understand how to implement it and how it could improve daily operations in their business.

We’ve long said that business process management is for every business. To prove it, we’ve developed a one-size-fits-all list of 3 processes that virtually … Continue Reading

Order fulfillment just seems like one of those business processes tailor made for workflow automation. By nature, order fulfillment is typically a muddled, messy process that is difficult to track and almost impossible to effectively manage, without some sort of system in place. And the larger the company, the more disorganized the process typically is.

Think about it: and order comes in to your facility. Someone has to kick off the fulfillment cycle for that order. Let’s call her Mary. From that original point of contact, how many steps are there between Mary and the … Continue Reading

Assuming you don’t have Saturday Night Live’s Nick Burns (Your Company’s Computer Guy) running the show, chances are each member of the IT help desk staff truly wants to be effective in solving the technical computer problems of the rest of us. Of course you probably don’t always love the job. Walking a well-educated man through the process of turning on a printer probably ranks pretty low on your “things I can’t wait to do today” list. But in general, you enjoy the challenge of fixing the problem and getting everything up and in working order again. … Continue Reading

Made in the USA. Genuine. Authentic. Rugged. Durable. Bigger. Better. Grade A.

There are a lot of different phrases we use to basically say one thing: we are providing a high quality product. At the end of the day, that’s really the most important thing customers care about. But it’s easy to say you’re high quality. Everybody does. What are you doing to ensure that quality in your products?

Quality assurance is one of the most important functions of any company. In people, products and performance we are measured … Continue Reading

Heading up a company’s Human Resources Department has to be a lot like being the GM on a pro football team. You’re constantly scouting and recruiting, interviewing, evaluating your current work force, keeping your eyes peeled for additions or improvements in the “free agent” pool and monitoring the next “draft class”. But unlike a football team, which conducts its primary personnel changes in a limited time frame between spring and mid-summer, an HR director is constantly in the mode to bring on new talent.

With all of that year-round responsibility, it can be difficult to track the … Continue Reading

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in an office has experienced the headaches associated with document routing. Beyond the plain hassles of following a document through multiple checkpoints in a busy office, there’s always that one bottleneck guy that throws a hiccup into things. With no inherent accountability, document routing and approval processes are a disaster. Vacations, confusion, complicated steps and just plain old hectic schedules can all throw a monkey wrench in the document approval process. Business process management can help relieve that.

Business process management … Continue Reading