By leveraging data analytics, businesses can increase efficiency and productivity. Data analytics can also pave the path to a competitive advantage that increases revenue.

While it is true that data analysis calls for additional resources, the results it delivers for businesses are worth the investment.

Let’s find out more about why data analytics is so critical for small businesses and what benefits you stand to receive by implementing it.

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5 key types of data analysis techniques used by small businesses

Small businesses benefit from using different types of data analysis techniques based on business and technology. There are five key data analysis methods essential to building business resilience in 2023:

• Data mining (Text analysis)

Data mining, also sometimes referred to as text analysis, helps discover a pattern in large data sets using databases or data mining tools. With its help, a business data analyst can transform raw data into valuable business information.

What does data mining help discover? Data mining allows for extracting and examining data to identify patterns and relationships, and interpret the data to make informed business decisions. Data mining comprises the following steps: data sourcing, data exploration, modelling, and deploying models.

• Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis is the process of collecting, exploring and presenting large amounts of data to discover patterns and trends. Five steps are taken to complete statistical analysis, including:

1. Data description
2. Building connections between the data and the underlying population
3. Creating a model to summarize these connections
4. Proof of the model validity
5. Predicting future trends.

• Diagnostic analysis

Diagnostic analytics is a form of advanced analytics that examines data or content to answer the question, “Why did it happen?” It is characterized by techniques such as drill-down, data discovery, data mining and correlations (Gartner). Diagnostic analytics implies using data to determine the causes of trends and correlations between variables. This method can be employed across a number of use cases, such as examining market demand, analyzing customer behavior, improving company culture, etc.

• Predictive analysis

Predictive analytics is used to make predictions about future outcomes based on historical data and statistical modeling, data mining techniques and machine learning. Businesses use predictive analytics to assess information that helps evaluate the company’s past behavior and predict its future, identify future risks and opportunities based on data analysis.

• Prescriptive analytics

Prescriptive analytics examines data or content to provide a recommendation on the steps a business should take to resolve an issue. This form of analytics employs a wide range of instruments and techniques, including graph analysis, simulation, complex event processing, neural networks, recommendation engines, etc.

Why is data analytics important for small businesses?

With the help of the right technology, data analytics can do its magic. Small businesses enjoy such benefits of data analytics as reduction of operational costs, business model improvement, and revenue increase. Companies that use data analytics have an advantage over their competitors by using data to provide a more personalized customer experience. Better yet, manual data analysis processes can be easily replaced with automated business solutions.

Using data wisely can help a company save money by optimizing operational processes, identifying cost inefficiencies, and making data-driven decisions. By analyzing various aspects of their business through data, businesses can pinpoint areas where resources are being underutilized or wasted, enabling them to streamline operations and reduce unnecessary expenses.

Data-driven insights can guide small businesses in making smarter investment choices, allocating resources more effectively, and negotiating better deals with suppliers. Ultimately, harnessing the power of data allows for making informed choices that lead to significant cost savings while improving overall efficiency and profitability.

Let’s explore 6 ways you can boost your business performance with data analytics.

1. Establish a data-centric approach to business

Source: Amadeus

When companies have the ability to analyse business data and massive amounts of information associated with their business and the market in general, they can create a complete picture of the customer journey.

For instance, you’ll know how people get to know the brand, what they buy, why they do it, how they shop, at what time, from which device, why they abandon the carts, and what makes them choose a brand again and again.

With this kind of information, small businesses can change the way they interact with potential consumers, stick with the preferred communication channels, and resolve issues faster.

Data analytics provide insights that illustrate a complete business overview, eliminating the need to make decisions based only on guesswork and what others do, allowing companies to act according to their business’s and clients’ needs.

The critical point here is that such a data-centric approach relates not only to customers but to the overall performance of a business. Having data gathered and analyzed is the way to act in a data-driven way in order to streamline operations, improve HR activities, and more.

2. Add clarity to financial processes

Even small businesses can spend a fortune on advertising, but all of it may be in vain. This can happen due to limited knowledge about your target market and methods for using digital marketing tools.

Digital marketing can be a tricky thing — you have the potential to attract a lot of new customers, yet you need to know how much you are spending on advertising and what your return on investment is in the end.

With the help of data analytics and management, you can track how much money you give away to onboard new consumers and how much profit you receive from them. It is important to bear in mind that the revenue clients deliver to your small business should cover all the advertising expenses.

From a financial standpoint, data management can keep your company’s financing and reporting clean. For example, you can set up Excel integrations and get all the financial data from different tools in one place. This helps with reporting, understanding your cross-department expenses, salaries, fixing up financial processes, and more.

3. Improve inventory management

It may seem that inventory issues aren’t critical for small businesses. In fact, not having an inventory management strategy, keeping unclear inventory records, over/under ordering, and other mistakes can damage your business. You can improve all these with data analytics.

With data analytics, you can upgrade operational efficiency to avoid stockout, set proper stock levels, empower order fulfillment, set accurate product descriptions, and eliminate excessive warehouse deliveries and errors.

In this way, you collect and evaluate data to optimize your existing process and build an effective inventory management system.

You’re also encouraged to use data as a basis for predictions. For example, you can conduct stock optimization based on weather forecasts, current trends, and recent consumer queries. Instead of stocking up on too many items, you can only get the most popular things and avoid stock overload. Whenever you can track what’s happening on the market and foresee how it will change, you can massively improve inventory management and save costs.

4. How to better understand the market and competitors

If you can dive into your business data, you may be able to identify valuable insights about your competitors and their niche. There are many ways a business process analyst can understand the type of clients your competitors are targeting, what products they buy, and how much profit they earn.

Such information can be of great use for small businesses. They can adjust faster to the market’s needs, decrease costs, and gain more consumers by offering the appropriate products and services. Understanding the market’s tendencies and the moves of competitors can help small businesses beat the competition and emerge at the very top of their industry.

5. Skyrocket marketing and promotional efforts

With a better understanding of how things work on the market and how competitors win over their clients, small businesses can easily predict where the trends are heading, how much in demand certain products are, and more.

Leveraging a data-centric approach eliminates the guesswork and provides facts that you’ll be able to implement in marketing your efforts. Data analytics will give you insights into what your consumers want and allow you to track them down and promote things from their wishlist.

You’ll be able to:

• analyze website performance
• adjust your marketing strategy
• choose digital marketing tactics
• use suitable channels
• set up promo campaigns

You can measure all the data down to the minor details — how people move around the online store, how they interact with your brand, how much time they spend on certain pages, etc.

There is no need to spend money on promoting items you think people might like. Instead, you can invest in marketing products people want at this very moment and lay down a budget for the next season, already knowing what they will search for in a few months.

6. Refine customer service and the customer experience

Using business data analysis, small companies can enhance their customer experience and provide greater customer service. By knowing how people think, behave, and drive their decisions, you can change the way your company is interacting with consumers.

There are many factors that could cause people to leave — a slow website, a higher price, a lack of responsiveness from a customer support representative. Whatever it is, you can use analytics for small business to track where people fall out of the loop and make sure you are ready to catch them next time.

People tend to stick with those brands that make them feel valued. Even a small business can have many loyal consumers when the service it provides is outstanding. Based on data analysis, personalized customer service helps to engage with every client at the right time and through a proper channel, providing clients with a great experience and driving sales.

What are two ways that data analytics benefits retailers?

Data analytics offers a world of benefits to retailers. So, let’s explore two of the most significant advantages:

1. Better customer insights and personalized experiences:

Imagine having a magic crystal ball that reveals your customers’ deepest desires and preferences. By using data analytics and insights, retailers can gather and analyze heaps of customer data from various sources like online transactions, loyalty programs, social media, and website interactions.

By diving into this data treasure trove, retailers gain valuable insights into what makes their customers tick. They can discover popular products, understand peak shopping times, and identify different customer segments with unique preferences. Armed with such knowledge, retailers can create personalized marketing campaigns and offers that truly resonate with individual shoppers.

The result? Happy customers who feel like their favorite store knows them inside out. This personalized experience not only fosters loyalty but also boosts customer satisfaction and sales.

2. Smoother operations and efficient inventory management:

Running a retail business is no easy task. But data analytics swoops in as a trusty sidekick, helping retailers streamline their operations and make savvy decisions.

By analyzing sales data and foot traffic patterns, retailers can optimize their store layouts and product placements. This clever move increases sales and ensures that customers enjoy a seamless shopping journey through the aisles.

Data analytics also becomes the secret sauce for efficient inventory management. Retailers can tap into historical sales data and predictive analytics to forecast demand accurately. Armed with this foresight, they can keep their shelves stocked with the right products at the right time, preventing frustrating stockouts and excessive inventory.

With these smart inventory moves, retailers save on costs and reduce wastage, making their business more profitable and sustainable.

All in all, data analytics offers retailers invaluable customer insights for personalized experiences while making operations more efficient and inventory management a breeze. It’s like having a retail Jedi on your side, ensuring your store thrives in the competitive galaxy of commerce!

How many businesses use data analytics?

The use of data analytics among small businesses has been steadily increasing over the past few years. According to SCORE Association, in 2020, only 45% of small businesses were actually using analytics, while 51% of respondents considered data analytics important. On top of that, 73% of small businesses prioritised finding new customers, while customer retention (67%) and customer experience improvement (65%) were named less important.

Allied Market Research predicts that the big data and business analytics market will grow by 13.5% from 2021 to 2030, reaching an estimated $684.12 billion. Over 90% of global businesses are planning to increase their business intelligence investments within the next three years, according to Zipdo.

At the same time, the more data is generated every day, the more use cases we see for data management and analytics. Unlike larger enterprises, very few small businesses can source, store, and analyse big amounts of data. Hence, the growing popularity of DaaS (Data as a Service) companies offering subscription-based services for data collection, storage and analysis.

What is Big Data?

Understanding Big Data is like delving into the massive amount of information businesses create daily. There are two main types:

1. Structured Data: Neatly organized and easily searchable.
2. Unstructured Data: Raw and challenging to collect, process, and interpret.

In the past, unstructured data was a hidden gem, but it lacked value due to the difficulty of analysis. Today, technology superheroes like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) make sense of this data.

Think of it as detectives finding hidden clues. Analyzing these patterns helps businesses predict trends, eliminate inefficiencies, and boost marketing efforts. It’s like turning data into a compass, guiding businesses toward informed decisions and greater success.

How can businesses benefit from using Big Data?

Big Data enhances decision-making, benefiting businesses in several ways:

1. Real-time insights:
   By setting up a Big Data analysis system, businesses can automatically incorporate new data. Algorithms instantly analyze this data, providing real-time insights. This agility allows for swift decision-making, turning your business into a dynamic and responsive entity.
2. Cost reduction and efficiency improvement:
   Businesses can use Big Data to identify inefficient processes and resource usage. Addressing suboptimal practices saves time and money, optimizing your company’s operations.
3. Enhanced quality control:
   While traditional quality control may miss specific issues, Big Data analyzes the entire production process, ensuring consistent high-quality products. This meticulous examination boosts customer satisfaction.
4. Improved marketing results:
   Big Data analyzes customer purchase and return behavior, revealing preferences and buying patterns. Businesses can utilize this understanding to personalize marketing campaigns effectively, offering tailored promotions.
5. Better customer experience:
   Seamless integration of better marketing, streamlined processes, and high-quality products results in an exceptional customer experience. Reduced friction fosters customer loyalty, creates brand advocates, encourages repeat purchases, and bolsters overall sales.
6. Competitive edge:
   Big Data delivers faster and more accurate information, giving businesses a competitive advantage. Swift market entry, increased profit margins, and efficient resource utilization outpace competitors. Even if competitors also adopt big data, staying informed helps you maintain market share and competitiveness.

Do small businesses need Big Data?

We described different ways your business can use data analytics above, lots of them intersect and can be empowered with Big Data.

While Big Data refers to large volumes of structured and unstructured information, small businesses sometimes mistakenly believe that they are too small for it, have no particular need to analyze it, or lack the budget for its implementation.

The truth is, regardless of the size of the business and the amount of information it generates, Big Data is the holy grail for those who know how to deal with it.

You can analyze your entire volume of information and leverage it for useful insights that result in better business process management and strategic moves.

Small businesses can leverage Big Data to:

1. Streamline expenses for improved financial efficiency
2. Identify and fix operational weaknesses and failures
3. Innovate by designing new products and services
4. Gain comprehensive insights through in-depth 360-degree customer reviews
5. Enhance marketing messages for better customer engagement
6. Dtect and prevent fraudulent activities
7. Boost overall efficiency in day-to-day operations
8. Develop pricing strategies for maximum profitability
9. Make informed and intelligent decisions based on data-driven insights
10. Expedite product or service launches for a competitive edge

On another note, there are Big Data solutions that will fit the tight budget of a small business. They can still provide actionable insights into user behavior, monitor current market trends, and reveal existing issues.

How can small businesses get started on implementing Big Data analytics?

Here’s how small businesses can get started on implementing Big Data analytics in their day-to-day operations:

1. Define your Big Data strategy: Determine the data to analyze and create a plan to acquire high-quality new data effortlessly
2. Identify credible sources of Big Data: Leverage existing information from sources like email marketing reports, sales receipts, social media analytics, the Internet of Things, website analytics, publicly available data, customer relationship management (CRM) software, etc.
3. Ask insightful questions to get the right answers: Beyond standard metrics, ask about vendor value, product line improvements, and delve into granular details for crucial insights
4. Create a system for Big Data: Identify how you’re going to store Big Data – onsite, in the cloud, data lakes, or use software solutions for efficient access, management, and storage
5. Develop patterns for data analysis: Consider hiring a data specialist or utilizing third-party data analysis solutions for efficient data processing. Here are some of the options for small businesses:
   – SAS Viya:
   Developed by the SAS Institute, this software suite extracts, manages, and analyzes data from various sources, including web, social media, and marketing analytics. It provides statistical analysis for customer intelligence in small and midsize businesses.
   – Kissmetrics:
   Tailored to enhance marketing ROI, Kissmetrics identifies customer behaviors, offering insights to understand, segment, and engage customers effectively.
   – InsightSquared:
   This platform seamlessly integrates with business software such as Salesforce, Google Analytics, QuickBooks, Zendesk, and more. It automates data collection and generates actionable insights, particularly in marketing, staffing, and sales analytics.
   – Watson Analytics:
   IBM’s Watson Analytics products make advanced, predictive business analytics accessible to small businesses without the need for data science expertise. The platform integrates extensive data sets from multiple departments, identifying patterns and potential issues.
6. Present the analyzed data: Utilize data visualization tools and interactive executive dashboards to present analyzed data clearly for informed decision-making.
7. Implement data-driven decision making: Based on the insights derived from big data, incorporate them into your decision-making process for enhanced business outcomes.

Data analytics vs. Data mining

Both data analytics and data mining play essential roles in getting data insights, but they have distinct objectives and methods. Data analytics provides a comprehensive understanding of the data and supports various types of decision-making, while data mining specifically focuses on uncovering hidden patterns and relationships within data to reveal valuable, previously unknown information.

Data analytics vs. Data mining

How does data mining help managers?

Data mining would be most helpful to a manager that wants to uncover hidden patterns, trends, and correlations within large datasets to make data-driven decisions and gain valuable insights into their business operations. By employing data mining techniques, the manager can sift through vast amounts of information, extracting meaningful and actionable knowledge that might not be apparent through traditional analysis methods.

For instance, a retail manager interested in understanding customer behavior might utilize data mining to explore purchasing patterns, identify customer preferences, and segment their audience based on buying habits. This information could lead to targeted marketing campaigns, personalized offers, and improved inventory management, ultimately boosting sales and customer satisfaction.

Similarly, in a financial institution, data mining can be used to detect fraudulent activities by analyzing transaction data for unusual patterns or anomalies. By detecting fraudulent behavior early on, the manager can take proactive measures to safeguard their customers and the business from potential losses.

