One way leaders can spend more time working on their business rather than in their business is by automating repetitive tasks. Manual work negatively impacts productivity and frequently leads to errors. Technology can easily automate mundane tasks, freeing time to focus on product/service enhancements, customer engagement, resource optimization, etc.
Implementing software to automate operational workflows no longer has to be a bureaucratic and expensive undertaking. In addition, graphical user interfaces, cloud capabilities, and multiple platform compatibilities make business applications more accessible and comfortable for users.
There’s virtually an app that will accomplish just about any task we can imagine these days. And, if an app only partially fulfills our requirements, other options exist.
No-code and low-code application development platforms are tools experienced and citizen developers have at their disposal to automate processes quickly and efficiently. They can develop custom software to perform entire workflows or integrate systems to extend existing third-party applications.
Software can effortlessly manage various business operations, including employee scheduling, inventory maintenance, and asset tracking. Automating administrative tasks is a good starting point for digital transformation because it’s generally manageable and measurable. And, once you experience the power of digitalization, you’ll want to leverage technology to improve productivity and reduce costs by streamlining complex workflows and expanding reporting capabilities.
Technology Tools
We use FileMaker, a low-code application development platform, to help small and medium businesses, as well as teams in large organizations, streamline their workflows. Generally, it’s the administrative and repeatable tasks that slow down production. However, when we digitize or automate those functions, productivity improves significantly. And the emergence of cutting-edge technology tools enhances the capabilities of custom applications.
For example, we worked with a small business to automate an essential but tedious part of its operational process. This company places recruitment advertisements across various online employment media outlets and relevant trade properties. One key component of the job posting is categorizing it appropriately so that the placements are as targeted as possible. The job functions can range from janitorial staff to professors and deans, so the posts must be matched appropriately to the outlets.
Our team used FileMaker and Python, a high-level programming language, to develop an application that automates the categorization process. Our developers leveraged machine learning to “teach” the application to parse and categorize job descriptions. Humans only have to intervene when the system cannot figure out how to categorize a particular post due to unique or specialized words. However, it continues to “train” as users manually categorize posts, so it will eventually learn and adjust.
This system saves the company a lot of time and money in terms of resources. In addition, the technology’s accuracy makes it reliable and an indispensable part of the operation. Ultimately, this small business can service its clients effectively and efficiently and legitimately compete with Fortune 500 recruitment companies.
We’ve been developing custom software for almost 40 years. Learn more about the benefits of custom software through these use cases. And our customer success storiesf are testaments to our abilities and the efficacy of custom software.
And feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help you improve your productivity.
