We all have hundreds of processes that we complete every day, many of which still rely on paper-based forms. Google Forms gives you the ability to capture information in a structured way, so you can manage your information much more effectively.
Google Forms is one of the most well-known tools provided by Google, which is free for every Google account and is super easy to use for everyone. Despite its ease of use and simplicity, Google Forms is used by organizations big and small. It stores your form response data in a Google Sheet, creating a new row for each form submission made, so you can report on the information at any time.
Things you can do with Google Forms
Google Forms can be used for anything. Leave/Vacation Requests, Purchase Requisitions, Expense Reimbursement Requests, Job Applications, Employee Feedback, and so much more.
Like all Google products, Google Forms can scale your business. Google Forms can handle as much data as Google Sheets, and Google Sheets can currently handle 5 million cells of data.
Google Forms is especially useful when COVID-19 forced companies all over the world to send their employees home to work virtually, remote work had a big moment.
The rush to give employees access to all the tools they’d need to work from home was a bit, well, sudden for many employers. But since Google Forms is popular and easy to use, after everyone settled in, what quickly became apparent to many office-based teams is that employees could be productive and focused when not in the office—in many cases, even more so. Employers everywhere began to understand that remote work really works.
Thing you can do with Google Forms and Workflow Automation
Workflow automation is a valuable tool for any business but invaluable at a larger scale. As everyone has work that must get done, this helps reduce – or even eliminate – the time that needs to be spent on repetitive processes. This means everyday work gets done faster, and employees spend more time on their primary tasks. In enterprise organizations, this automation process saves thousands of hours every year.
Let’s check out 5 long-term benefits of applying Approval Workflow:
1. Fewer Errors
It is impossible to avoid human-made errors, and when it happens, companies spend time and money fixing it. Human error can never be completely eliminated in the workforce, but we can make it more avoidable.
Workflow automation can send requests to group members that require a human response to move the process forward. This can range from a simple accept/reject button, to a detailed comment. These easy tasks reduce the chance for human error.
Instead of forgetting to send that email or attaching an outdated file, you only need to give authorization and the work gets moved forward. Employees can focus on the work they are trained to do, and their automated workflows can handle the repetitive tasks.
2. Save Time and Money
Automation helps businesses avoid employees wasting 22 hours per week on simple tasks. While increasing the efficiency of your company, there are several other added benefits to automation including more accurate data, as well as money saved in labor costs. About 30% of employees say automation software saves their business money. And 44% disclose automation saves them time. Almost a third (33%) of workers admit that automation software enables them to accomplish more with fewer resources. These statistics were unveiled by Zapier’s quarterly Automation Confidence Survey.
With workflow automation handling repetitive tasks, employees save time and employers save money. One of the best examples of time-saving is approval for Purchase Request Orders.
Say you have a purchase request order to approve. If it is a paper approval, it may have to be transferred to the Line Manager, then to Deputy Director to have 2-level approval, and if necessary, the paper needs to send a copy to Administration Office for storage. Otherwise, with workflow automation, you can save hours just by setting up the add-on with Google Forms, your Purchase Request Order will be sent to recipients’ emails for approval, send a copy to other recipients, and all of these processes are recorded in detail in Spreadsheet.
Therefore, this problem has already been solved in an easy way.
3. Increase Productivity
Saving time leads to increased productivity. If you spend less time doing repetitive work, you can use that time elsewhere. In an automated environment, employees have the time, resources, and freedom to focus less on manual tasks and more on strategy, innovation, and tech. This equates to a much higher employee productivity rate.
According to a report by Forrester, employees who used workflow automation saw an 8 to 15 percent increase in productivity. Workflow automation makes it easier to increase productivity, as well as create solutions to the issues they face up with every day.
With Perform Flow, it’s easy for users to build the solutions they want with little or no coding knowledge.
Most employees apply for their jobs because they want to do the work that matters. Creating calendar events and managing long email chains is not the kind of work engineers want to spend time on. Workflow automation lets employees spend time on work they like, and that means better productivity.
4. Easily Scalable
At first, workflow automation can seem daunting. It might be hard to understand what you can do with it, but as you learn the workflow automation software and get more comfortable with it, possibilities open up. Each department has different needs, but all can benefit from workflow automation.
Legal could automate sales contracts, finance could automate Purchase Order Requests and HR could automate employee onboarding. All of these get automated, and over time improved. Once a simple workflow is made, more can be added on as needed. Workflow automation also becomes easier to learn the longer you use it. Over time, it becomes easier to automate repetitive work and focus on other tasks.
Fixing problems becomes easier, too. Previously, if you had a software issue, you would contact IT. If they happen to be busy, then your solution would get delayed. With workflow automation, you build the system so you understand how it works and what to change. This translates to employees who understand the programs they use and are empowered to fix and improve them, all without holding down IT.
5. Compliance Consistency
Workflow automation is inherently more consistent and accurate in production quality. In order to meet market demands these days, product quality has to be better and more consistent than ever before, often the only way to achieve this is with automation. Workflow automation systems can be installed at the end of a manual or automated production process using sensors and vision systems to automatically check products for defects and compliance with specifications. This enables faulty products to be rejected, eliminating defects and costly product recalls.
6. Direction of Long-Term Workflow
In the long-term, advantages commonly attributed to automation include higher production rates and increased productivity, more efficient use of materials, better product quality, improved safety, shorter workweeks for labor, and reduced factory lead times. Despite the claims of high quality from good workmanship by humans, automated systems typically perform the manufacturing process with less variability than human workers, resulting in greater control and consistency of product quality. Also, increased process control creates more efficient use of materials, reducing repetitive tasks, which results in less scrap.
Try PerformFlow for free and see how workflow automation can help you!