Moreover, data mining can be a valuable tool in the healthcare industry, helping a medical manager identify trends in patient outcomes, predict disease progression, or analyze treatment effectiveness based on patient data.

In essence, data mining empowers managers across various industries to make well-informed decisions, optimize processes, and gain a competitive edge by harnessing the power of data hidden within their organization’s vast information repositories.

What companies use data mining?

Numerous companies across different industries strategically use data mining to obtain valuable insights, streamline operations, and bolster decision-making processes. Some renowned examples of these industry pioneers include:

1. Amazon: As a dominant force in e-commerce, Amazon relies extensively on data mining to curate personalized product recommendations, fine-tune pricing strategies, and forecast demand accurately, ensuring seamless availability of products when needed.
2. Google: At the forefront of technology, Google leverages data mining to optimize search algorithms, delve into user behavior patterns, and deliver more pertinent search results and precisely targeted advertisements.
3. Netflix: Known for its popular streaming platform, Netflix harnesses data mining to meticulously analyze user viewing habits, preferences, and interactions, ultimately delivering tailored content recommendations that keep users captivated and content.
4. Walmart: A globally recognized retail giant, Walmart expertly utilizes data mining to optimize inventory management, gain insights into customer purchasing trends, and pinpoint emerging market trends, thereby tailoring offerings and promotions for heightened effectiveness.
5. Facebook: As a leading social media platform, Facebook proficiently employs data mining to analyze user data and behaviors, crafting targeted advertising and content delivery to elevate user engagement and satisfaction.
6. Uber: A trailblazer in ride-hailing services, Uber relies on data mining to skillfully optimize ride pricing, accurately predict demand patterns in different areas, and enhance the efficiency of driver allocation algorithms.
7. Spotify: A renowned music streaming service, Spotify embraces data mining to grasp user preferences, seamlessly curate personalized playlists, and recommend songs that harmoniously align with users’ distinct tastes.
8. LinkedIn: The esteemed professional networking platform, LinkedIn, employs data mining to present users with relevant job opportunities, connections, and content that align precisely with their interests and activities.
9. Bank of America: In the financial sector, institutions like Bank of America adeptly employ data mining to swiftly detect fraudulent activities, meticulously assess credit risk, and intelligently identify promising investment prospects.
10. Airbnb: As a leading online lodging marketplace, Airbnb harnesses data mining to artfully furnish personalized recommendations for accommodations, deftly optimizing pricing based on demand patterns and user behavior.

These are just a few examples of companies that harness the power of data mining, firmly establishing its role as an integral component of modern business strategies. By making well-informed, data-driven decisions, these companies achieve a competitive edge, continually delivering enhanced experiences to their valued customers in today’s rapidly evolving data-driven world.

Final thoughts

Trying to figure out how the market will change next season or looking for ways to retain clients based on your inner beliefs tend not to net any tangible results unless your decisions are backed by data. You can keep guessing why your business spends a fortune on advertising but gets no consumers, or you can start leveraging data analytics to gain all the needed insights into your small business.

Data analysis can help small businesses change how they promote their products, engage with clients, and manage finances. It can not only provide actionable insights into user behavior but assist with reducing costs, driving revenue, and providing a one-of-a-kind customer experience that makes people stay.

The post Why data analytics is critical for small businesses appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation leading to the adoption of automation technology across multiple areas of human life, including business. Today, teams and companies of all sizes — from small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises — are striving to achieve business automation success to ensure resilience and business continuity.

We have industrial robots and no-code software bots in charge of customer service. We keep AI-driven devices in our back pockets and use actual robots to clean our increasingly smart home. Whether it’s a fully-automated advanced robotic process automation app or a dishwashing machine, each of these things use automated algorithms in one way or another. Algorithms and artificial intelligence even tell us what to wear and watch.

But how did it happen? Are we still in control of our lives? What is our place in this automated world? And what are the lessons we still have to learn to get the most out of automation for our businesses and everyday lives? When did automation start?

Let’s take a deep dive and find the answers to these and other questions in this article.

When did automation start?

We believe it would be fair to say that the history of automation is just as old as the history of mankind. The very idea of having a mechanism that would operate in a predetermined way and perform specific actions, while you’re sipping on a cocktail is probably as old as the world itself. In fact, it was Homer, the poet, not the cartoon character, who created the term ‘automation’ back in ancient Greece while talking about a self-moving chariot.

It’s quite clear, however, that without proper engineering skills and knowledge, people weren’t capable of designing more sophisticated automation tools. And so, the real history of automation as we understand it today starts much closer than Homer. After all, both the Greeks and the Romans used their inventions for entertainment rather than improving their daily tasks.

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Advancements in mill machinery during the 9th century

Significant progress was made in mill machinery during the 9th century, with a focus on harnessing renewable energy sources for various mechanical processes. Two prominent types of mill machinery, watermills, and windmills, played pivotal roles in this era.

The earliest documented windmill design, designed for practical applications, can be traced back to the 7th to 9th century, courtesy of Persian inventors. These innovative windmills were initially used to grind grain but later evolved to serve a wide array of mechanical functions.

While watermills provided more power relative to their size, windmills found utility in regions lacking access to flowing water. Over time, both technologies underwent continuous improvements and were adopted worldwide. They played a crucial role in reducing manual labor requirements across various industries, including:

1. Hammermills
2. Sawmills
3. Paper mills
4. Ore-crushing mills
5. Tool-sharpening mills

These developments in mill machinery marked a significant step forward in the mechanization of labor-intensive processes, contributing to increased efficiency and productivity across diverse industries.

The Industrial Revolution and the appearance of the first computer technology

It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution of the early 19th century that the automation timeline finally started making a significant impact on people’s lives. The earliest examples of automation as we understand it today coincide with the implementation of industrial machinery somewhere around the early 1880s.

One of the most notable breakthroughs in the history of automation was Joseph Jacquard’s invention of the so-called ‘punch cards’ in 1801. These cards were used to tell mechanical looms what pattern to make. Using this technology, Charles Babbage began developing the concept of the first-ever programmable computer, which he later called The Analytical Engine. Babbage’s friend Ada Lovelace, in the meantime, created the first-ever computer program, which would have run on his machine.

The role of control theory in the development of automation

In the 19th century, control theory emerged as a branch of control engineering and applied mathematics, dedicated to managing dynamical systems within engineered processes and machinery. Its primary objective is the formulation of models or algorithms that govern the application of input commands to guide a system toward a desired state. In doing so, it aims to minimize any undesirable characteristics like delays, overshooting, or steady-state errors while maintaining stability. Additionally, control theory often strives to attain optimal performance.

The theoretical basis for understanding control theory took shape when James Clerk Maxwell published a paper “On Governors” in 1868. Maxwell’s publication covered the operation of governors, which were already employed to regulate the speed of windmills during that era. Within his scientific discourse, Maxwell not only described these governors but also delved into the phenomenon of self-oscillation, highlighting instances where system delays could lead to excessive compensation and unstable behavior.

Strides out of automation history

The entire history of automation is not all success, however. A 1966 negative report about Natural Language Processing (a subsection of artificial intelligence) caused the so-called ‘AI winter‘ and delayed further development of automation and AI techniques for over three decades.

Lastly, another big step forward in the history of the automation timeline took place in the 1990s. An artificial intelligence called ‘Deep Blue’ defeated Garry Kasparov at chess in 1997.

NASA launched its first autonomous robotics system on the surface of Mars. While at the same time, web crawlers and other AI-based data extraction programs became a crucial part of widespread internet use. The 1990s also marks a time when the history of automation was thoroughly intertwined with business process automation and management.

In the early 2000s, automation development went quiet again for a while until the release of Apple’s Siri. Siri de-facto triggered a new age of AI-driven assistants. It also finally shifted the whole movement away from physical robots toward the development of robotic process automation and AI software.

The evolution of home automation: From sci-fi dreams to everyday reality

Not too long ago, the idea of home automation felt like something plucked from the pages of a science fiction novel. It was an intriguing vision where our homes could anticipate human needs, respond to commands, and make our lives infinitely more convenient. But today, that once-distant dream has firmly rooted itself in our everyday lives, reshaping the way we interact with our homes.

The evolution of automation for homes started with modest innovations, such as programmable thermostats and remote-controlled garage doors. These early forays laid the foundation for the smart home we have today. With the rise of the internet and smartphones, the possibilities for home automation expanded dramatically. We saw the emergence of smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home, ushering in an era where we could effortlessly control our lighting, climate, and entertainment systems with a few spoken words.

As technology continued to march forward, the smart home ecosystem grew ever more sophisticated. Today, homeowners can automate nearly every facet of their living spaces. From intelligent lighting and security systems to voice-activated virtual assistants that not only manage our schedules but also answer our curious inquiries, home automation systems have seamlessly woven itself into modern life. 

The Internet of Things (IoT) played a pivotal role in this journey, linking devices and appliances to a central hub, enabling them to communicate seamlessly and be controlled effortlessly. With ongoing advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, the future of home automation holds the promise of even greater convenience and efficiency, erasing the boundaries between the realm of science fiction and our everyday reality.

The current landscape of AI technologies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has experienced remarkable advancements in recent years, with a multitude of AI technologies currently in use across various industries. Let’s explore some of the cutting-edge AI technologies that are shaping the present and paving the way for the future.

1. AI chatbots and Natural Language Processing (NLP):

• ChatGPT: ChatGPT enables natural and human-like conversations, providing AI chatbots and virtual assistants with the ability to understand and respond to text and voice inputs in a conversational manner.
• NLP Models: Beyond ChatGPT, there are various NLP models such as BERT, GPT-4, and RoBERTa that excel in understanding and generating human language, making them valuable for tasks like sentiment analysis, language translation, and content generation.

2. Computer vision:

• Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs): Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) have revolutionized image analysis, enabling applications like facial recognition, object detection, and image classification. These networks have paved the way for autonomous vehicles and advanced surveillance systems.
• Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): GANs are used to generate realistic images, videos, and 3D models. They find applications in art, design, and gaming.

3. Autonomous systems:

• Self-driving cars: AI algorithms, including deep reinforcement learning and computer vision, power autonomous vehicles to navigate and make decisions in real-time, enhancing road safety and efficiency.
• Drones and robotics: Autonomous drones and robots leverage AI to perform tasks like surveillance, search and rescue, and automated manufacturing.

4. Healthcare and life sciences:

• AI in diagnostics: AI systems, including deep learning and pattern recognition, help in early disease detection, medical imaging analysis, and personalized treatment recommendations.
• Drug discovery: AI accelerates drug discovery by analyzing vast datasets to identify potential drug candidates, reducing research and development timelines.

5. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR):

• AI-powered VR/AR: AI enhances virtual and augmented reality experiences by rendering realistic environments, tracking user movements, and offering personalized content.

6. Recommendation systems:

• Collaborative filtering: Recommendation algorithms like those used by Netflix and Amazon analyze user behavior to suggest personalized content and products.

7. Speech recognition:

• Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): ASR technology, like that used in voice assistants, converts spoken language into text, facilitating voice commands and transcription services.

8. AI in finance:

• Algorithmic trading: AI algorithms process financial data to make high-frequency trading decisions, improving market efficiency.
• Risk assessment: Machine learning models assess credit risk, fraud detection, and market forecasting.

9. AI in education:

• Personalized Learning: AI tailors educational content and pathways for individual students, optimizing learning experiences.

10. AI in cybersecurity:

• Anomaly detection: AI systems monitor network traffic and identify unusual behavior patterns, aiding in the detection of cyber threats.

The current AI landscape is a testament to the rapid evolution of technology, with AI technologies playing a pivotal role in reshaping industries, improving efficiency, and opening new frontiers of innovation. As these technologies continue to evolve, they hold the promise of further transforming how we live, work, and interact with the world.

What are automation’s current challenges?

If you think about it, we live in an exciting time. We have blockchain technologies, cyber surgeries, automated detection of fake data on social networks, robots and AI.

In the video below, we cover the pros and cons of automated business processes, as well as the common myths rooted in automation history and valuable tips:

For the first time in the history of automation, automated processes are actually available to everyone, allowing organizations to focus on what’s really important: customers, career, and business success. Automated methods are getting more and more polished and efficient, with automation software becoming a necessity rather than a luxury.

Of course, it’s still far from being perfect. Siri doesn’t always know the answer, Alexa occasionally mishears us and we all saw what a failure Microsoft’s Tay turned out to be.

Despite all the shortfalls in automation history, AI and automation are more versatile today than ever before, with a bunch of exciting automated business process trends knocking on our doors:

• No-code automation and APIs

Most businesses today use APIs to integrate third-party apps and services. At first APIs have been expensive and hard to onboard, leaving little space for team collaboration. As the API technology perfected, it has proven to be an efficient tool that allows for integrating no-code workflows into diverse business operations seamlessly. This evolution in API technology has opened up new avenues for businesses, enabling them to effortlessly blend various software solutions without the need for complex coding processes.

As a result, team collaboration has significantly improved, breaking down the barriers that once hindered smooth integration. The future of automation is likely to be shaped by these advancements, where APIs will continue to play a pivotal role in enhancing collaboration, streamlining workflows, and fostering innovation. Businesses can now harness the power of APIs to create customized, interconnected systems, ensuring a more agile, efficient, and collaborative future in the realm of automation.

• End-to-end workflows

End-to-end workflows deliver a full data lifecycle while supplying all the necessary components along the way. In simple words, it means that your entire team collaborates on workflows within a single workspace. No more budgeting for multiple service vendors or integrations between them! The end-to-end approach gives you the ability to build even the most complex business processes without having to integrate multiple products.

• Human augmentation

Human/staff augmentation is a business strategy that consists of evaluating the existing employees and determining what additional skills they require. Augmentation’s most significant advantage is that it leverages existing resources and utilizes an outsourced workforce. Today, the need to quickly and flexibly address workflow issues and bottlenecks is as relevant as ever before. Staff augmentation can help companies manage most of the tasks with their regular internal teams and with minimal assistance from IT. airSlate’s recent report for HR executives revealed there’s still a giant opportunity to automate repetitive tasks.

No matter how automated your business processes are, they’re still reliant on the unique architecture of your business. And thus require human supervision. That’s why we’re pretty confident that the future of work will still involve humans in one way or another — with the focus shifting toward what technology can do WITH humans rather than WITHOUT them.

What can we learn from the history of automation?

The history of automation, despite a few bumps along the way, is a history of success. It continues to evolve, providing us with more innovative AI solutions, such as GPT-4. Technology has finally reached the point in the automation timeline where it’s simply cheaper, faster, and more reliable to have mundane tasks completed via automated tools.

But how can you get the most out of automation?

First of all – we have to learn

Humans have always been a part of automation history. However, we have gone from ‘creator’ to an inseparable part of automation. And today, without knowing how to navigate automation, we still don’t know how to get the most out of it.

A valuable piece of advice is not to focus solely on the developments in your own industry, of course learn about them but broaden your horizon and investigate more. Modern-day document workflow automation and AI technologies are deeply connected with each other. Without knowing how to apply them, businesses will struggle. As SMBs navigate the landscape of recovery, the rapid integration of automation and AI tools is becoming not just a trend but a necessity. Check out the full report for details.

By learning automation you will understand how to apply the right process automation strategy to your company’s workflows, calculate ROI, and how to deploy solutions inside your organization.

The airSlate Academy teaches students everything they need to know about the future of work trends and the emerging industry of digital transformation, and gives them a real chance to become a pioneer in workflow automation. Moreover, by acquiring skills in new technologies, you get a unique opportunity to make yourself future-proof, enhance your career and business development.

That’s actually why we wrote this article. Learning the history of automation is a vital part of learning modern document workflow automation trends.

It’s important to know how to choose

Many inventions through the automation timeline failed, and many more have yet to prove themselves.

Today, we are at the stage of the automation timeline when we have plenty of platforms and tools that streamline our daily operations as well as enhance and develop our business processes. The main point is that there are plenty of them and that they’re pretty expensive so it becomes really hard to choose the right tools. 

