Workflow software is often used to help businesses scale operations, sales, and service. However, if it’s not implemented properly, it can be catastrophic.
Improper implementation can lead to hundreds of thousands of wasted dollars, hours of time loss, and employee dissatisfaction, all of which workflow software is supposed to fix. Most startups and small businesses use basic tools such as Excel sheets, but as the company grows, it becomes harder to keep track of workflows and communication.
When implemented correctly, workflow software can save employees hours of administrative tasks and more time on high-value activities. It reduces labor costs, minimizes costly errors, improves efficiency, and enhances the customer experience. All of which contributes to your business’s profitability.
Business owners often have a misconception that workflow software replaces work or generates success. However, while it will save employees hours of work in the long run, it requires a time-consuming implementation and ongoing maintenance. Don’t think of it as a product, but rather an organism that needs to be maintained and taken care of over time.
Software can help keep the company organized and scale operations, but you must allocate the necessary time, steps, and processes to ensure it’s implemented correctly.
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When to consider workflow software
Implementing software isn’t something you can just jump into. Whether it’s custom or a project management tool like Monday.com, it’s expensive, time-consuming, and can make matters worse rather than better. This is partially because people don’t implement software at the right time.
One of the main signals that your company is ready for workflow software is when employees’ inboxes are full of poorly timed, irrelevant emails. If they have emails about events missed or tasks requested but not completed, this can be an indicator that the current workflow isn’t working.
Similarly, if you’re constantly apologizing to clients for missing things, it is a telltale sign you need to change your workflow.
You should also consider new software if your employee count is growing. If only a few people are involved in a business, it can be reasonably easy to manage with some basic tools. However, if several employees communicate without workflow software, it can turn into a mess. If communication isn’t managed between employees, things can get complicated.
Consider the difference between custom and off-the-shelf software. With custom software, the investment is greater. It can be tailored to your business’s unique needs. However, if your business is straightforward or you don’t have the time to put into incorporating software, consider a more general option.
Ask yourself, if your adaptability drives your profit in a way that off-the-shelf software can’t handle? If the answer is yes, you need to invest in custom software.
How to implement it
You need to be willing to put in a lot of time. People often think they can just hire a software developer or invest in a platform, but it takes more work than that. This software is supposed to save your employees thousands of hours of work. You need to put in time to make sure that it’s done correctly.
Before you even think about choosing a software, it’s pivotal that you have long conversations with every single one of your employees. Software is often integrated in ways that don’t match the company’s workflow.
The last thing you want is for the software to go live only for an HR employee to panic because the feature that lets her copy and paste has become a multi-hour task. Before deciding on software, ask how much time it takes her to copy and paste. What may seem like a waste of time to you can be simplified and only take her a couple of minutes.
After discussing with employees, map out the software you want to buy. Once you have an idea, run it by your employees to make sure it’ll be helpful.
Make sure the software you buy is as simple as possible. Keeping it simple will allow your employees to manage change as you scale more efficiently.
Change management is essential. Without it, it will deteriorate. People will just start adding fields for this and that, causing the software to become clustered. Keeping the software clean as organizational changes occur can easily take you from 50 to 500 employees.
Keep a cohesive process in place. For example, if you’re taking orders as a catering company, use the same process for every customer. Also, make sure you remove all unused data. Keeping it clean, simple, and organized will make it easier to manage as change occurs in your organization.
Once you decide on a software, make sure you have one person responsible for reviewing it. They don’t necessarily have to do everything, but they need to keep an eye on it as the central owner. They should collect all data and keep things organized.
Implementing custom software takes a lot of time, but communicating with your employees, keeping it simple, and having the right systems in place is bound to make it worth it.
Author: Alex Radulovic is the founder of PurpleOwl in Scottsdale. They specialize in building custom software for small and medium-sized businesses. Purple Owl has been helping business owners from across the country build software for nearly a decade.
