Where there’s a will, there’s a way—or, these days, a workflow. When it comes to completing tasks fast, workflow automation is a business’s best friend. Designed to streamline manual processes and bring structure to otherwise time-consuming tasks, this tool allows teams to get more done in less time.
But with the average enterprise now using 288 different SaaS apps, creating a workflow management system to connect them all may prove to be problematic.
Amid the mountain of potential workflow management systems offered, we couldn’t help but wonder: What’s the true state of workflow automation today, and is it keeping pace with business needs?
Are companies embracing the power of workflow automation, or becoming overwhelmed by a never-ending array of options? Are managers harnessing the full power of workflow tools to effectively automate tasks? Or are outdated, disjointed business processes still causing issues?
We decided to find out.
Enter Formstack’s State of Workflow Automation Survey
We surveyed hundreds of administrators and managers like you across a variety of industries in 2018. This survey was used to learn how workflows are being automated, identify common challenges, and find out what issues need to be addressed. In this post, you’ll find answers to questions such as:
- What mediums and methods are managers relying on to automate workflows?
- What are the biggest challenges affecting managers and administrators?
- What are the top workflow automation problems that must be solved?
Workflow Automation Statistics
Among the business administrators we surveyed:
- 62% are using workflow automation tools
- 44% say their businesses have made a significant investment in workflow automation tools in the last 12-24 months
In what ways are these businesses using workflow automation?
- 76% use it for standardizing or automating daily workflows
- 58% use it for data/reporting for planning
- 36% use it for regulation or compliance purposes
How much time do these businesses spend on unstructured, manual data entry such as email and spreadsheet updates?
- 42% spend less than one hour per day
- 33% spend two to three hours a day
- 25% devote four or more hours per day
In addition:
62% have identified three or more major inefficiencies or bottlenecks in their business processes that could potentially be solved with effective workflow automation:
- 54% cite poor communication as their organization’s most pressing challenge
- 44% cite repetitive errors
- 42% cite delays in project deployment
- 24% cite compliance
- 17% cite growing costs
When it comes to measuring the success of workflow automation tools, here’s how businesses gauge effectiveness:
- 59% look at overall improvement in their systems
- 33% look at improvements in employee or customer satisfaction
- 3% look at specific cost savings
Surprising Workflow Automation Survey Findings
Managers spend 8 hours a week on manual tasks.
Managers say, on average, that they spend at least eight hours a week—one full work day’s worth of time—on manual data tasks, while 25% devote 20 or more weekly hours to these tasks. (That’s an average of four hours per workday!)
Those tasks are draining managers of valuable time that could otherwise be spent focusing on driving more strategic, high-value initiatives. The time and cost impacts of administrative work are significant.
4 in 10 organizations—both large and small—still use manual tools.
Even with the evolution of cloud-based tools, we have not seen a dramatic increase in productivity and efficiency. In fact, many managers report that these new tools have the propensity to increase the number of data silos in a business and create more unnecessary manual tasks.
Workflow automation saves organizations thousands of dollars.
Most respondents weren't able to cite a specific dollar amount saved by workflow automation tools, citing it was hard to measure or that they didn't have access to the information. However, those that could estimated anywhere from $10,000 to millions of dollars. On average, though, organizations are saving $46,000 annually.
Automating workflows allows managers to focus on high-value initiatives.
When workflows are automated, it leads to greater efficiency and allows managers to focus on high-value work that drives the organization forward. This, in turn, can lead to improved employee empowerment and happiness.
Poor communication tops managers’ workflow challenges.
Managers say the top workflow challenge they face is poor communication (54%), followed by repetitive errors (44%) and delays in project deployment (42%). This overall lack of communication can increase the risk for mistakes and ultimately lead to a loss of stakeholder trust and less positive growth.
The Current State of Workflow Automation
How are administrators and managers currently using workflow automation tools?
First, we wanted to understand how many administrators or managers are using workflow automation tools, and why.