So what should you consider when choosing a business automation solution?

Consider these four key points before investing in workflow vendors if you’re planning to automate in the future:

• How do you plan to on-board your workflow participants?
• How many of your workflows can you implement eSigning, automation, conditional routing, integrations, dynamic webforms, contract negotiation or document generation to?
• How long will it take you to implement your new workflow or change it?
• Consider your company’s future needs because workflows can change or become more complex.

The points above tell us that what we need is flexibility. We’ve already mentioned the two main automation timeline trends: no-code automation and end-to-end workflows. These trends usually come together.

An end-to-end workflow is a process that delivers a full document and data lifecycle while supplying all the necessary components along the way.

However, like we mentioned before, integrations are almost unavoidable and can be expensive when attempting to automate your workflow using any of the popular workflow automation software solutions today.

A lack of flexibility is where you find the biggest weakness in major workflow providers. Any time your workflow needs a new feature, you’ll have to pay for integrations from a third-party vendor.

That’s why, when you really look under the hood, end-to-end workflow automation is extremely expensive, if not impossible. By investing your time and money into such a solution, you just distance yourself from what your business really needs: an adjustable and transparent document and data workflow at a reasonable price.

With business automation platforms like airSlate, it’s the user who adjusts everything, no engineering support required. In this case end-to-end workflows feature:

Turnkey CRM and cloud integrations

An online document editor and HTML form builder

eSignatures

Filled-in data collection

No-code workflow routing and automation

Contract negotiation and management

Process analytics

Easy-to-integrate API

Document generation

Get all the tools you need to complete and automate your workflow without paying extra for third-party solutions and API integrations.

Finding the perfect remote workflow automation tool for your business won’t change your behavior or processes, it’ll enhance them. And that’s the point the history of the automation timeline leads us to. Automation is not something to be scared of, it’s something that you create and use to empower yourself and your business. 

Three things we now know for sure

• Whether we like it or not, the future WILL BE automated. The future of automation is likely to revolutionize industries by increasing efficiency and reducing human labor in repetitive tasks. Low-code and no-code technologies are irreplaceable for companies looking to sustain their success into future automation timelines. Learning automation will help your business grow.
• The feared robot takeover seems to be postponed once again. Bots and AI will take the brunt of the most monotonous, technical work, leaving all creative and people-oriented activities for humans.
• It’s digital natives who will rule the game soon. Most of today’s university graduates are so-called ‘digital natives’ or ‘citizen developers’.

As exciting as current and future tech is, we shouldn’t forget the automation history before us or the work it has taken to get us where we are today. After all, the way things are going, our today will become our past in the blink of an eye.

The post History of automation—from self-moving chariots to business applications appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Why should businesses adopt technology?

There’s a saying –  work smarter, not harder. Getting involved in innovation and tech can not only help your business stay relevant but also save money, time, and much of the hassle that goes with running it. 

The positive effects of business technology are limitless – you can increase the development speed, improve organizational infrastructure, collect and analyze data, test new business strategies, enhance customer support, and many more.

airSlate’s recent research suggests that 74% of businesses had to shut down during the pandemic due to not having information technology in place and depending on walk-in customers.

To demonstrate that the use of technology for business is the key factor that determines an organization’s success in the modern world, let’s look at the following small business stats from Semrush:

• 84% of small businesses create an online presence for their products on one digital platform
• 79% of small businesses interact with vendors and customers via digital tools
• 55% of small business owners believe technology is the best way to handle customer interactions
• About 85% of small businesses spend money on SaaS (Software as a Service)
• A typical small business utilizes between 25-50 SaaS solutions for their business activities

As you can see, most of your competitors have started to embrace technology solutions for business. But don’t be discouraged, we’ve got something that can give you the upper hand.

81% of small businesses have yet to fully capitalize on technology, according to recent tech statistics. And it gets better.

Small businesses adopting technology have proven to:

• double their revenue per employee 
• achieve around 4x Annual Revenue Growth
• triple their ability to generate more jobs in the following year

Now, considering all of the above, let’s focus on some of the critical elements of a small business and the best digital products and IT solutions for businesses capable of enhancing its functions.

Top 12 small business technology solutions to harness digital transformation

1. No code software

At a time when many companies were transitioning to remote operations, no code software empowered users with little-to-no technical background to participate in digital transformation.  Most no code applications use drag-and-drop tools and WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editors. Meanwhile, business process management and workflow automation tools use no-code bots to streamline routine manual tasks.

We can see the growth in demand for no code skills as they don’t need much time to master. A course covering the basics of no code may take a few hours to complete. No code democratizes software development and increases the speed of operations within organizations. Business analysts, CRM administrators, and marketers can build apps and automate workflows to fit their business needs.

For instance, airSlate‘s all-in-one document workflow automation solution allows users to set up a fully automated no-code workflow designed to fit a specific use case or industry. With airSlate, businesses can create and automate end-to-end workflows, automate document generation and contract management, streamline business processes with no-code Bots, and much more.

2. Business website

A business website is your company’s gateway to online visibility. To begin your journey on the web, you should claim your “internet real estate”, which is easy to achieve by building a website. Regardless of what you do on the web — whether it’s social media activities to advertising — your business website plays an important role. 

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) used by a wide range of websites on the internet. If you’re looking for a simple business website with an easy-to-use interface but have limited technical knowledge, WordPress would be your ideal website platform. 

On the other hand, some other CMS’s offer similar services to WordPress, such as Wix, Drupal, Shopify, Squarespace, and others. For some industries, these other platforms are far more effective than WordPress. So, feel free to do your due diligence and discover which one fits your needs.

3. Customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation

It’s no secret that customers make a business what it is. Hence, maintaining solid interactions with them is vital. That’s where customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation come into play. People often confuse these terms but they denote different things.  

A CRM is a mechanism that keeps track of business leads, prospects, and clientele. On the other hand, marketing automation keeps track of all customer interactions, such as the web pages visited on a company’s website and which emails were opened. By combining these two, a business can identify the needs and preferences of its clients and figure out how to satisfy them.

Explore a diverse array of small business solutions combining CRM and marketing automation, streamlining operations and notably reducing expenses. Consider assessing CRM pricing to make an informed and cost-effective choice. Managing these business technology solutions can be challenging without having a good grasp of automation skills. Having skilled CRM administrators in your organization will ensure a smooth implementation and functioning of these innovative business technologies. Take a closer look at software like Zoho, Leadsquared, Basecamp, Bitrix 24, Insightly, and Clarizen are ideal. These are predominantly cloud-based platforms that offer lead, deal, project management, and other functions.

You can save customer contacts and use automated workflows at pocket-friendly prices. Specific small business IT solutions also allow for making calls and sending emails to leads via their record cards. This way, it’s easy to track your interactions with a specific lead. Most of the apps mentioned above offer free versions with restricted features.

To take your customer relationship management to the next level, you can use a platform like Podium to collect customer feedback. Customer reviews will help you build brand recognition and authority. Moreover, you can drive leads with the testimonies of your already satisfied customers.

4. Team collaboration

To scale your business, another piece of the puzzle you need to solve is streamlining collaboration to get the best out of your employees. In this respect, Asana, Notion, and Slack are some of the best project management tools also used to improve team collaboration and task management. 

These are considered SaaS (Software as a Service) products that help teams design projects, share tasks for projects among teams, set deadlines, track progress, and share ideas that would help them perform their tasks. It’s very common for small businesses to use services, such as monday.com or monday.com alternatives, to create a seamless and collaborative remote work environment. Here you can read more about managing and tracking your projects with monday.com‘s work management tool.

5. eSignature

The use of electronic signature has increased over the last decade due to the rise in the adoption of smartphones and tablets. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the ever-increasing demand for eSignature among teams and companies of all sizes. According to airSlate’s eSignature research, the number of eSignature enterprise adopters soared by 50% due to the pandemic.

Small businesses can use electronic signatures for various purposes:

• to approve an agreement or contract
• to authenticate a document
• to sign documents remotely on someone else’s behalf
• to make an online purchase, and more

The number of organizations adopting eSignatures is rapidly increasing which means that more people are using them for their day-to-day business needs. Luckily, the eSignature market offers a wide range of small business solutions, including DocuSign alternatives, for a reasonable price.

6. Business proposals

Identifying your target market is one thing. Convincing them to buy your products is another. If you want to get paying customers, you must write irresistible, persuasive proposals. 

Hiring a dedicated person to create business proposals can cost a fortune, and sometimes, this person may not deliver the results you need.  

Instead, you could use applications like Better Proposals, PandaDoc, Qwilr, Proposify, or even copywriting tools such as Jasper AI. Most of this software is user-friendly and provides professional proposal templates. In addition, these tools will give your proposal the attractive look it deserves.

7. Social media and advertising

Is your goal to increase sales and customers through brand awareness? Then you should put yourself out there and advertise. While word of mouth and providing the best possible experience or product is ideal, developing social media activities could be a great start before hiring for a marketing agency. Fortunately, we now have digital advertising agencies performing better and delivering better results than traditional advertising.

Today, we have Google ads, Facebook ads, Bing ads, and socials. These services have enough resources at their disposal to spread the message of your brand to millions of people within minutes. Not only that, they’re able to help you target and retarget audiences based on your preferences. Indeed, compared to traditional advertising, their methods are more cost-effective.

8. General accounting

While we’re not all certified professional accountants, there’s plenty of dependable accounting software out there. Some of them include QuickBooks, FreshBooks, Wave Accounting, and AccountingEdge. Including these types of small business technology in your tech stack can be essential. If you want to go further with your accounting, an AP automation software like Rewardworks streamlines and simplifies the entire accounts payable process, helping your company efficiently manage invoices and payments.

With the software solutions for small business mentioned above, you can keep tabs on your revenue and expenditure with the aid of up-to-date financial reports, even if you’re using something as simple as an iPad for business. These reports can be quickly prepared if you link your bank account. Some of them also help you monitor your inventory.

9. Payroll software

One of the things you should never take for granted is your employees’ salaries getting paid on time. You would also need to deduct their taxes and pay them. There is a wide range of payroll software for small businesses that provide automatic tax and salary payments without hassle. These types of systems are effective at managing hundreds of employees and storing their employee details and previous wage data used in payment execution. 

They can also offer some bonus HR features, like offer letters, org charts, PTO tracking, and employee onboarding. Fortunately, some of these digital business technologies are available for free. Examples of payroll outsourcing services for small companies include Onpay, Gusto, Paychex Flex, Rippling, Paycor, and so on.

10. Information technology security

The risk of getting hacked for companies that collect sensitive customer data is ever-present. Hence, business owners must ensure this data is secure at all times. There’s plenty of information technology for small businesses that offers high-level security services and ensures the integrity of the data you collect on the web. 

This business technology includes ESET Smart Security, Malwarebytes for Business, End-User Endpoint Security, Webroot Business Endpoint Protection, and many other alternatives. As for mobile security amongst small companies, there is no need to go extreme and switch to a flip phone for security when there are several viable VPN services available for security and anonymity purposes.

11. Contract management

There are now several automated business technologies that assist with effective contract management. Some of them include airSlate, DocuSign, Eversign, Adobe Sign, SignRequest, and so on. Most of them offer quick, reliable small business software solutions for sending, signing, and approving documents in-office and remotely. 

Contract management software solutions also feature reusable templates, signing guidance, payment processing, notifications, and record archives. In addition, you can use customized logos and color themes to modify contract emails. Depending on the software you choose, there could be smart forms with custom plans available for you to use when drawing up contracts.

You may need to dedicate some time to research the most suitable one for you. Choose one that is user-friendly for all parties involved in the signing process and can be used on browsers and devices.

12. Social bonding and community building

Every business needs to get its message in front of its customers. Therefore, social media has become an indispensable tool businesses use to build quality relationships with their customers, leads, and prospects.

In 2021, 75% of Gen Zers and 48% of Millennials made spending decisions based on what they saw in their interactions with brands on social media. Interestingly, no business is too big or small to harness the power of social media. 

To gain traction on social media and build a strong community, you’ll need to plan and schedule your social media content. Some business technology that can help you do these include Hootsuite and Buffer. Both are effective scheduling tools that will make your social media activities easier and more efficient.

Scaling-up business models with technology

As a business owner looking to get ahead, you’re going to need to adopt small business technologies relevant to your operation model. The good news is that you don’t need to invest in each of the above technologies separately. Choosing a holistic solution that comprises the business technology stack you need can help you cut costs and get the best results.

Of course, this article’s list of business technology examples is not final. However, adopting some of them will put you in a better position to compete and scale within your industry.

The post Best business technology solutions every small business should harness appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

57% of organizations performed pilot tests for solutions to automate at least one business process pre-COVID. #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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According to a 2020 global survey of business leaders by McKinsey, 85% of enterprises have somewhat or greatly accelerated the deployment of videoconferencing and filesharing technologies to facilitate remote employee interactions. In addition, 50% of enterprises increased the digitization of customer channels (via mobile apps and chatbots), while some 35% have further digitized their supply channels.

The upward trend for use of robotic automation is due to its ability to facilitate contactless interactions and relieve the cost pressure that can stem from the economic decline caused by the pandemic. This tumultuous period presents an opportunity for businesses to redefine their own business models with workflow automation and no-code automation/integration bots. This new automation technology introduces a number of benefits:

• Affordability compared to standalone solutions
• Can serve as a substitute or additional workforce
• Cuts expenses associated with paper-based workflows (ink and toner, postal delivery, etc.)

For instance, airSlate’s Automation Bots allow the user to set up a fully automated no-code workflow designed to fit the specific business operations they have in mind. Before we delve into the list of the Top 20 most popular airSlate Bots, it’s a good idea to first clarify the bot definitions.

Document Workflow Automation for IT Professionals

• Business process automation
• Client onboarding
• Workflow optimization

Enroll now

What is a bot?

airSlate has two types of Bots: Automation and Integration.

• Automation Bots are used to automate a specific Flow by completing tasks like sending notifications, sending reminders, populating documents with CRM data, etc.
• Integration Bots are used to integrate your Flow with cloud services, popular tools, and streamline the storage of important information. They are used to transfer data from CRMs, SQL databases, spreadsheets, and other sources.

As a result of using airSlate software Bots, the vast scope of business operations ranging from contract management to employee onboarding and patient intake, are all efficiently handled within airSlate.

Watch the video below to get a grasp of no code bot automation basics with airSlate:

airSlate’s top-20, no code Bots for business optimization

airSlate allows organizations of any size to automate even the most complex business workflows using over 140 no code Bots. The list of airSlate’s most popular Bots can be split into several groups based on their mode of application:

Pre-fill Data Bots

• Pre-fill from Doc to Doc Bot
  Pre-fill from Doc to Doc Bot automates the process of pre-filling one document with data from another document within a single workflow. For instance, the Bot can be used to automatically populate a sales invoice with data from a completed sales proposal. Enroll in the Pre-fill from Doc to Doc course at the airSlate Academy to learn how to install and configure this Bot.
• Pre-fill from Excel Spreadsheet Bot
  The Pre-fill from Excel Spreadsheet Bot automates the process of importing data from an Excel Spreadsheet to another document within a single workflow. For instance, this Bot can help you automatically populate the dropdown fields of a purchase order form using inventory information that is taken from a product inventory Excel spreadsheet. Sign up for the Pre-fill from Doc to Doc course at the airSlate Academy and learn how to use this Bot for your business needs.
• Pre-fill Dropdowns from Google Sheets Bot
  The Pre-fill Dropdowns from Google Sheets Bot pre-populates dropdown fields in documents with data taken from a Google sheet when certain conditions are met. For example, the Bot can be used to automatically fill out the dropdown fields of a purchase order form using information that is taken from a product properties Google sheet. Click to learn more about the Pre-fill Dropdowns from Google Sheets Bot.
• Pre-fill with Custom Data Bot
  The Pre-fill with Custom Data Bot pre-populates Slates (collections of documents) with manually entered data. The Bot can be used to automatically pre-fill invoices with custom data manually entered by a sales representative such as the client’s name, reference number, and dates for a new deal. Click to learn more about the Pre-fill with Custom Data Bot.
• Pre-fill from Google Sheets Bot
  The Pre-fill from Google Sheets Bot automatically transfers data from a Google sheet to the selected fields of another document within a single workflow. This Bot can be used to automate the process of creating employee onboarding documents, financial reports, and sales orders pre-populated with data from Google Sheets. Enroll in the Pre-fill from Google Sheets Bot course at the airSlate Academy and learn how to use this Bot for your business needs.

