BPM or Workflow Software? Why Not a Solution That Does Both?
Workflow management and business process management (BPM) are similar concepts, but they are not exactly the same. Both workflows and BPM address business needs by getting things done more efficiently and with fewer errors, but their roles in a business differ. This naturally leads to the question of whether a business needs separate workflow software […]
10 Ways to Make Your Online Forms as Convenient as Possible for Users
Forms are indispensable to online and mobile interactions. They’re a means to an end, but you’ll never get to that “end” if your online forms are poorly designed. People mentally calculate their “interaction cost” when they encounter online forms. The higher the interaction cost (due to a complex, hard-to-read, or poorly designed form), the less […]
Does Your BPM Software Perform? Answer These Questions to Find Out.
Business process management (BPM) is a methodical way of optimizing and managing operations by connecting and automating processes to increase efficiency. With the right BPM software features, companies can increase and enforce standardization of processes and improve business performance. Some companies use workflow software for BPM, particularly if they prefer a no-code solution. But whatever […]
IT Asset Management: An Excellent Use for Workflow Software
The term “assets” in the context of an asset management program refers to the tools and equipment that people use to accomplish tasks. For most companies, IT equipment is the most important asset category, but there are other types. For examples, fleet vehicles and tools are assets. In school systems, audio-visual equipment is an asset […]
4 Trends That Will Shape the Future of Automated Workflows
Automated workflows themselves represent a long-term business trend. But within this overarching trend, smaller trends come and go, dependent on business cycles, economic pressures, trendy new products, and other factors. As we move closer to the year 2020, it’s obvious how automated workflows have become established as a business necessity. Equally obvious is that workflow […]
Use Radio Buttons and Check Boxes to Optimize Online Forms
Creating effective online forms is both an art and a science. Form creators must gather the information they need, while avoiding overloading form users. They must make forms brief, engaging, nice looking, and easy to use if they want to get people to complete them. One of the main reasons people abandon forms is that […]
How Defining Task Dependencies Improves Forms and Workflows
The foremost principle behind creating effective and efficient workflows is that complex tasks must be broken down into discrete steps. It sounds easy, and in many cases it is. But what if some steps depend on the start or completion of other steps? And what if one step involves the initiation of a whole new […]
Online Forms: Why Field Labels Are More Important Than You Think
Online forms are information gathering tools. Poorly designed forms make the process harder than it has to be, but well-designed forms help information flow freely. Think of the online forms you create as a two-way conversation between the form and the user. The clearer and more concise the form side of the “conversation” is, the […]
Great Workflows Help Prevent ‘Shadow Processes’ in Business
So-called shadow processes are ways people accomplish tasks that circumvent standard operating procedures. Sometimes shadow processes emerge because there is no defined process for accomplishing something. Other times, shadow processes enter the picture when official processes are not well thought-out or are antiquated or needlessly bureaucratic. While some shadow processes are more detrimental than others, […]
How to Measure ROI for Online Forms and Automated Workflows
Return on investment typically depends upon time being saved. Suppose you’re a baker, and you invest in an oven that allows you to bake twice as many loaves of bread at one time than you can now. The baking time that you save eventually means selling more loaves of bread and recouping the cost of […]