Thanks to the pandemic, many companies accelerated the decision to take their business through the digital transformation process and automate their workflow. The question is where to start, and the biggest challenge is how to do it correctly. The multitude of possibilities and technological solutions available on the market can give you a headache. The decision to choose a strategy and tool is one of the most difficult decisions, so in this post we will guide you step by step through the process of preparing your company for business process automation. Digital transformation is the best solution when we have to work in distributed teams and remotely. Thanks to automation, we can relieve employees, improve and control workflow, speed up document flow and decision-making. There are more benefits of digitization:

• reduction of administrative costs
• insight into complete data "in real time"
• faster and more efficient document flow management
• better control of processes and finances
• faster and more accurate business decisions
• minimizing human mistakes and abuses
• greater employee satisfaction with their work
• saving time and increasing productivity
• positive impact on the environment (elimination of paper)

What do you need to create a productive enterprise in the new remote or hybrid model? It's obvious - efficient communication. But what does this really mean? You need an effective and safe tool that will provide everyone with access to the company's knowledge resources. However, to choose the most appropriate tool, you must first carefully determine your needs and requirements. Here's how to prepare your company for business process automation step by step:

Identify areas 

The question of where to start was much more difficult before the outbreak of the pandemic. Now, the answer is much easier because companies have learned firsthand which areas cause the biggest problems when working in the office is impossible. Many entrepreneurs already know what was most difficult to transfer to the "home office" mode, and for most of them these were processes handled manually, with paper documents - HR and administration. So the first step is to determine which areas need to be digitized.

Zmap processes  

Once you have identified the key areas, look at the processes themselves. Establish a hierarchy, starting with those processes that have the greatest impact on your organization, and then identify the people involved. Map the actual process flow and take into account exceptions, situations when the normal flow is disrupted. Also indicate the weakest areas, the so-called bottlenecks where the process often gets stuck. Determine which elements are important and what risks they involve. For example, what happens if you don't pay your invoices on time (the contractor backs out? will you lose credibility?).

Look for more effective solutions  

Only the process described in this way will allow you to see what can be changed, simplified and shortened in it. Are any activities repetitive? Can it be diversified? It often turns out, for example, that all expenses in the company must be approved by the CFO, which greatly prolongs the waiting time. Or maybe expenses up to a certain amount, e.g. PLN 2000, could be accepted by the Chief Accountant? Tip: Most companies prepare prototypes on paper or in Excel, not knowing that they can immediately design the process in the target tool, e.g. a business application. Thanks to this, you can make changes quickly and conveniently. We also avoid repetition actions, so we save time. 

Specify requirements 

It's time to consider what functionalities the new tool should provide you with. Those that ensure the transparency of the process will be key. Digitized processes must still be visible within the organization and must be auditable or externally controllable, just as in the case of paper processes. For this purpose, the new solution should collect a complete history of logins, changes, shares, etc. You should be able to store documents in a legally acceptable form. It is worth checking whether the selected tool ensures compliance with e.g. labor law, personal data processing in accordance with GDPR and allows integration with an electronic signature. Data security requirements will also be important. Here it is worth using cloud solutions, secure encryption, logins and passwords for each user, SSO (connection to an existing security system) and a safe environment. Hint: Nis not obliged to keep paper copies documents (except employment contracts). There are two ways to get rid of them. First: v system the last step of settlement process it may be necessary to generate a summary, e.g. PDF. We deliver the file to the finance department along with a scan of the original documents. Second: applying to the relevant Tax Office for an opinion on whether an image of the document in a format in which no changes can be made is sufficient for the purposes of the inspection. Most often, the interpretation is positive. 

How can Qalcwise help?

Qalcwise is a tool for creating applications that enable the digitization and automation of any workflow. Our clients successfully transfer manually managed processes to applications (e.g. business trip requests, financial reports, invoices, surveys, billing documents), creating completely paperless offices. Employees quickly discover that working with applications is more convenient - they do not have to manually make changes, copy and send documents by e-mail. They complete all their tasks in one place by logging in to the Qalcwise platform via browser or phone. Using business applications in the cloud reduces paper consumption, costs and service time. All employees can online: make changes to documents, fill out forms and applications, report expenses by scanning - not photocopying - invoices. Applications also speed up the waiting time for approval - electronic circulation significantly facilitates document processing. Qalcwise applications shorten process management by up to 90%!  

Don't understand everything yet? Black magic? You will learn about the no-code solution and how to create a simple application or even a serious business solution without using code here.  

You can also try our platform for free (no credit card required) and if you would like to find out whether our solutions will adapt to your company, we invite you to schedule a demo.