Salesforce Integration Bots

• Pre-fill from Salesforce Records Bot
  The Pre-fill from Salesforce Records Bot automatically populates documents with data taken from one or multiple related Salesforce records. The Bot can be used to automate the process of creating contracts, quotes, invoices, and reports completed with the Salesforce information you need. Enroll in the Pre-fill from Salesforce Records Bot course at the airSlate Academy and get a step-by-step guide on how to install and use this Bot.
• Pre-fill from Salesforce Records via SOQL Bot
  The Pre-fill from Salesforce Records via SOQL Bot searches for Salesforce records based on your SOQL query and fills out documents with data from these records. For instance, this Bot can be used to automatically generate invoices pre-filled with data from unpaid sales orders. Click to learn more about the Pre-fill from Salesforce Records with SOQL Bot.
• Create Salesforce Record Bot
  The Create Salesforce Record Bot automates the process of creating Salesforce records using data from a completed document. For instance, this Bot can be used to transfer data from a new client’s completed registration form and create new Leads in Salesforce. Enroll in the Create Salesforce Record Bot course at the airSlate Academy and learn how to use this Bot for your business operations.
• Update Salesforce Record Bot
  The Update Salesforce Record Bot can change record types in Salesforce. The Bot automatically updates Salesforce records with data from a completed document. For instance, if a customer makes changes to their business address in an order form, it will be updated in the corresponding Salesforce record. Enroll in the Update Salesforce Record Bot course at the airSlate Academy to learn how to install and use this Bot.
• Export to Salesforce Bot
  The Export to Salesforce Bot automatically uploads a Slate to a specific Salesforce record. For instance, the Bot can be used to automatically save a contract as an attachment to the relevant Salesforce client record. Sign up for the Export to Salesforce course at the airSlate Academy to learn how to employ this Bot in your business operations.

Other popular airSlate Bots

• Rename Flow on Documents Completion Bot
  The Rename Flow on Documents Completion Bot automates the process of renaming your Slates. For instance, the Bot can be used to automatically assign a new name to an invoice once it has been paid. To learn more about installing and customizing this Bot, sign up for the Rename Flow on Documents Completion course at the airSlate Academy.
• Hide Signatures Bot
  The Hide Signatures Bot automatically conceals previously added e-signatures or initials when certain conditions are met. In other words, each time a signer or multiple signers want to e-sign a document, they will have to add a new version of their electronic signature(s) or initials. New signatures or initials can be added by all signers online and in-person with a tablet or smartphone using their fingers. Click to learn more about the Hide Signatures Bot.
• Email on Documents Opening Bot
  The Email on Documents Opening Bot allows you to track when your recipient opens a document sent to them. Also, the Bot sends you an email notification each time someone has started working on a Slate document. For instance, this Bot can be set up to automatically send an email notification to a sales representative once a prospect has opened a sales quote. Enroll in the Email on Documents Opening course at the airSlate Academy to learn how to install the Bot and set it up.
• Export to Google Sheets Bot
  The Export to Google Sheets Bot automatically transfers filled-in data from a Slate document to a Google sheet. For instance, the Bot can be used to export client data and order details from a completed order form to a sales report sheet in Google Sheets. Sign up for the Export to Google Sheets course and learn how to install and customize the Bot according to your workflow.
• Remind Recipients to Complete Documents Bot
  The Remind Recipients to Complete Documents Bot sends reminder emails for signing or completing a Slate document based on recipient roles. Learn how to automate reminder emails to keep all participants in a workflow up to date with the help of the Remind Recipients to Complete Documents course at the airSlate Academy.
• Save to Google Drive Bot
  The Google Drive Bot allows you to automatically move completed Slates to a Google Drive folder. For instance, the Bot can be used to archive business contracts after they have been terminated. Sign up for the Save to Google Drive Bot course to streamline your document retention routines.
• Save to Dropbox Bot
  The Dropbox Bot allows you to automatically transfer and archive completed Slates to Dropbox. For instance, the Bot can be used to store executed purchase orders, quotes, contracts, etc. Enroll in the Save to Dropbox course at the airSlate Academy to learn how to use this Bot for document retention.
• Add Tags Bot
  The Add Tags Bot adds tags to a Slate to mark specific changes. For instance, the Bot can be used to automatically assign the “accepted” tag to a sales proposal once it has been accepted by a customer. Click to learn more about the Add Tags Bot.
• Create Event in Google Calendar Bot
  The Create Event in Google Calendar Bot automatically creates events in Google Calendar and populates it with data taken from a pre-filled Slate. For instance, the Bot can be used to automatically schedule a weekly staff meeting in Google Calendar with a date, topic, and event description taken from a pre-filled meeting agenda form. Enroll in the Create Event in Google Calendar course course at the airSlate Academy to learn how to use the Bot for more streamlined appointment scheduling.

If you want to advance your no code automation skills, we recommend enrolling in the airSlate Academy’s free certification programs. Start with the airSlate Bots: The Ultimate Guide course to master the ins and outs of using airSlate Bots.

Originally published in February 2021, updated in July 2023 for accuracy and comprehensiveness

The post What is a Bot? TOP 20 Bots for no code business automation appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

This drastic shift in the use of technology would not be possible without the fast-paced digitization of businesses. According to recent airSlate research, businesses that invested early in the digitization of their most critical processes achieved a faster rate of recovery for 55% of business owners. In 2023, business automation will continue to be one of the key tech trends driving digital transformation across organizations.

Rapid and agile low-code/no-code platforms have proven their value in times of uncertainty. Leadership teams are now willing to continue using these technologies for digital channel expansion and the rolling out of critical solutions.

In this blog, we will explore the state of no-code at hand, draw a distinction between the low-code and no-code platforms, and reveal the reasons why teams and businesses of any size must foster the adoption of no-code automation.

What is no-code?

No-code solutions are used by non-technical business users, known as citizen developers to build software applications without coding. No-code app development helps business analysts, administrators, and marketing specialists build fully-fledged apps to meet specific business needs without the continuous involvement of an IT department. The use of no-code is often associated with the democratization of software development, as it empowers users with little or no technical background to participate in digital transformation.

No-code solutions are distinguished by a number of features, such as:

• Access to drag-and-drop tools and WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editors used to automate workflows and/or build applications.
• The availability of workflow templates, element libraries, and interface customization that allows for building a fully functional application without any knowledge of coding.
• Seamless integration with productivity apps, databases, web services, and APIs to connect data.
• Extreme scalability that allows for the quick deployment of no-code across teams and departments.

No-code business owners can participate in no-code communities, where peer support and knowledge sharing are readily available. This makes it easier to connect and learn from other founders.

The state of no-code in 2023

According to Gartner, by 2024, over 65% of application development will be powered by low-code technology. Predictions aside, leveraging low-code/no-code tools for business automation has helped organizations across different industries (specifically education and healthcare) adapt to the pandemic-induced digital shift.

One of the most vivid examples of using no-code is the female finance school Rock The Street, Wall Street. By using airSlate’s workflow automation, the institution accelerated their collection of student forms, which allowed them to accelerate the enrollment process for 1,200+ students and volunteers. Leveraging no-code automation bots streamlined the school’s workflow, while also enhancing the employee and student experience.

The use of no-code in Healthcare

The healthcare industry also reaped the benefits of using no-code automation. According to CIO Dive, the number of applications built with low-code facilitated remote onboarding at biotech companies, while also helping to contain the surge in public assistance requests. In one example, a low-code app helped coordinate and assign the placement of 2,000 healthcare employees in their network within two days.

During the pandemic, no-code tools helped many medical organizations streamline their patient intake process. For instance, T2 Biosystems could streamline, accelerate, and secure their patient intake procedure with airSlate’s flexible no-code automation and integration with Salesforce. T2 admitted that workflow automation allowed for a more streamlined form-sharing experience for end-users and helped secure partially completed information for future use.

Despite the advantages that come from low-code/no-code business automation, its cost, security, and deployment within a given organization are to be carefully considered.

To learn more about the no-code movement, watch the video below:

Key factors that facilitate no-code adoption

The first and probably most influential factor is the need to address the current IT skills shortage. The Global Knowledge 2020 IT Skills and Salary Report indicates that 80% of US leadership teams and 78% of their peers overseas are facing issues due to an IT skills gap. Involving no-code developers in the development process allows strapped IT teams to keep up with their ever-increasing workload while also letting them focus on priority projects, instead of dealing with menial tasks.

Another reason to foster enterprise-wide adoption of no-code platforms is their cost-effectiveness. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2026, the shortage of engineers in the US will exceed 1.2M. As a result of this trend, the median software developer salary has already reached a staggering $110K per year. No-code serves as a skills equalizer by leveraging already-employed non-technical specialists. This way, organizations can make better use of their available employees and resources, thus cutting employment costs.

The latest generation of no-code solutions has extended the limits of who can be a software developer. It has empowered non-technical specialists to build applications of any complexity and transform business processes. No-code platforms allow for automating routine workflows and IT issues that have already been resolved. Using and reusing a pre-programmed block of activities helps to achieve a faster time to result and enhance overall productivity.

To sum up, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using no-code:

Pros

• No-code allows business users, i.e. citizen developers, to independently automate workflows or create and deploy applications without the constant supervision of an IT department. That, in turn, minimizes the load on IT professionals allowing them to focus on priority projects.
• No-code platforms have a low barrier to entry as they don’t require lengthy training, meaning that anybody can start automating workflows or building apps fast.
• No-code can accelerate app development by up to x10 compared to traditional methods, saving time and resources in the long run.
• No-code platforms provide employees with a toolset to solve unique business problems, which eliminates the need to use third-party vendors or resort to shadow IT practices.
  

Cons

• Unless proper boundaries are set within an organization, the use of no-code platforms without the knowledge of the IT department can pose security risks.
• No-code platforms can have constraints when it comes to automating complex workflows or building apps that go beyond standard conditions.
  

Low-code vs no-code

The terms ‘low-code’ and ‘no-code’ are sometimes used interchangeably, which isn’t always correct. In fact, there is a considerable difference between the two — no-code is for users with little or no technical background, whereas low-code is for more tech-savvy users/developers. Low-code solutions require some knowledge of coding which will allow users to access and modify the underlying code of an app.

The low-code vs no-code comparison chart

The combination of low-code and no-code platforms accelerates app development that fulfills specific business needs with the talent and resources available at hand. By leveraging low-code, IT departments can create ready-to-use building blocks that business users can reuse, improve, and support without any extra coding. Low-code/no-code platforms ensure proper lT governance and data security while allowing business users to access data, functionality, and systems.

There are three main points of distinction between the low-code/no-code platforms:

• The capability-level point refers to the basic capabilities of a platform acting as a constraint for what can be achieved with it. For a low-code/no-code platform, this includes the extent to which the available out-of-the-box functionalities can be tweaked to fit specific business needs.
• The behavioral-level point refers to the business functionalities of the platform, such as built-in automations, workflows, custom and out-of-the-box integrations with other applications.
• The use-level point refers to the results of the application’s usage, including the data collected and stored throughout the application’s lifetime, and short-term processing changes.

In practice, the difference between low-code and no-code platforms can be described by the following situation. Let’s assume that you want to create a workflow triggered under specific conditions — when a certain set of actions is completed on your app. To complete this task, you could either use a programming language or do it with a low-code/no-code platform that already has a pre-programmed sequence of actions.

Suppose you have defined a number of standard conditions that trigger your workflow. A no-code platform would factor them into blocks of code and learn to detect and trigger the workflows when the pre-defined conditions are met. Still, if new conditions appear that are unique to your business environment, no-code platforms designed for Rapid Application Development (RAD) will not work.

In the same situation, a low-code development platform would not only factor the standard conditions but also provide users with the means to quickly adapt to new and unique conditions — for instance, by leveraging a user-friendly programming language for customizations.

To sum up, let’s explore the pros and cons of low-code:

Pros

• Low-code platforms eliminate repetitive manual coding thus increasing developers’ productivity, which results in faster delivery times.
• Low-code tools offer better customization possibilities, as developers can code in the features that go beyond any standard requirements.
  

Cons

• Low-code requires some technical skills and knowledge of programming languages, which can be an obstacle for most non-technical employees.
• Low-code may require dedicated developers to build apps, yielding additional time and expenses.
• Sticking to a single low-code platform may not be ideal, especially if developers have a limited choice of platforms to use.
  

The role of no-code in enterprise app development

No-code platforms empower organizations to become more self-reliant in creating highly customized, scalable, and secure enterprise apps in-house with available resources. The term ‘enterprise application’ denotes software used by large organizations to build and manage core business areas, such as sales, customer support, marketing, supply chain, etc.

An enterprise app integrates with similar applications to form a larger digital ecosystem. When speaking of enterprise apps, most people think of CRM, ERP, and HCM systems. However, these solutions only represent a small fraction of apps that employees interact with on a daily basis. In fact, employees use multiple applications within their responsibility areas to fulfill specific business tasks.

5 low-code and no-code predictions

For instance, an average marketing professional typically uses tools for tracking KPIs, automating email marketing, performing data analytics, generating reports, managing social media, monitoring campaigns, etc. According to a pre-pandemic SaaS Trends report, organizations of under 1,000 employees used an average of 151 apps, while enterprises of 1,000+ employees maintained a stack of 203 apps. In 2020, the numbers increased with an average organization of under 1,000 employees using 185 apps, and an enterprise of 1,000+ employees having a stack of 288 apps.

Workflow automation with no-code bots

The low-code/no-code narrative wouldn’t be complete without mentioning no-code bots and their role in workflow automation and business process automation. In a nutshell, a bot is an app designed to automate routine, repetitive tasks to eliminate manual work. The bots used for bot automation are pre-programmed to complete a task or a stack of repetitive tasks much faster than humans. Depending on the nature of the task, bots can be trigger-based, rule-based, scheduled, etc.

Robotic automation is used by organizations striving for location independence, minimizing manual effort, and reducing operational expenses to run routine digitized processes. Gartner reports that the use of robotic automation can save financial companies up to 25,000 hours of rework caused by human errors. On top of that fact, it is predicted that 90% of enterprises worldwide will have adopted some form of RPA by 2022.

Contrary to popular belief, robotic automation is not meant to replace the human workforce. In fact, the conversation is shifting towards a new blended workforce based on human-robot interaction. The no-code bot automation is all about humans delegating tedious tasks to software robots while focusing on more critical issues. For instance, airSlate’s Automation Bots allow users to set up a fully automated no-code workflow designed to fit specific business purposes.

In airSlate, all Bots are split into two categories — Automation and Integration.

• Automation Bots are used to automate a specific workflow by completing tasks like sending notifications, sending reminders, populating documents with CRM data, etc. 
• Integration Bots are used to integrate your workflow with cloud services, productivity tools, and streamline the storage of important information. They are used to transfer data from CRMs, SQL databases, spreadsheets, and other sources.

Leveraging airSlate Bots helps users streamline a vast scope of business operations — whether it’s contract management, employee onboarding, or patient intake, all within airSlate. In one example, a local recreational facility, In At The Deep End, automated their registration workflow with fast and simple airSlate forms. They also set up airSlate for internal purposes, when flow templates are either sent out on-demand or via a link within employee handbooks and on their own intranet.

