The Benefits of Data-Driven Approval Routing and Workflow

Data-Driven Approval Routing and Workflow: The average employee faces 56 interruptions(1) per day, which leads to billions of lost global business dollars yearly. On top of this, the average employee wastes 1.8 hours a week(2) (of an avg total of 21.8 weekly hours) on requests — like signatures and approvals for documents and forms, rather than performing their primary responsibilities, which would allow them to be more productive. Inefficient paper/form flow can be a serious time sink.

But it’s not the actual ‘filling out’ of paperwork that’s contributing to what makes up the total of 21.8 hours that employees waste weekly(3); it’s all the in-between. Waiting for signatures and authorization for forms like procurement requisitions, expense approvals and sales quotes can be a serious time sink. For administrative functions It’s estimated that it takes those personnel; the billing department for example, an average of 10 hours to prepare just 200 invoices(4) to complete this task.

To help combat these time sinks and improve whole-business automation, many companies turn to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. But these ERP systems still lack many critical back-office automation capabilities — such as those business processes dealing with process forms requiring approval and authorizations.

What is Data-Driven Approval Routing and Workflow?

‘Data-Driven’ Approval Routing and Workflow is a “multi-layered” technology ISS Group has developed in our iApprove™ (5) solution. This solution creates and alerts a list of ‘Approvers’, based on the data associated with a specific ‘Process Request’, such as Purchase Requisitions, CapEx Requests, Sales Orders, Check Requests, Budget Approvals, Financial Control requests, etc., and then performs an ‘Action’ upon final approval of that Request. This means that iApprove can automatically design Approval Routing and Workflows based upon existing ERP data and utilize those workflows to track activities assigned to users and perform rules-based functions based upon those activities.

The Benefits of Data-Driven Approval Routing and Workflow Software

‘Data-Driven’ Approval Routing and Workflow software allows you to implement business rules used to establish automated workflow procedures — leaving you with less wasted time between form authorizations and more time to focus on critical business needs.

In fact, ISS Group’s iApprove can create Business Process Forms utilizing ANY data contained within your ERP system, whether that be related to Finance, Accounting, HR, Operations, Logistics, Sales or Marketing. That means that you can create custom approval routing and workflows based on business rules to automate your form processing across ANY line-of-business.

Let’s look at how iApprove can help you reduce wasted hours, improve form approval throughput, and create opportunity throughout every layer of your existing ERP system.

1. Increase Output and Increase Productivity

By implementing rules-based workflows and automating components of the form lifecycle, you can significantly reduce the number of touchpoints and time sinks baked into typical form workflows. This helps free your employees up to focus on more critical tasks.

2. Reduce Waste

iApproves’ cloud-native capabilities make it the perfect green companion. Not only does 45% of office paper(6) end up trashed by the end-of-the-day, but simply looking for paper resources, standing at printers, and waiting on document approval can waste up to 40% of your workers day(7)! With DD-ARW software, you can reduce (or even eliminate) paper usage.

3. Gain Global Visibility

By letting digital processes make decisions based on rules that you’ve carefully designed, you can gain massive amounts of visibility into your business architecture. Not only does iApprove give you a global scope, but it also gives you global visibility. Immediately discover frictions in your workflows by viewing logs and manipulating rules.

4. Streamline and Speed up Internal Processes by Reducing Manual Entry and Request Handling

Do you need a solution that automates aspects of your PO requisitions? You can do that! Are you trying to simplify sales quotes to help improve your sales pipeline management? You can do that too! Finance, HR, Operations, Logistics…. It’s all based on the ‘key’ business processes your target and rules that you establish.

5. Seamless ERP Integration

iApprove has native integration with existing ERP systems, such as QAD EA. This makes it the perfect ERP companion.

6. Improve Compliance with Audit Trails, and Reduce Risk of Improperly Approved Requests, Contracts, Hires, etc.

iApprove can instantly improve processes. And, unlike legacy approval routing and workflow solutions, iApprove can create an unlimited number of layers for your rule-based workflows — granting you unlimited scope and automation capabilities.

About ISS Group

ISS Group has been providing IT Solutions and Services to the QAD User Community since 1995. Our primary focus is to deliver enhanced solutions exclusively to the QAD User Community which improve the Flow and Control of QAD ERP related Business Processes.

Contact Us today to learn more about our family of QAD enhanced solutions, or to schedule a custom demonstration at your convenience.

Sources:

1. https://www.atlassian.com/time-wasting-at-work-infographic/

2. https://www.inc.com/david-finkel/new-study-shows-youre-wasting-218-hours-a-week.html/

3. https://www.inc.com/david-finkel/new-study-shows-youre-wasting-218-hours-a-week.html/

4. https://blog.signaturit.com/en/how-much-money-do-companies-that-use-the-electronic-signature-save/

5. https://www.issgroup.com/approval-routing-and-workflow/

6. https://www.recordnations.com/2016/02/how-much-paper-is-used-in-one-day/

7. https://www.formstack.com/blog/2019/paperless-office/