Are you currently using workflow automation tools?
Why does your organization use workflow automation tools?
Of those who use workflow automation tools:
- 76% use these tools to standardize or automate daily workflows
- 58% use workflow automation tools for data/reporting and planning
- 36% use workflow automation for regulation or compliance purposes
Next, we wanted to understand the top workflow automation challenges and bottlenecks in current business processes.
What workflow challenges does your organization most face?
How many inefficiencies or bottlenecks have you identified in your business processes?
A majority identified three or more major inefficiencies or bottlenecks in their business processes. More than half (54%) of managers cite poor communication as their business’s most pressing challenge that needs to be addressed with workflow automation.
Where Are Managers Most Struggling?
Managers are spending a substantial amount of time on repetitive, day-to-day tasks that don’t drive the business forward. Of those surveyed, 55% regularly spend time on administrative tasks that consume at least a full day of their work week, and 25% said they spend more than two days per week on these tasks.
While much of managers’ time is being devoted to unstructured manual tasks, the current state of workflow automation within their organizations—often fraught with an overabundance of apps, tools, processes, and systems—isn’t solving this problem.
What is your top challenge in adopting workflow automation tools?
The bulk of managers in our survey cited poor communication, delays in project deployment, and repetitive errors as big roadblocks to creating effective workflows. When it comes to adoption of workflow automation tools, the biggest obstacles are not cost or buy-in from leadership, but rather ease of use and deciding which tool is best for the company.
Despite the numerous workflow automation tools available today, many managers at small and mid-sized businesses struggle to streamline the many administrative tasks they’re still handling manually. Without a standardized platform that streamlines processes, employees are forced to continuously shift between disparate dashboards, logins, and other sources of information. The result? Less productivity and more disengagement.
Future success will depend on finding an intuitive, uncomplicated system that lets managers “set and forget” the kind of dynamic workflows that are easy to build and simple to use.
Top 3 Workflow Automation Challenges You Can Easily Solve
The managers represented in our study face several challenges that businesses need to address if they want to create more productive, profitable business environments through the use of workflow automation tools.
The challenge: Too much time spent on manual repetitive tasks
The solution: Improve automated workflows to free up time for more high-value initiatives
Based on the insights above, it’s evident that managers and administrators are still spending far too much time on mundane, manual work. By automating more workflows—and strengthening those that are already in place—companies can shift more hours to strategic initiatives that lead to growth.
The challenge: Information that’s divided and poorly communicated
The solution: Workflows that are flexible and easy to customize
When managers report that new cloud-based tools are increasing complexity and causing more work, that’s a sure sign it’s time to simplify. Businesses that succeed with workflow management will develop solutions that can be easily scaled to add new employees, extend to more departments, or enhance functionality.
The challenge: Unproductive, inefficient business processes
The solution: Seek out more intuitive, user-friendly tools
If current workflow automation tools aren’t intuitive and easy to use, it’s time to create tools that are. How? By streamlining multiple systems to a minimal number of platforms: The fewer apps you have to open to get something done, the better. Find tools that allow nontechnical users to build and update processes with ease, and steer clear of software that requires advanced coding knowledge and reliance on developers or IT.
Save Time and Money with Workflow Automation
Given this data, it’s no wonder businesses are increasingly turning to workflow automation to streamline routine workflow processes across departments—whether it’s employee reviews, project approvals, reimbursement requests, budget approvals, or any of the hundreds of other activities that take place day in and day out.
But not just any solution will work. To be effective, workflow automation must be intuitive, easy to use, and—most of all—flexible.
With the availability of online workflow management solutions, there’s simply no reason to continue spending valuable hours on repetitive tasks. It’s time to focus on aligning goals with the workflow automation tools that can empower managers and administrators to create more efficiency and save more time and money.
Ready to start automating? The Formstack Platform has everything you need to quickly and easily build efficient workflows. Start a trial or request a demo today.