It blew my mind that these tiny little bits of code (airSlate Bots) could be so powerful.

Mark Mc Nichol,
Owner of In at the Deep End

In another example, San Diego’s NewSchool of Architecture & Design was able to transform their form completion process using airSlate’s rule-based bot automation. They built the rules they required directly into their forms so that they are forwarded to the correct department for approval, and then back to the Registrar’s Office as an email sent directly into their Customer Management System.

Essentially, airSlate is paying for itself with the positive impact it has had on our workflow. Overall we have had a very positive experience with airSlate and are excited to see what new options they will continue to develop.

Allen G. Mutchler
Registrar, NewSchool of Architecture & Design

The future is no-code, and here’s why

• No-code supports the ‘cloud-forward’ approach

Government organizations and businesses of all sizes, across different industries, are now completely invested in cloud infrastructure. No-code solutions, with support for local and cloud versions, foster faster and more convenient cloud migrations. These solutions can be deployed to recreate critical business apps while helping organizations achieve new levels of productivity in the cloud.

• No-code aligns with hyper-agile architectures

Today, we are witnessing a shift toward hyper-agile architectures in business app development on cloud platforms. More and more organizations are embracing technologies that facilitate the seamless development of cloud-native apps. No-code solutions that support cloud-based app development will perfectly align with such software development trends.

• No-code supports the ‘data for everyone’ concept

In light of the global pandemic, the concept of “data for everyone” went mainstream. It emphasizes the importance of data democratization across teams and departments, enabling everyone within an organization to leverage data that they trust. The “data for everyone” approach empowers a workforce to get actionable insights from various datasets, while leadership teams can make more data-backed decisions. No-code platforms can help consolidate massive amounts of data together, presenting business experts with better reporting possibilities and descriptive dashboards. What’s more, these no-code platforms can be leveraged independently from the IT department.

• No-code paves the way to post-COVID recovery

Despite the pandemic being far from over, 2023 is projected to be the year of post-covid business recovery. Reduced in-office attendance and remote/hybrid workplaces will continue to dominate across organizations. No-code platforms, which helped to quickly deliver business apps during the pandemic, will continue to take over the development landscape, ensuring business continuity and growth.

The bottom line

The continuous digitization and transition to a remote/hybrid workplace will further promote the deployment of no-code solutions. Low-code/no-code technology helps organizations of any size automate routine workflows using resources at hand. Further deployment of cloud technology with developer environments will allow organizations to address talent shortages, while also providing employees with training possibilities and support. Eventually, no-code will close the gap between professional and citizen developers. The key to success is to choose the right toolset that facilitates a painless post-pandemic recovery.

Contact us to explore the possibilities of business automation with airSlate.
Fill out the form below to request a free demo!

The post Low-code vs no-code: What is no-code business automation and why is it vital for the future of business? appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Choosing the right remote onboarding tools is essential because you want new hires to feel comfortable and engaged.

Using onboarding automation tools ensures that the process is smooth and seamless from beginning to end.

“69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding.”

SHRM

Many employees leave a company when the onboarding experience is not professional or not well-organized. High turnover rates lead to low productivity and company morale, making it even harder to attract new talent.

If you’re still using lengthy paper-based documents to onboard employees, consider switching to remote onboarding tools to digitize your new hire process.

Document Workflow Automation for HRs

• E-payments
• Workflow optimization
• Business process automation

Enroll now

The intricacies of remote employee onboarding

Onboarding efficiently is vital to the success of your business. It ensures that remote hires get the information, support, and training they need to succeed in the company. 

Remote employees should become familiar with their new company’s expectations of them and how they can find resources like instructional videos. You want employees to have excellent onboarding experiences to assimilate to the company culture and fit in with the current team. 

You can attract top talent when hiring remote teams because you are not limited geographically. It’s also a great way to save the company money as you won’t have to pay for costly onsite programs for onboarding. 

But the remote onboarding experience comes with challenges, such as building a strong work culture and relationships. When onboarding doesn’t go smoothly, whether remote or onsite, it can lead to employee turnover, low employee productivity, and decreased job satisfaction.

To make the onboarding process more accessible, try delegating a direct manager to be the new hire’s onboarding buddy. It can be difficult for new employees to talk to managers, but it can be less complicated for the new member to ask questions and receive feedback when you pair them together. 

Put together a remote onboarding checklist and include an introductory meeting, one-on-one meetings, virtual training, and a new hire survey.

A quick comparison table

13+ Useful tools to streamline your remote onboarding process

Check out these top 13 remote onboarding tools to help with your new employee onboarding.

1. airSlate

airSlate is the all-in-one no-code document workflow automation solution for teams and businesses of all sizes. airSlate helps human resource departments across different industries speed up their employee onboarding process with its HR templates. Imagine having all your document workflows in one place. Well, airSlate does that for you.

airSlate doesn’t require any coding knowledge in order to set up your automation and integrations. 

airSlate’s key advantage is its thousands of pre-built workflow templates and no-code Bots for a wide range of use cases — HR departments can automate their most-used workflows, from employee onboarding to absence leave requests, in minutes.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, airSlate offers a Free version and a Free trial period. The Basic plan starts at $30/flow creator/month. The airSlate Business Cloud will cost you $50/flow creator/month for a minimum of five users.

2. ProProfs

ProProfs is a software company that makes online tools for a variety of different needs, including employee training, education, and customer satisfaction. ProProfs’ goal is to help companies make smarter employees by giving you tools for training and tracking their progress. 

ProProfs Training Maker is an all-in-one software that allows you to customize courses, create learning resources, and build a learner community. 

You can find tools on their website like a training maker, a knowledge base, a quiz maker, Q&A forums, and a project tracker. Plus, you can add quizzes and games, making the training more engaging. 

ProProfs has three plans: Essentials, Premium, and Business. The Essentials plan is billed annually at $1 per month per learner. So for 25 learners, you would pay $300 for the year. The Premium plan is $1.50, and the Business plan is $1.97. 

You would pay $591 per year for 25 learners (you can customize the number of learners and the price will adjust accordingly). The Business plan gives you unlimited features for just a few cents more.

3. Slack

Slack provides you with a digital headquarters where your entire company can connect. You can create channels to connect across departments, whether for sales, special projects, or new remote hires. 

Slack promotes a healthy remote work environment by providing the necessary tools for employees to work how they like. You can chat, send audio and video, or host virtual meetings. 

Remote hires can benefit from using Slack because it creates a virtual network of employees and makes it feel as if everyone is together. 

You can try Slack for free for as long as you want, you will only have access to essential tools like messaging and video calls. For more features, upgrade to a paid monthly plan. 

The Pro plan is $6.67 a month and is an excellent option for small teams who need a better way to collaborate. The Business plan is $12.50 a month and provides a way for you to scale your business and increase productivity while keeping your remote teams connected. The Enterprise plan is for the most demanding business and requires you to customize your pricing with a representative.

4. Avoma

Avoma is one of the best conversation intelligence platforms out there. They position themselves as a meeting lifecycle assistant and can significantly accelerate your remote onboarding process. 

This AI-powered meeting lifecycle assistant helps you across the phases of your meeting —  before the meeting (to prepare using its agenda templates and reduce no-shows using reminders), during the meeting (by taking notes on your behalf and collaborating with your peers), and after the meeting (with conversation intelligence and revenue intelligence). 

You can use Avoma to collaborate with teams and onboard new members faster by creating and sharing helpful playlists, sharing asynchronous comments/feedback, and snippets of information on the fly.

Try Avoma for free with a 14-day trial. 

Select from one of their many plans that include varying features. They offer pricing plans from $0 to $130 based on what you need and do not compel you to commit annually.

5. Monday.com

Monday.com is a platform designed to let you customize your workflow any way you want. It has some excellent HR use cases where you can track talent and engage with employees. 

The software lets you attract and engage top talent, streamline the onboarding experience, and manage employee development. Give new hires a place to learn and develop their skills while maintaining their well-being. 

Monday.com has several plans to choose from and pricing ranges from a free plan to more customized programs. The standard plan is their most popular, for $10 per seat, per month. It allows you to collaborate and optimize your team processes with over 250 automated processes and integrations.

6. Flair

Automate your human resources team with Flair. Flair is a complete HR platform that adapts to your company’s needs and provides efficient software. Out of the box, you will get automation features for simple, everyday tasks with options to customize.

You can keep track of all employees with an internal database. 

Enter information about employee salaries, schedules, and workloads. The HR dashboard gives you tools to onboard new hires, manage documents, plan shifts, track time, and export payroll.

Plans start at $3.25 a month and go up to $7.58 for their performance package. The performance plan is excellent for complex needs and those who want enhanced HR processes.

7. WorkBright

WorkBright builds HR tools for small and medium-sized businesses. Hiring new staff can often be repetitive and time-consuming. 

If you don’t want your new employees to leave because of a slow onboarding process, try this software to guide you through the speedy process of getting people to work faster. 

WorkBright specializes in collecting and verifying human resource documents. The software will transform your hiring packet into a library of intelligent forms. It will also guide your employees through the I-9 form and instantly submit E-verify cases. 

You can choose a plan that fits the needs of your business, whether you have 50 employees or 50,000. 

The lowest package includes all government forms and complete custom employee paperwork for $178 a month. The most extensive plan is for companies with 50,000 or more employees and costs $3,970 a month.

8. Assembly

Assembly helps you create automated processes for every HR task and provides a seamless and customizable interface. Create new hire surveys and gain insights into their thoughts and feelings about the company and onboarding process. 

You can also celebrate their accomplishments by introducing an employee recognition system.

Try Assembly for free to get a feel for the software before committing. 

If you’re ready to commit, start off with the lite or standard plan. The lite plan is excellent for companies focused on employee engagement and costs $2.80 per member every month. The standard plan is for companies that are focused on amplifying their cross-functional engagement and costs $4.50 per member.

9. Zoom

Zoom allows you to take work with you wherever you go with seamless video conferencing software. Have formal meetings with HD video and clear audio, create webinars filled with features, host virtual events, chat with employees on the messaging app, and collaborate outside of meetings. 

Zoom has packages for small teams, small businesses, and large enterprises. 

The pro account can host up to 100 people and costs $149.90 a year. The business plan allows you to host up to 300 participants and costs $199.90 for the year. The enterprise plan hosts up to 500 participants and costs $240 a year.

10. DottedSign

Like most businesses, you probably have many documents that need to be signed and managed. DottedSign is an excellent tool for intelligent eSignature solutions. 

This eSignature tool is one of the popular DocuSign alternatives that introduces a number of different advantages. You can sign documents from anywhere on any device, multitask by organizing all tasks in one place, and track the progress of each signer. 

Sign up for a 14-day free trial and experience DottedSign before you buy. 

The plans are flexible and start at $8 a month for a Pro account. If you want to expand your capacity and access more advanced features, try the Business account for $15 a month. Contact the support team for a customized payment plan for businesses with many users on one account.

11. Gusto

Gusto is an all-in-one people platform that can hire, pay, insure, and support your employees. You can access the full-service payroll service, employee benefits, attendance tracking, talent management, insightful reports, and an intuitive onboarding process. 

Gusto offers multiple payment options depending on your business size and needs. 

The lowest option is $39 a month and is fantastic for small businesses with simple payroll. Companies with more complex payroll and sophisticated HR needs can choose the top plan for $149 a month. 

You also can customize a payment plan if your needs are more elaborate.

12. ClearCompany

ClearCompany is an award-winning talent management system. The intelligent software uses best practices to hire, retain, and engage top talent. Make faster decisions by planning effectively and stay compliant by managing remote work policies and onboarding paperwork. 

Also, improve company performance by hiring top talent and providing real-time employee feedback.

Because there is no one-size-fits-all for businesses, ClearCompany doesn’t have regular monthly plans. If you want access to the software, you can request a free demo and fill out a form to get a customized quote. Prices will vary and depend on a company’s size and needs.

13. BambooHR

BambooHR is software that handles all of your human resource needs, including analytics, hiring, onboarding, compensation, and company culture. 

Implement an applicant tracking system, streamline onboarding, gather eSignatures, and conduct off-boarding. Create a positive company culture by measuring employee performance, understanding overall job satisfaction, and creating a plan of action. 

If you’re interested in signing up for BambooHR, you must contact them and get a custom quote. 

Your pricing package will depend on the size of your company and the features you choose to add. The more features you add, the higher the price will be. You can add and take away things you don’t need as your business progresses, making it completely customizable. 

You don’t have to pay for something you won’t use.

14. OnPay

OnPay is a payroll, HR, and benefits platform that makes it easier for professionals to run their businesses. With their automated platform, you can effortlessly pay your team on time, issue the correct benefits to the right staff, onboard talent, and stay compliant in your state. 

OnPay integrates with multiple high-quality tools, such as QuickBooks and Mineral.

The first month and setup are free, so you can test out OnPay before you buy. 

And when you’re ready to take the plunge, you can start at $40 a month as a base fee. Businesses will then pay $6 per every person onboarded to the software. 

Wrap Up

With the insurgence of companies going fully remote or hybrid, there is an increasing demand for intuitive tools that help companies attract, onboard, engage and boost the morale of new remote hires. 

As a result, you can now find many software companies providing top-rated platforms and resources for struggling human resource teams everywhere.

HR software can only improve from here, so be on the lookout for new and exciting tools. 

These top 13 software companies will help you effectively onboard new remote employees quickly. 

If you want to attract top talent, speed up onboarding, use perceptive communication tools, and increase employee satisfaction, you need to integrate HR technology into your processes.

FAQ

The post 13+ Best tools for remote employee onboarding appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

When you hear people talking about automation, do you think, “Oh, that’s only for big organizations,” or “That’s too advanced or expensive for my small business”? Think again.

Automation technologies help you optimize and grow your small business. How? By helping you lower costs, minimize errors, reach new prospects, improve productivity, and customer satisfaction…the list goes on.

Nonetheless, there’s anxiety on the part of small businesses — and understandably so. The risk seems higher. But according to a 2019 report published by McKinsey, while small businesses are less likely to automate than large companies, they’re far more likely to have success after investing in automation.

Let’s dig into the details.

Small business automation: 8 concrete benefits

Whether you’re a small law firm or a local distribution company, there’s an automation technology waiting to make your life easier and your business more profitable.

By implementing small business automation, you will see 8 major improvements.

Automation will help you:

1. Reduce human error

Manual processes and data entry leave every company vulnerable to mistakes in key processes like invoicing, bookkeeping, inventory management, and contract creation. These mistakes, which are inevitable, are a nuisance and tedious at best and disastrous and costly at worst. That’s where automation comes in to save the day — and you from a headache.

Automation ensures greater accuracy in your business operations, eliminating the errors that come with manual processing, like copying and pasting or re-keying data from a spreadsheet to a system or vice-versa. Minimizing human error is a cornerstone of automation and helps save your small business from wasted time, energy, and resources.

2. Automate repetitive tasks

If you were to assess what each of your employees’ tasks are on a daily basis, how many of those responsibilities fall into the category of repetitive or recurring? According to an analysis conducted by McKinsey, about 60% of occupations could be automated by upwards of 30%. More often than not, opportunities for automation lie in activities considered necessary but repetitive or recurring.

One of small business automation’s strongest selling points is its ability to take these off your plate. Your employees will be able to spend less time with tasks like invoicing, distributing time-off request forms, transferring files, scheduling meetings and posting on social media, and more time generating new sales and increasing your business’s service levels.

3. Professionalize your data-based marketing

The key to any successful business is knowing your customer, but without data, your marketing efforts can only bring you so far. Now, as small businesses are faced with never-before-seen challenges brought on by COVID-19, SMB Group reports that 30% of small businesses are turning to digital marketing and SMB marketing automation to keep their businesses running.

Data is more important than ever, and automation can do all the heavy lifting for you. It helps collect, process, organize and analyze data — like customer behaviors, demographics, and preferences that you can turn into insights and use to drive marketing campaigns and sales strategies. SMB marketing automation can give you the knowledge you need to professionalize your marketing efforts.

