Centralized Workflow Management: Moving Outside the Accounting Department

One of the greatest advantages of modern technology has been the ability to centralize, standardize and optimize business processes across a wide range of departments and functions throughout a given organization. Business process optimization is not necessarily a new concept, but it is one that has been made far more powerful and feasible for a larger diversity of companies in the past few years.

In terms of workflow management, many companies have already streamlined their processes and protocols within the accounting department using modern tools, especially with respect to accounts payable and receivable. The benefits of doing so are vast, including enhanced transparency, quicker audits, easier access to necessary files and more preferable invoice approval and processing capabilities.

However, there is no reason to stop in the accounting department, as workflows can be streamlined, unified and integrated across the business to ensure that all operations and personnel are working in concert toward common goals. The departments that have the most data management demands will often be best-suited to a workflow overhaul, so today’s marketing is a great place to start.

Improving the advertising department

MarketingProfs recently published a blog post from contributor Leslie Weller who argued that workflow and digital asset management software are becoming increasingly critical centerpieces of the modern marketing department, and that leaders in these areas of the company will benefit most. For one, the author pointed out that an overhaul of workflow management protocols can reduce the amount of “bottlenecks” that take place and disrupt the ebb and flow of operations therein.

The concepts behind optimizing workflow management in the marketing department are similar to those behind the push for overhauls in accounting. Everything is going digital, meaning that the types of assets each area of the business is tasked with handling are no longer paper-based. As such, solutions need to be implemented that not only help companies to keep an eye on those assets and get the most value from them, but also keep them moving fluidly throughout the necessary departments at all times.

According to Weller, compliance threats such as those related to intellectual property and copyright law can also be mitigated when better digital asset management and workflow solutions are in place. She noted that team members will tend to be more in unison on a daily basis when workflows are centralized and optimized.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Weller pointed to integration as a must, and not just within the marketing department. Rather, the author stated that workflow management systems in this department should be integrated with enterprise resource planning tools, e-commerce software, collaboration and much more, to get the full value out of modern technology.

Where to begin

Again, many organizations have gone paperless in the past few years, and implemented more advanced workflow management tools in their accounting departments. This is a great start, as the accounting department tends to deal with some of the more sensitive information and heavier volume of files, for that matter.

So, the next step will be to establish which tools will be best-suited to each department, constantly working to ensure that the ones chosen are capable of being integrated with any standing workflow solutions already in place. Always consider working with an a service provider to navigate the search and eventual implementation.

To learn how PairSoft can help your business capture, integrate and automate your business processes, feel free to watch our personalized demonstration or visit our case studies page to read about our clients’ success stories.