Process automation makes better use of your company’s resources. Technology handles the tedious tasks involved in a workflow, which lets employees spend more time on complex work. And with employees not touching this recurring work, the risk of error is significantly reduced. Instead, the software has been set with specific rules to carry out the work in the right way – repeatedly. But these rules need to be carried out perfectly in order to see an improvement in efficiency and productivity. That means the right tool needs to be used. But with the endless lists of process automation software, it can be challenging to know which is the best choice. In this article, we’ve wrapped up everything you need to know to pick the best process automation software for your company.
The Best Process Automation Software for Business Owners
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The Best Process Automation Software for Business
Owners
process.st/process-automation-software
Process automation makes better use of your company’s resources.
Technology handles the tedious tasks involved in a workflow, which lets employees spend
more time on complex work. And with employees not touching this recurring work, the risk
of error is significantly reduced. Instead, the software has been set with specific rules to
carry out the work in the right way – repeatedly.
But these rules need to be carried out perfectly in order to see an improvement in
efficiency and productivity. That means the right tool needs to be used. But with the
endless lists of process automation software, it can be challenging to know which is the
best choice.
In this article, we’ve wrapped up everything you need to know to pick the best process
automation software for your company.
What is process automation software?
Process automation software harnesses technology to document and automate business
processes. It is typically comprised of three primary functions:
Reducing the need for manual input
Centralizing information
Mapping your recurring processes
The design of process automation software is used to reduce errors, identify/remove
bottlenecks, and automate repetitive tasks. When used effectively, organizations see an
increase in cross-departmental communication, more streamlined operations, and added
transparency.
Best process automation software
Here are our top picks for the best 10 process automation software on the market:
Process Street
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Process Street houses all of your team’s process management documentation where
workflows can be tracked and recurring tasks can be automated. You can easily map out
your processes and turn them into actionable workflows with the no-code workflow
builder. Thousands of integration capabilities can then be applied to these processes to
create a more streamlined experience.
Pros:
Offers integrations with thousands of popular work platforms
Includes an easy-to-use workflow builder
Setting up automations is straightforward with little learning curve
Cons:
Pre-made template library can be difficult to navigate
Zapier
3. 3/9
Zapier is a tool designed to automate any repetitive tasks between two or more work
applications. Zapier tells one app to perform a specific action when an event occurs in
another app. These automations are called zaps and can be applied without any coding
experience.
Pros:
Great customer support
Error tracking makes it easy to spot any problems
Integrations are available with over 2,000 applications (including Process Street)
Cons:
If-then functions only account for two stages of conditions
Development of API connections is lacking
Make (formerly Integromat)
4. 4/9
Make allows users to build, design, and automate anything from complex workflows to
simple tasks. You can send information between thousands of work apps to better
customer experience and sales potential.
Pros:
Provides excellent flexibility when creating/updating complex integrations
Data storage allows you to save data and results for further integrations
More technical possibilities to integrate with more complex processes
Cons:
Lacks educational resources
Has a steep learning curve
Workato
5. 5/9
Workato is an integration-led automation platform that helps users automate their
processes across on-premises and cloud apps. With Workato, you can easily streamline
your quote-to-cash processes where you need to send information between various apps
(such as Process Street, Salesforce, Bill.com, and more).
Pros:
Empowers users to create complex integrations without needing any coding
experience
Simple UI offers easy navigation
Cons:
Steep learning curve associated with formatting complex process integrations
Debugging is challenging
Microsoft Power Automate
6. 6/9
Microsoft Power Automate is an excellent tool for automating tasks or processes that take
place between different platforms. An example might be sending alerts if a tweet (with a
relevant keyword) was retweeted X amount of time. It integrates well with other native
Microsoft tools and is best for improving time management and staying up-to-date on
your current workload.
Pros:
Approval processes can be streamlined
Easy for beginners to use
An excellent option for departments wanting to automate their daily tasks
Cons:
More complex process scenarios aren’t catered for
Workflows can’t be changed once you run them
How process automation software can benefit your company
Here are some of the benefits you can receive when you use process automation
software:
Increase productivity
Your workforce will immediately feel the difference once you implement business process
management software. All repetitive, manual work will now be automated and necessary
information sent to multiple work tools. This will make their workday more productive,
which will then enhance their overall productivity.
Reduce errors
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As humans, we’re prone to making mistakes. But process automation software can
significantly reduce the risk of these errors being made. Employees can focus more of
their attention on complex tasks, while recurring work is done error-free by technology.
Better communication
It can take time and effort to effectively communicate across teams or departments.
Process automation allows you to see exactly where stakeholders are with their work.
You can see if most of the work has been completed or if a nudge might be needed.
If an employee is well behind on their work, you don’t need to send endless emails. You
just have to check the workflow system to track their progress.
Easily juggle multiple tasks
All your onboarding tasks, reports, approvals, requests, and more are located in one
place. You can juggle multiple tasks without losing any momentum or feeling lost. That’s
because everything you need will be quickly accessible, automatically delegated, and
organized according to importance.
More trust
Micromanagement isn’t well-liked by anyone. Your employees want to come to work to do
what’s expected of them and perform well while doing it. But they also want to feel trusted
while doing the work. Business process management tools let managers increase this
trust because each task can be clearly outlined with all objectives defined.
Implementing and using process automation software effectively
Here are the best practices for implementing and using your process automation
software:
List the tasks you want to automate
You want to first map out the processes you wish to automate. From here, you can
identify any recurring or tedious tasks and automate them.
Determine each process’s requirements
You need to know what management tools and other resources you need for each
process. This might include stakeholders, software, data, hardware, and permissions. It’s
best to consider who will be using the process automation software and if they’re
equipped to use it.
Pick the right software for your team
To get the most out of your automation software, you need to pick one that’s the right fit
for your team. You want to consider:
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Compatibility: Make sure your automation software works and can be integrated
with your existing work applications.
Flexibility: You want your automation software to adapt as your organization scales
and changes. You want to avoid investing in a tool that will soon become obsolete
as your business grows.
Ease of use: You don’t want to invest in process automation software with a steep
learning curve. Your employees should be able to start using the software without
extensive training.
Cost: Different process automation software tools differ in price. Pick a solution that
fits your budget.
Test, test, test
You want to test all your data inputs and outputs, alerts, and other rules you’ve set up
before you begin using it in a live environment. This will avoid any disruptions and ensure
these processes (and relevant automations) work as expected.
Make your processes live
All your automation tests have worked as expected. It’s time to introduce these processes
to your employees and get them trained on how to use your automation software. Bumps
may arise during this implementation phase but that’s to be expected for any new system.
Stick with it and you’ll see a significant improvement in productivity and efficiency.
Keep optimizing
As your business grows and changes, you might need to adjust your organizational
processes to fit them. The most important thing is to regularly review your process and its
automations to ensure that they still meet company needs and objectives. Employee
feedback is one way to gain great insight into how you can improve.
Your software will make or break your automation efficiency
Process automation software means nothing if you haven’t picked one that caters to your
company’s needs.
And it certainly won’t provide you with the benefits of efficient process automation if you
don’t implement it well enough into your existing work systems.
Testing is crucial. Demos are a great way to find out if a specific process automation tool
is the right choice for you.
Book a demo with Process Street to see how efficient process automation can be applied
to your workflows today!
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