4. Increase and streamline collaboration

Have you ever worked on a project that involved a lot of players and pieces to keep track of? With automation, these complex projects are made much simpler. Use tools to ensure information is flowing to the right people at the right time and to monitor the responsibilities of each team member.

Automation keeps you in the know. Stay up-to-date on the status of a project’s progress, keep up with what each team member is working on or has completed, make sure everyone has the most up-to-date information, and set and monitor deadlines. It really is a win-win.

5. Hire the right people and onboard them efficiently

Hiring a new employee, however diligent you are with the process, is time-consuming. But rushing through the process isn’t an option because finding the right fit and properly onboarding them is too important. So how can automation help your HR professionals?

Use small business automation to screen candidates, identify applicants with skills relevant to the job, and remove implicit biases that can cause a company to overlook a great candidate. Automation can also handle some of the tedious tasks associated with the hiring process, like aligning schedules and sending out required forms to fill out, as well as escorting a new hire through the onboarding process so they can become productive as quickly as possible.

6. Avoid issues with data compliance regulations

Adhering to industry and government regulations can be stressful and costly, especially for small businesses. A healthcare organization might wonder, “Are we handling patient information correctly?” while an HR employee might ask, “Am I properly withholding employment taxes?” Particularly in highly regulated industries, such as healthcare, finance, or law, compliance consumes a lot of time and resources.

The good news is implementing small business automation into your processes can make you feel more confident that you’re dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” by integrating rules into your workflows and ensuring employees are following procedures that comply with regulations and industry standards.

7. Optimize remote work

There’s been no business left untouched by COVID-19. Small businesses in particular, whose resources are limited, have faced major challenges as they adapt to this massive disruption. Whichever way you cut it, remote work has become a critical necessity. And automation can help make your remote work — whether new or adjusted — that much easier.

By automating your workflows and processes, employees can work together seamlessly, moving projects along while being located anywhere in the world. From drafting a contract with multiple colleagues to receiving approvals for routine purchases, automation makes remote work less stressful.

8. Reach your e-commerce goals

With physical sales greatly impacted by COVID-19, 28% of small businesses are turning to websites like e-commerce platforms, while 51% are looking to expand their online sales channels, according to a recent study conducted by SMB Group. Improved e-commerce and SMB marketing automation are becoming essential to the survival of more and more small businesses during the pandemic.

Using automation, small businesses can simplify their e-commerce processes by integrating their systems to other systems of record in order to automatically populate, edit, and delete product information as well as update product availability on their website in real-time. Small business automation improves the customer experience while also streamlining ordering processes.

As evidenced above, automation can benefit almost any field and any process. But what about ease of use and cost?

These are two things airSlate has always made a priority.

So where does small business automation begin?

To better understand what your business needs, start by evaluating your everyday business processes: Which require the most time and resources? Can you avoid them with the help of small business automation? Don’t try to capture everything at once. Instead, take time to assess your processes individually in order to identify areas for improvement, to ask whether your customers are satisfied, etc. This will ensure that you avoid the common mistakes many small companies make when throwing money at expensive automation platforms believing they’ll solve all their problems.

The right attitude towards automation helps you better understand your business and optimize it without turning it upside down.

The webinar below, hosted by airSlate, digs into the benefits of automating your business processes. It highlights how employees and businesses can save time and effort by automating manual tasks and gaining visibility into their workflows. The webinar presents use cases from customers as well as an introductory demo of airSlate.

At airSlate, we believe that you should have the freedom and option to optimize your processes. Included in that is the ability to use flexible tools that adapt to your business and not the other way around.

Two of our most valued principles — aside from data security — are flexibility and fair pricing. We make it easy for you to check us out, try our tools, and see if airSlate is right for you.

All you have to do is sign up for airSlate’s Free plan. Our Free and Basic plans are identical in terms of functionality.  The only difference is that the Free plan will give access to the document Slates you created for a 30-day period.

To get started with the Free plan, just enter your email and start setting up your Workspace.

And to top it all off, airSlate provides everyone with free educational courses covering the organization of business processes, ways to use no-code Bots, and the implementation of SMB marketing automation. If you’re someone looking to increase you and your team’s readiness to automate, check out the airSlate Academy’s self-paced courses.

Remember: Small business automation is about saving time, improving efficiency, and boosting your bottom line to grow your company. Take that first step and get started.

The post 8 reasons to begin your small business automation in 2022 appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

In their day-to-day job, sales teams are often challenged with burdensome audit trails, poor record management, and a lack of visibility into contract signing and deal development. Going remote only made things worse, especially for those 52% of US business owners who had not digitized their business processes before the pandemic.

Automating sales and procurement with Salesforce allows sales teams to close 30% more deals, while also reducing the sales cycle by 18%, thus saving 14% the administration process. #Salesforce #automation @airSlateAcademy
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This blog will talk about Salesforce process automation and explore routine sales processes that you can easily automate today. You’ll also learn how to use airSlate’s Salesforce Integration Bots to streamline processes for sales and procurement departments. Finally, you will learn how to advance your Salesforce automation skills by enrolling in a variety of free business automation courses at the airSlate Academy.

Document Workflow Automation for Salesforce Admins

• Salesforce
• CRM integration
• Contract management

Enroll now

Why more sales teams automate processes with Salesforce

Business automation continues to be one of the dominating tech trends in 2022 that drive digital transformation across different industries, including sales and procurement. According to Salesforce’s ‘State of Sales’ report, only 41% of organizations leveraged sales process automation pre-COVID. In fact, sales reps used to spend 64% of their time on non-selling activities such as administrative tasks (25%), service tasks (16%), traveling (7%), downtime (7%), internal company meetings (6%), and training (4%). Personal meetings with customers accounted for 24% of a typical sales rep’s time while connecting with customers virtually accounted for only 12% of their time.

In 2021, the sales landscape changed significantly. Research indicates that

53% of organizations started using sales process automation and tools that helped automate sales forecasting, quotation, account and contact management, and other sales processes. #Salesforce #automation @airSlateAcademy
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• 69% of respondents automated the process of logging sales data and customer notes
• 66% of respondents introduced automation while managing repetitive tasks
• 65% of respondents automated the process of generating quotes and proposals.

Although Salesforce is a universal tool for sales teams, it’s possible to extend its functionality by integrating it with workflow automation solutions and productivity apps. By the way, you can learn more on how to export data from Salesforce to Google Sheets with airSlate Bots. In fact, Salesforce and airSlate’s integration allows sales departments to streamline and automate their routine processes using no-code bots.

How airSlate and Salesforce process automation works

airSlate for Salesforce is an end-to-end workflow automation solution, which allows sales reps to create custom workflows featuring document generation, web forms and surveys, eSignature, contract negotiation, and more.

The airSlate integration for Salesforce addresses the most challenging tasks for businesses looking to automate their workflows within their Salesforce organization. #Salesforce #automation @airSlateAcademy
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airSlate accomplishes this using the following integration components:

– Integration Bots that enable users to collect data from external systems and communicate updates.

– Integration apps that connect an external system workspace to an airSlate workspace. This provides access to airSlate Flow Templates via shortcuts available to users and allows users of external systems to track the progress of their Slates (a collection of documents) in airSlate.

– Integrated automation that provides native capabilities for external systems to create workflows in airSlate.

airSlate’s Salesforce Integration Bots can be launched from a Salesforce account providing sales teams with an easy and seamless single point of control. You can learn how to install, set up, and use airSlate’s Salesforce Integration Bots by enrolling in free courses at the airSlate Academy:

• The Create Salesforce Record Bot automatically generates new Salesforce records by transferring data from a completed flow template.
  
• The Pre-fill from Salesforce Record Bot automatically populates documents with data taken from one or multiple related Salesforce records.
  
• The Update Salesforce Record Bot automatically updates Salesforce records with data from a completed Flow (collection of documents).
  
• The Export to Salesforce Bot automatically uploads a flow template to a specific Salesforce record. 

Find out how to easily automate workflows in your Salesforce account using no-code airSlate Bots. Watch the video below to learn how to:

Route documents between CRM contacts and internal & external recipients
Generate documents pre-filled with Salesforce data
Create new records based on data entered in a document’s fillable fields
Update existing records based on data entered in fillable fields.

Learn everything you need to digitally transform your business with the airSlate Academy’s free online courses. From starter courses covering automation basics to expert certifications that demonstrate how to digitally transform your business.

airSlate’s library of Salesforce Integration Bots allows sales teams to optimize their existing document workflows. In simple terms, a sales representative can take the data from those documents, update the underlying documents, and receive the data right back in Salesforce. 

8 things you can do when automating sales workflows in Salesforce with airSlate’s no-code integration:

1. Generate actionable documents pre-filled with Salesforce data.
2. Configure conditional document routing between Salesforce contacts, and internal and external recipients.
3. Create new Salesforce records based on data entered into a document’s fillable fields.
4. Update existing Salesforce records based on data entered into a document’s fillable fields.
5. Save documents to Salesforce attachments or external storage services.
6. Change the status of Salesforce records and trigger actions in Salesforce based on the actionable data in documents.
7. Send batches of documents with the single click of a button.
8. Automate data collection and reporting with scheduled workflows.

Here’s what our customers are saying about the airSlate and Salesforce integration:

T2 Biosystems uses the airSlate for Salesforce integration to ensure a consistent, secure experience for patients. Seamless integration with Salesforce and importing all data from day one has helped T2 significantly improve their experience. Not only were they able to save unfinished forms and complete them later, the form completion process turned out to be quite straightforward. Overall, the airSlate and Salesforce integration helped T2 upgrade and adapt processes while preserving the initial workflow.

It only takes a couple of clicks in Salesforce to create a custom button and set a contact record that’s tied to a flow template within airSlate. Doing so allows for taking the existing data, or the data that you’re collecting from a contact or sales lead, and inserting it back into the Salesforce record. 

Here’s an example of how you can configure the Pre-fill flow from Salesforce Record Bot to populate any document with data from Salesforce in a few steps:

1. Set a condition for pulling Salesforce data into your template and generating a document.
2. Connect your Salesforce account.
3. Connect your document fields with a Salesforce record.
4. Let airSlate automatically populate your document with Salesforce data.

Top 3 sales processes to automate using the airSlate for Salesforce integration

And now, let’s take a look at the top 3 sales processes that the airSlate for Salesforce integration optimizes:

1. Contract negotiation

airSlate for Salesforce can be used to streamline a sales contract negotiation. Let’s view a typical contract negotiation process involving three roles:

• a sales representative who needs to send a sales contract to their client
• a client who wants to purchase goods
• a VP of Sales who needs to approve the sales contract.

The contract negotiation process requires that each of the roles completes the following steps:

1. A sales representative, who has been negotiating a deal, sends the sales contract to a client. 
2. The client reviews the contract, and approves, or suggests changes, if necessary.
3. The approved contract is signed by both the client and the VP of Sales before any goods are delivered. 
4. The sales representative needs to track contract negotiations and the signing process to document the chain of custody.

To automate the contract negotiation process using the airSlate for Salesforce integration, you will need to set up the following Bots:

• The Pre-fill from Salesforce Record Bot to populate the contract with data from the Salesforce Record.  
• The Email upon Flow completion Bot to notify each party of any changes that occur during separate stages of the contract negotiation process.  
• The Update Salesforce Record Bot to update the existing Salesforce Record with new data, if necessary. 
• The Save to Google Drive Bot to automatically save the completed contract to Google Drive.
  

How to automate contract negotiation using airSlate and Salesforce

As a result of contract negotiations, a sales representative has the Opportunity record in Salesforce along with the details about the deal, as well as Account information and Contact data. Using airSlate, sales reps can add a button on the Opportunity record that will generate a Contract for them automatically, using a pre-defined flow template and data from Salesforce.

Here’s what the contract negotiation process looks like in airSlate:

1. Sales can edit the Contract to add more data if needed. Once the Contract is ready, they need to click the Complete button to send the Contract to the Client.
   
2. The Client receives an email with the link to the Contract. They will see the Contract populated with their data automatically and will be able to suggest changes as needed.
   
3. Sales is notified by email about the suggested changes so they can review the changes suggested by the Client. If they are happy with these changes, they can Complete Negotiation. Alternatively, they can keep the Contract editable and continue negotiations.
   
4. When the contract is ready for signing, Sales completes the document and it is sent back to the Client for signing.
   
5. The Client is notified by email and opens the Contract. Sales can choose to be notified by email once the Client opens the Contract. They can also monitor the signing progress without leaving Salesforce.
   
6. Once the Client signs the Contract, the VP of Sales is notified by email. They then open the Contract and sign their part. Sales will see the Opportunity status update automatically in Salesforce with the Sales Contract attached.
   
7. The Client receives the signed Contract by email and the deal is done!

2. Price quotation

Price quotation is one of the most common sales processes that the airSlate for Salesforce integration can streamline. Let’s view a typical price quotation process involving three roles:

• a sales representative who needs to send a Quote to a client 
• a client who wants to purchase goods
• a manufacturer who needs to send goods to a client. 

To automate the price quotation process using the airSlate for Salesforce integration, you will need to set up the following Bots:

• The Pre-fill from Salesforce Record Bot to populate a Quote with Salesforce data from the selected record.  
• The Export to Google Sheet Bot to automatically copy data to the respective fields in a Google Sheet.
• The Email upon Flow completion Bot to notify each party about the changes happening at every stage of the price quotation process.

As a result of negotiating with the Client, Sales has all the necessary information about the deal stored in Salesforce — the Opportunity and related objects, such as Products, Contact, and Account. They are ready to send the Quote. 

Here’s what the price quotation process looks like using the airSlate for Salesforce integration:

1. Once a Sales representative clicks the custom button added to their Opportunity, the airSlate integration collects data for the Quote from Opportunity, Products, Account, and Contact. Sales can also add information or make changes on the fly and sign from their side.
   
2. When Sales clicks the Complete button on the Quote, it will be automatically sent to the Client. After that, the Opportunity status in Salesforce will be updated. A Quote can also be routed for internal approval, if necessary.  
   
3. The Client receives an email notification and opens the Quote. Sales can choose to be notified by email once the Client opens the Quote. They can also monitor the signing progress without leaving Salesforce.
   
4. The Client can review the information, update some details like PO number, and sign the Quote. A payment form can also be included in the package to collect payment immediately, if necessary.
   
5. After that, Sales can see the Opportunity status updated automatically in Salesforce along with the signed document attached. The Account record is also updated with new contact information entered by the Client.
   
6. The Manufacturer can see the Sales Order updated automatically with a PO number. The signed Quote will be attached to the Sales Order record as well.

3. Vendor contract approvals

Sales departments often face a number of bureaucratic bottlenecks during vendor contract approvals. Before sales and procurement can legally start working with new suppliers, they have to fill out registration forms and sign various agreements and policies. Using airSlate’s workflow automation, it’s possible to accelerate and simplify the document flow between all parties involved in the process.

Let’s view a typical vendor contract approval process involving three roles:

• a procurement manager who checks the information about a new vendor and signs a vendor contract 
• a vendor – a new supplier who will be providing goods and services. The vendor provides their company’s information, payment details, and signs the contract
• a Chief Operations Officer (COO) who gives final approval, signs the contract, and processes payments.

To automate the process of approving vendors, you will need to set up the following Bots:

• The Pre-fill from Doc to Doc Bot to populate your vendor contract with data taken from another document.
• The Create Salesforce Record Bot to create a new Salesforce Record using data from your vendor contract.
• The Email upon Flow completion Bot to notify the COO when the vendor contract has been completed. 
• The Save to Dropbox Bot to archive a completed contract to your Dropbox account.

Here’s how the process of approving vendors is automated using airSlate:

1. A Procurement manager requests data from an approved vendor. The Vendor receives a link to the registration form and contract to be filled out and signed. The Procurement manager easily follows up on the process by receiving email notifications once documents are completed. 

2. The new Vendor adds their contact information and payment details to the vendor registration form and submits it. The Vendor is then automatically transferred to the vendor contract which is already pre-filled with data from the registration form.

3. The Procurement manager is notified via email that the Vendor has completed the documents. They review the documents and if everything checks out, they sign the contract as well.

4. Then, the Chief Operations Officer receives an email invitation to fill in the documents. They open the contract and sign their part. The COO then processes the payment. 

5.  The vendor contract approval participants receive their signed copies via email. All the completed documents are automatically archived to the cloud storage of their choice.

The Bottom Line

Leveraging Salesforce process automation has proven to make sales teams more efficient, improve customer experiences, and as a result, increase the bottom line for sales teams. Organizations must prioritize the need to upskill their sales professionals and equip them with the digital skills needed to sustain business resiliency and continuity.

airSlate’s document workflow automation solution frees sales teams from routine tasks by letting them automate sales workflows without having to leave Salesforce. Using Salesforce process automation and airSlate’s no-code Bots, sales teams can save time and reduce errors by generating data-driven contracts, agreements, quotes, proposals, and other documents with the click of a custom button.

The post How to automate your sales process with the airSlate for Salesforce integration appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

In this blog, we’ll share how to develop a working business automation strategy that delivers results. Also, we’ll explore the present-day state of automation adoption and provide real-life examples of how businesses can maximize their revenue with business automation solutions. Let’s get started!

What is business automation?

The terms “digital transformation” and “business process automation” (BPA) are sometimes used interchangeably, which can cause confusion. In a very general sense, business process automation is a means, while digital transformation is the final goal. Business automation continues to be one of the dominating tech trends in 2022 that drive digital transformation across different industries.

Business automation leverages digital technology to make routine processes/repetitive tasks more efficient by eliminating human intervention. The use of automation also increases transparency and reporting capabilities, streamlines document workflows and accelerates signature cycles via eSignature solutions.

Business process automation vs business process management: what’s the difference?

It’s important to distinguish between business process automation (BPA) and business process management (BPM). While BPA focuses on digitizing and automating workflows, BPM is about managing those workflows from end to end. Business process automation relates to other forms of automation, such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Digital Process Automation (DPA).

• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) uses bots that imitate human behavior to complete repetitive, rule-based tasks that have defined inputs and outputs. RPA is used for many labor-intensive knowledge tasks such as data entry, data processing and mapping, client onboarding, etc.
• Digital Process Automation (DPA) is a method of using digital technology to automate processes and optimize workflows. DPA focuses on automating tasks that involve human interaction in management, sales, and marketing. It extends the efficiency delivered by BPM solutions to customers, vendors, and other stakeholders, thus improving user experiences.

As we progress past COVID-19, experts are taking note of the 5 TOP business automation trends 2021 such as intelligent automation, hyper automation, no-code automation bots, cloud automation, and more.

How fast does business automation happen in 2021?

In the first few months of 2020, the COVID-19 crisis accelerated digital adoption at both the enterprise and industry levels by several years. According to McKinsey & Co., between December 2019 and July 2020, the digitization of customer interactions sped up by an average of three years, while the amount of digital product and service offerings skyrocketed by an average of seven years.

This tremendous leap would not be possible without the fast-paced digitization of businesses. Recent airSlate research suggests that early investment in the digitization of the most critical business processes facilitated faster recovery for 55% of business owners. On top of that, 54% of companies implemented eSignature during the pandemic, noting that its increased efficiency and productivity benefited their business.

In 2021, enterprises began adopting automation technology with more caution which, in turn, slowed down the deployment of emerging IT automation technologies. According to Gartner’s 2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap for Large Enterprises, of all the IT automation technologies profiled in 2021, only 20% of them moved ahead in the adoption cycle, compared with 30% in 2020.

On top of that fact, as the response to the pandemic has matured, so too has it caused the demand for new digital workplace technologies to plateau. Only 12% of digital workplace technologies have moved ahead in the adoption cycle in 2021, compared with 41% in 2020.

Source: Gartner, 2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap for Large Enterprises

The lack of tech talent is cited as a serious impediment to leveraging automation across a number of domains such as computer infrastructure, platform services, network, security, digital workplace, IT automation and storage, etc.

This poses a number of challenges for business owners that go beyond achieving automation success. It also touches upon the need to recalibrate business strategies along with attracting, retraining, and/or upskilling existing talent with skills that make automation and continuous delivery possible.

8 key factors empowering successful business automation for SMBs and enterprises

Organizations that successfully leveraged automation during the pandemic point to three tactics for making it work:

• Designating automation as a strategic priority

According to a McKinsey survey, 38% of organizations that prioritized automation during their strategic planning process, reported automation success. Companies that pursued automation programs for the sake of long-term cost savings, to keep up with competitors, or to amplify the effectiveness of their business processes, haven’t succeeded with their automation efforts. On the other hand, organizations that scaled automation enterprise-wide were nearly five times more likely to report success.

• Pursuing people-focused initiatives

Massive digitization has encouraged organizations to foster people-focused initiatives such as attracting, retraining, and upskilling talent with digital and automation skills. Moreover, 65% of organizations reporting automation success are adopting “human-in-the-loop” solutions that combine machine and human intelligence to scale their automation efforts. Finally, successful organizations are seven times more likely to prioritize communication and gather employee feedback while leveraging automation.

• Developing an operating model that enables scaling

Organizations reporting automation success are facilitating better coordination across business units or functions to support their automation efforts. As operating models are becoming more complex, only 46% of leadership teams completely understand the cost of the automation efforts implemented within their organization.

As businesses are moving towards a post-COVID world in 2022, it’s crucial to reflect on the key factors that will impact business automation success for medium-sized businesses and enterprises in the months to come:

• Modularity and packaged business capabilities (PBCs).

Businesses that build solutions for a new modular economy use APIs and split components into microservices, also known as packaged business capabilities (PBCs).

• Automation guidelines

Developing consistent and coherent best practices to make business automation work for a given organization typically includes the following: 

– choosing a process to automate and the solution and meet specific business needs
– defining the automation goals and the desired ROI
– establishing the roles and hierarchy of the stakeholders involved in the process to ensure accountability
– training the workforce and fostering upskilling/reskilling programs
– deploying and managing the automation solution

• Agile implementation

Avoiding technology and the occurrence of vendor lock-in when deploying an automation solution. A vendor lock-in prevents a customer using a specific product/service from easily transitioning to a competitor’s product/service. Using proprietary technologies incompatible with competitors’ APIs, configurations, and features, as well as contract constraints, are some of the reasons for a vendor lock-in.

• Democratization of app development

Using no-code tools for business automation opens new opportunities for citizen developers. By lowering the entry barrier for employees with no technical backgrounds and bringing the business side into app development, businesses can tackle the tech talent shortage and lessen the burden on strapped IT teams.

• CIO leadership

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are strengthening their positions as enablers of business automation by helping to choose, deploy, manage, supervise, and govern automation solutions.

If still think of business automation as a sophisticated and frightening technology? Watch the video below to dispel the myth:

How composability enables automation. What is a composable enterprise?

The business automation success narrative wouldn’t be complete without mentioning a composable enterprise. Striving for resilience and agility in a time of uncertainty, organizations abandoned traditional, efficiency-oriented business models in favor of composability and modularity.

According to Gartner, a composable enterprise is based on the three building blocks:

• Composable Thinking, which ensures a better understanding of the business modules to compose, and the best time to do that.
• Composable Business Architecture, which ensures a better understanding of the structure, purpose, and mechanisms to use when making your business flexible and resilient.
• Composable Technologies, which ensures a clear view of product design goals driving the technology features that support the tenets of composability.

When it comes to leveraging automation in IT, organizations often teeter between the two extremes. On the one end of the spectrum, there’s an organization with great automation, but with added complexity because multiple vendors control different parts of the whole solution. It takes a lot of work to develop and maintain systems across that kind of environment.

On the other end of the spectrum, there’s an organization with an easy-to-manage automation environment, with very limited capabilities. Composability helps to get the best of both worlds by making it easy to automate a composable infrastructure and everything within it.

How composability enables automation

Organizations that were able to quickly recalibrate their strategic plans using the principles of composability were better prepared to survive the pandemic. Gartner indicates that by 2022, 70% of medium-sized and large organizations will prioritize composability in their approval criteria for new technology application plans.

By transforming the digital delivery process according to the principles of composability, businesses will be better positioned to benefit from digital economies. The composable enterprise is an adaptive, flexible, and long-lasting business model that can help businesses succeed in the post-COVID world.

In a composable enterprise, any kind of business automation — from robotic tasks to customer-facing apps — can be assembled using digital building blocks, known as packaged business capabilities (PBCs) comprising APIs, connectors, and other integration elements.

PBCs allow teams (both the in-house IT and citizen developers) to deploy existing digital capabilities along with discoverable and reusable modules, thus enabling a composable enterprise. Instead of relying on custom integrations and code, the composable enterprise model utilizes the API economy by extending its core capabilities through PBCs to partners, customers, and developers.

Key areas where business process automation delivers great results

Can all business processes be automated? When it comes to leveraging business process automation in a given organization, there’s often very little clarity as to the processes that must and must not be automated. There are 5 types of work that are typical for most organizations:

1. Repetitive work is routine work that doesn’t require any special knowledge, skills, or human interaction, but at the same time, is highly prone to error. This is typically clerical work, manual data entry, copy-paste input, and so on. Implementing automation should increase the accuracy and speed of routine work by leveraging rule-based Automation and Integration Bots.
2. Administrative work is important for supporting other types of work in core business operations. Despite being high-stakes work, it usually requires moderate skill to complete. Administrative work may be connected with compliance and documentation for various regulatory systems.  Leveraging automation should relieve the burden of paperwork and regulatory compliance by digitizing and introducing proper management for various types of documentation.
3. Departmental work, such as expense tracking and approval, ensures that a department is running, but it doesn’t influence the core business product. Implementing automation should help reduce departmental work with low-code and no-code apps that handle processes that would otherwise involve hard-to-manage documents and spreadsheets sent over email.
4. Cross-enterprise work involves multiple departments working together on tasks such as processing insurance claims or loan approval. Leveraging automation should help deliver end-to-end customer experiences with straightforward processing, while also enabling the integration of individual business operations from across an enterprise into one process aligned with customers’ needs.
5. Expert work, such as personalized consultation, cannot be totally automated, as it requires human interaction. Leveraging automation can eliminate routine work and increase the efficiency of an Expert’s work by keeping track of important details and providing them with deeper insights and recommendations for action.

Business processes that cannot be automated

• Processes that require complex decision-making and critical thinking capabilities. Although it’s possible to automate some approvals and rejections with basic business rules and conditions, humans must be involved in making more complex decisions. In case there’s complex decision-making to be done, using automation can speed up the process by giving strategic oversight through detailed reporting.
• Processes that could potentially involve emotions shouldn’t be completely automated. These include some HR processes such as change management, giving feedback, the offboarding process, etc.
• Processes that don’t have a fixed structure or change frequently are often difficult to automate because it’s hard to identify specific rules or conditions that can be applied to such a process.

Business processes that can be automated

Here’s the list of the top 5 business processes that can be automated with a no-code workflow automation solution, such as airSlate:

1. Contract management

According to the World Commerce and Contracting Association, the average cost of processing a single contract manually can reach a whopping $6.900. An automated contract management workflow can help businesses save up to 2% of their annual costs while also avoiding inaccuracies and non-compliance. airSlate’s automated workflows helped Claremont Graduate University speed up its adjunct contracting process and eliminate redundant physical paperwork and multiple digital backups. The deployment of a custom Request to Visit Campus Flow Template resulted in over 500 requests to visit the campus received and processed on a weekly basis from students, faculty, and staff members.

2. Student enrollment

The pandemic has revealed the drastic need for digital transformation and automation in education. According to Boston Consulting Group, 70% of higher education leaders are prioritizing digital technology for their institutions. Leveraging airSlate workflow automation helped Rock The Street, Wall Street finance school for girls to streamline its student enrollment process. airSlate’s no-code integration with Salesforce allowed forms to be sent in batches and be instantly archived the moment students submitted their completed forms for enrollment.

3. Patient intake

Healthcare automation helps hospitals, clinics, and other medical institutions to make the process of managing healthcare information smooth, legally compliant, and error-free. Statista indicates that in 2020, 90% of large healthcare organizations developed an AI and/or automation strategy, while 34% of medical institutions already had healthcare automation solutions in place. airSlate helped T2 Biosystems streamline, accelerate, and secure their patient intake procedure. airSlate’s flexible no-code automation and integration with Salesforce enabled T2 Biosystems to easily share forms with end-users and secure partially completed information for future use.

4. Employee onboarding

Over 50% of standard HR processes can be automated using RPA solutions, according to Deloitte. airSlate can be used to automate repetitive HR tasks, such as employee on/offboarding, attendance tracking, data management, HR analytics, and more. You can learn how to configure your onboarding workflow in airSlate, or use a pre-configured Employee Onboarding Process Flow Template to automatically collect new employee information for future use.

5. Price quoting

About one-third of processes in the sales industry, including lead identification, sales strategy and planning, configuration, price and quotation (CPQ), can be automated. According to Aberdeen’s report, CPQ-enabled sales reps require 27% less time which equals about 3.6 hours to produce a typical quote or proposal than those not using CPQ. airSlate allows for automating the most common sales processes with its pre-configured Sales Invoice Process Flow Template and Sales Quotation Flow Template.

Business automation: where to start?

Before making serious investments in automation technology, a business should consider launching a pilot automation project that can deliver fast results with minimal deployment risks. Doing so can help any organization make a strong case for scaling up.

• Choose a process or project that is not mission-critical – something that will be worth the effort and will demonstrate value when completed. Refrain from choosing a project that can break everything.
• Keep the outcomes you wish to achieve with automation in mind. The first project should be a front-or back-office operation that is important to the business. Be sure that you’ve mapped out the desired state or experience.
• Look at the industry leaders, especially those who are growing fast, to get an idea of the possible outcomes. Look at the totality of their work, which may include dozens of individual automation projects. All in all, they will add up to a completely transformative approach.

How to maximize revenue with business automation solutions

Assessing the ROI delivered by automation is crucial for operating in the post-pandemic world. When considering the implementation of automation, organizations typically focus on direct labor savings. In fact, automating complex human capabilities can significantly increase cost savings, while using AI to reinforce sales and marketing activities can boost revenue.

Deploying automation solutions in large enterprises can lead to staggering ROI (in the triple-digit percentages). In one example, a major service provider used automation to orchestrate their network services, which resulted in an overall productivity increase of 60 to 70%. Over five years, that translated to an ROI of 383% and savings of up to $16.7 million for Tier 3 to 5 providers. Meanwhile, Tier 1 and 2 operators reported savings that exceeded $70 million over the same period.

In a final example, by leveraging an automation solution and open-source operating system, a global manufacturer reported a net present value (NPV) of $231 million and an ROI of 42% over five years.

For SMBs, automation delivers a number of benefits such as streamlined workflows, better data management and processing, increased accuracy, and more. For instance, a workflow automation solution like airSlate can alleviate the pains associated with analog processes using automation or integration Bots. If properly configured, Bots will complete any task by performing a sequence of operations based on pre-set triggers and conditions, no human intervention is required.

Is hyper automation the future of business automation?

Gartner forecasts that the global market for hyper automation-enabling solutions is projected to reach $596.616 billion by 2022. More and more organizations will be looking to digitally empower their essential business processes while also reconfiguring human labor and manual routines. To prepare for future disruptions, companies continue to reduce their reliance on a human workforce for completing routine digital tasks. Hyper automation is becoming commonplace as it is viewed as the next stage of business process evolution.

Hyper automation refers to the deployment of advanced technologies, such as robotic process automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) to automate recurring and tedious tasks that were typically handled by the human workforce.

Unlike robotic process automation that utilizes rule-based bots to imitate human behavior to complete repetitive tasks, hyper automation leverages the new “blended workforce” where bots operate alongside humans. This way, hyper automation allows organizations to improve their customer experience while reducing operational expenses and increasing profitability.

A recent Deloitte report indicates that leveraging hyper automation has a number of potential benefits, including:

• Workforce enablement

Employees can increase their productivity by automating business processes within their roles with digital tools and resources at hand. Eliminating menial tasks allows them to focus more on planning and strategy.

• Employee upskilling

Fostering people-focused initiatives and citizen-led innovation within an enterprise will allow for any business user to become an automation leader. Moreover, bringing the business side into the development process will translate into improved internal collaboration.

• Systems integration

Hyperautomation utilizes a combination of automation tools with machine learning apps and packaged software used to deliver working results. Creating a hyper automation ecosystem within an organization will allow for the seamless integration of on-premise technology and disparate data systems.

• Improved ROI

With advanced analytics, organizations can assess the efficiency of hyper automation based on the number of business-optimized processes and costs saved. According to Gartner, by 2024, organizations will cut operational expenses by 30% using hyper automation technologies and redesigning their operational processes.

Are CIOs the only enablers of business automation?

One of the biggest changes wrought by the pandemic is the increasing importance of CIOs (Chief Information Officers). The role of the CIO emerged as a job title in the 1980s — highly technical professionals who would manage an IT department’s resources and staff. As businesses become more and more digitized, CIOs would become true strategic business partners that drive innovation and digital transformation, introducing revenue-generating objectives throughout a business’s digital expansion.

Today, CIOs are positioned to be the enablers of business automation by helping to select, manage, monitor, and properly govern the new wave of automation solutions. However, in many organizations, the responsibility for selecting and implementing new automation technology and SaaS solutions doesn’t lie solely in the hands of the CIOs.

With sales cycles becoming shorter, teams and individuals are now entrusted with the deployment of specific technologies and also with introducing them to others to try. The pandemic has pressured organizations to democratize their software development practices. Technologically cumbersome solutions requiring the constant supervision of IT have proven to impede workplace productivity and efficiency. They are being replaced with low-code or no-code tools to empower employees without technical backgrounds, known as citizen developers.

In a post-Covid economy, using PBCs and taking an API-led approach can help CIOs enable their organizations to leverage automation across multiple business units. CIOs should ensure that the automation strategies they deploy include the following key characteristics:

• Composability. Automations and insights composed from reusable PBCs are easier to access and repurpose.
• Central governance. Irrespective of the architectural patterns, it’s crucial for an enterprise to offer, manage, promote, and secure PBCs through a centrally-governed platform to ensure consistent app connectivity and automation.
• Standardized automation. Whether it’s simple automation of robotic tasks or a highly orchestrated automation with branchable business logic, whatever the type of automation is it should inherit the best practices and standards applied by centrally governed PBCs.
• Fostering citizen-led innovation. Business users must have the tools and knowledge to execute on automation opportunities irrespective of an IT backlog.
• Avoiding lock-ins. CIOs working under the composable enterprise paradigm must ensure that PBCs are open to consumption by a variety of tools and avoid any possible lock-ins.

How to assess business automation success?

Organizations that have achieved automation success typically share the following qualities:

• Customer-centric approach prioritizing the needs of customers.
• The ability to deliver a personalized customer experience while keeping scalability within sight.
• The ability to keep an automation system as flexible as possible by building on an extensive platform and keeping proper alignment between the business side and the IT.
• The ability to identify and eliminate inefficient and redundant processes.

A successfully automated organization will most likely need some of the following capabilities, depending on the processes that require automation to drive growth:

• Robotic process automation (RPA) and no-code Bots to automate manual processes
• Improved content sharing, management, and collaboration
• Tools to design and manage end-to-end workflows
• Basic decision-making automation with business rules
• Capturing and extracting data from documents

So, what do we mean by saying that an organization has achieved automation success? How do we correlate the time invested with the results? Automation success is a process rather than a final destination. This is because it doesn’t come from implementing a particular solution or finishing a specific project. It’s an ongoing process that adapts accordingly to an organization’s ever-changing business needs.

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The post How to achieve business automation success in the post-COVID world: The definitive guide for SMBs and enterprises appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Speed and precision have always been of high importance in the medical industry but the COVID-19 pandemic made maintaining document accuracy and processing speed a challenge for the entire healthcare system given the excess volumes of patient documents. On top of that, medical records contain the most sensitive and confidential information, such as medical history or treatment information that requires a high level of protection.

In a situation like this, healthcare organizations seek a HIPAA-compliant workflow automation solution capable of eliminating redundant document processes, while keeping the patient data secure.

The latest COVID-19 Action Plan introduced to contain the spread of the pandemic has put forth the requirements for companies to get their employees vaccinated while also deploying more testing, masking, and other safety measures. Make sure to check Top 10 airSlate Flow Templates for vaccination status check for businesses to access working solutions for the new federal vaccination and testing guidelines.

In this blog on healthcare automation, we’ll dive into the ready-made Healthcare Flow Templates airSlate has to offer, how to implement them, and the benefits they introduce to your medical institution and patients.

What is workflow automation in healthcare?

Medical organizations often have to deal with piles of documents, especially during the patient intake process. People need to get their vaccine or other treatments as soon as possible, while doctors want to minimize paperwork and focus on patients.

In a situation like this, medical institutions are striving to manage patient data transfers and keep medical records in order. Automation in medicine addresses all of these challenges in one stroke and a lot of medical institutions have already experienced these benefits in practice.

How does automation help healthcare services?

According to Statista, the adoption of AI and automation in healthcare has significantly increased within the past couple of years.

The survey results showed that in 2020:

• 90% of large medical organizations had an automation strategy in place, which is a 53% increase compared to 2019
• 66% of respondents were familiar with robotic process automation used in the healthcare industry, which also shows a 50% annual increase compared to 2019.

It’s worth noting that automation in healthcare is equally beneficial for the medical industry and patients. Take a look at the list of key benefits that healthcare automation solutions offer their users:

• Streamlined data collection and transfers

As already mentioned, collecting patient data is task number one for any medical establishment. Manual data input and transfers often result in certain inaccuracies and typos along with serious errors. Workflow automation in hospitals and healthcare establishments not only eliminates these issues but also significantly reduces the time required to complete these processes.

• Faster invoicing

With a workflow automation solution, payment documentation is processed much faster. Due to integrations with external systems (e.g., databases, CRMs) all the necessary patient data gets automatically incorporated into an invoice, payment form, etc., the document is instantly redirected to the respective signers, and the job is done!

• Better care for patients

When all the repetitive manual tasks are delegated to a healthcare process automation tool, doctors, administrators, and other medical workers can devote more time and attention to their clients, which significantly enhances customer satisfaction.

• Improved customer experience

Today, most people use their mobile phones whenever possible. Modern workflow automation solutions allow them to fill out registration forms, doctor appointment forms, and other documents right from their mobile device even on the go.

• Enhanced communication

Healthcare automation solutions enable medical institutions to set up notifications and reminders for their clients. Thus, patients won’t forget about their doctor’s appointments. They can also easily inform the healthcare establishment of appointment cancellation.

• More accurate diagnoses and treatment

Except for inconveniences and stress caused by human errors, data inaccuracies in medical records can result in faulty diagnoses and, consequently, improper treatment. Workflow automation in healthcare helps avoid such troublesome situations and might even save someone’s life.

• Reduced expenses and positive environmental impact

The last one among the key benefits of automation in healthcare is related to finances. Costs for printing equipment, paper, ink, and other resources required for manual paper workflows can add up fast. Besides, additional expenses can include a courier (if you need to get the patient’s legally binding signature on a paper document), a legal counsel (to ensure the legal compliance of documents), and so on. An all-in-one workflow automation solution provides your healthcare organization with all the necessary tools for timely document delivery, signing, and guaranteed HIPAA compliance.

How to assess the workflow automation needs of your healthcare organization

To make new technology implementation effective and efficient, it is first necessary to analyze and assess which processes of your healthcare institution suffer the most without automation. 

Here are the most useful questions to help you identify these bottlenecks.

Which hospital workflow processes consume an unusual amount of time?

Time expenditure is one of the main factors negatively affecting productivity. Certain processes are so complex that they cannot be completed quickly while others take a lot of time just because they are carried out manually. In the latter case, hospital automation is the cure.

Imagine COVID-19 vaccination, the most common medical procedure nowadays. The number of people waiting in line can be huge, thus the process should be as fast as possible. Yet, when conducted manually, the workflow requires the same data to be entered and transferred multiple times: by a patient, a healthcare establishment administrator, and a doctor. Automation of healthcare processes reduces this chain to one-time data input by automatically moving it to other databases and systems of record.

Which processes should be done first?

It’s not only the amount of time invested that workflow automation helps reduce. Proper healthcare automation solutions help prioritize tasks to ensure the most important processes are completed first.

For example, when creating a visual representation of your workflow with the drag-and-drop interface, you can make things first (in the literal sense).

Other than prioritizing, hospital automation technology solutions that provide workflow visualization enable users to clearly imagine the entire process from start to finish, its participants (patients, administrators, doctors, etc.), and the tasks that each of them should complete.

Once you have identified the key inefficiencies and priorities at your healthcare organization, the next step is to select a healthcare automation software. We’ve compiled a list of software characteristics for you to pay attention to when choosing the right solution.

• Smooth learning curve

As a rule, healthcare workers aren’t so familiar with IT or programming. That’s why it’s much more appropriate to select a no-code solution as it doesn’t require any skills in coding yet allows for creating automated medical workflows quickly and hassle-free.

• Support for integrations

The key bottlenecks you’ve identified should help determine the functions required to address the issues. Check the software functionality to ensure it contains all the necessary tools your healthcare organization needs. For example, you need to connect your patient database with a number of external systems (CRMs, cloud storage, etc.). In this case, the hospital automation solution must support integrations exactly with those systems you are working with.

• Reduced operational expenses

The main point here is not the price tag of the hospital automation technology solution but the money it saves at the end of the day. The initial price might not be cheap but eventually, you can save two or three times more money by reducing working hours and enhancing efficiency. Besides, fast and smooth medical workflows contribute to the level of customer satisfaction, which results in financial benefits in the long run.

HIPAA compliant healthcare automation

Medical records contain the most sensitive and confidential information, e.g. medical history or treatment information (you will find more examples of which items are considered PHI later in this blog). Consequently, an automation solution used by medical facilities should comply with certain health legislation.

Let’s take a closer look at what HIPAA stands for and its main requirements in a nutshell.

HIPAA is an abbreviation for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 which establishes the requirements for operating digital health care records and transactions.

The objective of HIPAA protection is PHI or Protected Health Information. It includes standard demographic information, details on medical insurance, data concerning diseases and their treatment, lab results, etc.

Any healthcare institution adopting new software should build user trust by becoming HIPAA and PHI compliant.

Understanding the key concepts for the HIPAA process is essential as they are directly linked to authorized access to data.

Both individuals and organizations required to comply with HIPAA are usually referred to as HIPAA-covered entities.

HIPAA-covered entities include health plans, clearinghouses, and certain health care providers.

So, what does it mean to be HIPAA compliant?

HIPAA compliance falls into three categories:

1. Physical compliance – The physical aspect of HIPAA compliance usually concerns common-sense rules of security, like locking a laptop with medical records at a reception desk, limiting direct access to printers, fax machines, and other data-bearing equipment.
2. Administrative compliance — This category includes training for all staff members and their subsequent compliant behavior in the office.
3. Digital compliance – Digital compliance under HIPAA starts once the BAA is signed (between the software provider and the medical organization). Digital HIPAA compliance adds an extra layer of encryption to all documents processed and stored online.

Is it safe to use airSlate for medical records?

Let’s take a look at one of the healthcare automation examples. airSlate, the workflow automation solution, ensures HIPAA compliance for its customers in the following way:

Once a medical organization decides to apply for HIPAA compliance, its representative should contact airSlate support as HIPAA compliance settings are switched on manually.

On the practical side of what the user will notice as changed (since you can’t really see changes in the encryption method) is that once HIPAA compliance has been activated, emailing e-signed documents to signers will be switched off. This additional measure guarantees extra security in cases when access to an email account could be compromised or when the same email is used by several signers (which happens in many households).

It is important to remember that airSlate cannot access protected health information, but may store this information on its servers and send it using certified encryption protocols (AES-256 bit encryption).

One of the most important elements of digital compliance under HIPAA is the Audit trail.

By definition, an Audit trail refers to records being secure, computer-generated, and time-stamped, to independently record the date and time of the operator entries and actions that create, modify, or delete electronic records.

In airSlate, the Audit trail displays every action performed in a Workspace.

• It ensures that the progress of all the processes within your organization are well documented, traceable to a specific creator, and have a linked audit history. The audit history is automatically generated and cannot be modified.
• You can also select a period of time in the calendar and download an Audit trail for that period in .csv or .pdf format.

3 airSlate workflows for healthcare automation

Now let’s see how airSlate helps enhance hospital workflow processes in practice. We’ve compiled the top 3 most popular clinical workflows in healthcare organizations that your medical establishment will definitely benefit from.

Get familiar with the full list of templates dedicated to hospital workflows in the airSlate library under the Healthcare category.

1. Patient Intake Flow Template

Before proceeding with treatment, any new patient should undergo the registration process. airSlate helps overcome all the bottlenecks presented in the comparative diagram above within a few simple steps:

1. Get registered with airSlate and create your Workspace.

2. Select the Flow library within your Workspace, enter the hospital workflow keywords in the search field, select the flow template, and click Import.

3. Edit the default form or add more documents, if needed.

4. Visualize the process by adding workflow Steps and assigning access permissions to them.

5. Install and configure airSlate Bots to automatically transfer data, send notifications, archive completed documents, and more. The Bots are no-code so their configuration doesn’t require any technical skills.

That’s it! Just click the Send button and share your flow template with the specified recipients or create a sharable link for them to access.

2. Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template

Once a patient recovers, they need to be discharged from the medical facility. This is where the Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template comes in handy.

The one is very similar to that of the previous flow template. The only differences include the following:

• the document to be used (you can add any document to the hospital workflow but the default one in this flow template is a Hospital Discharge Form):

• The workflow Steps and access permissions you assign (you can add the Steps you need and assign documents to them; the most typical Steps for this flow template are Patient, Doctor, and Administrator):

• The Bots to add (this flow template has only one Email on Documents Completion Bot added by default, you can choose to add more Bots if needed):

Upon configuring the Bots, you can share the Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template just like the Patient Intake Flow Template.

3. COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form Flow Template

COVID-19 has been the biggest buzz topic for almost two years and doesn’t seem to be fading away. That’s why coronavirus-connected hospital workflows are among the most popular. With airSlate, workflows such as the COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form Flow Template can be automated within minutes. The process is similar to that of the previous two examples with several minor differences:

• the document to be used (you can add any document to the hospital workflow but the default one in this flow template is a COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form):

• the workflow Steps and access permissions you assign (you can add the Steps you need and assign documents to them; this flow template doesn’t contain any default Steps)
• The Bots to add (this flow template has only one Email on Documents Completion Bot added by default, you can choose to add more Bots if needed):

Upon configuring the Bots, you can share the COVID-19 Release of Liability Waiver Form Flow Template just like the Hospital Discharge Form Flow Template or the Patient Intake Flow Template.

The bottom line

The name Healthcare industry speaks for itself — it takes care of health, not paperwork or bureaucracy. Workflow automation in medicine takes on all the red-tape stuff which allows your medical organization to focus on patients instead of documents, and increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Stay tuned! Our upcoming posts will provide you with more information on the most popular workflows that other industries automate.

It’s worth mentioning that we recently posted a blog on automation in higher education with examples of workflows that can be used right away.

The post Healthcare automation: 3 airSlate workflows for hospitals and medical institutions appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.