Workflow Automation Software Guide With 10 Best Software Solutions for 2024

Studies show that employees spend up to 40% of their time on tasks that could be automated, leading to decreased productivity and burnout. However, there’s a solution to that problem that can significantly improve their productivity. Thanks to workflow automation, businesses can reduce repetitive tasks by 60-95% and improve the business process by up to 60% (Gitnux market data report 2024).

In 2024, the demand for workflow automation solutions increases. Businesses can see the tremendous benefits of workflow automation and are looking for the best solutions to their needs. Our guide presents the top 10 software solutions tailored to streamline operations, from task management to document processing.

What Is Workflow Automation?

Workflow automation is the process of automating repetitive tasks and processes to improve efficiency, productivity, and accuracy within an organization. By setting up rules and logic, businesses can establish a series of tasks that run on their own and don’t require too much human intervention to ensure a seamless flow of tasks, information, and documents.

Thanks to workflow automation, organizations can achieve greater efficiency, accuracy, and agility in executing their operations. Here's how workflow automation improves key business processes:

• streamlining approval processes
• improving task management
• optimizing document management
• enhancing customer service
• enhancing cross-departmental collaboration

Workflow automation empowers organizations to optimize their business processes, reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and drive operational excellence.

What is Workflow Automation Software?

Workflow automation software is a digital tool designed to facilitate and streamline the automation of various tasks and processes. These software solutions typically offer a range of features and functionalities to help businesses automate routine tasks, manage complex workflows, and track progress in real-time.

Workflow automation software usually provides pre-built workflow templates for popular tasks and industries that businesses can use to accelerate the design of their workflow creation. It’s usually also possible to create custom templates for less common processes that businesses can tailor to their unique requirements.

Workflow automation software often includes features such as:

• workflow design and configuration
• task automation
• integration with other systems
• notifications and alerts
• reporting and analytics
• compliance and security

By automating repetitive tasks such as data entry, workflow management, and email notifications, organizations can free up valuable time and resources, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and value-added activities.

How Does Workflow Automation Work?

Creating a workflow automation involves a few key stages, that may differ depending on the software and complexity of a process. It usually consists of a series of if/then statements that are used to automatically trigger certain tasks in a pre-determined order and at a certain time.

Here's an overview of how typical workflow automation works:

Process mapping and design

The first step in workflow automation involves mapping out the process. Using designated software, organizations visually design workflows by breaking down the process into small steps, defining the sequence of tasks, and identifying the inputs, outputs, and dependencies for each step.

Once the entire process is mapped and it’s clear which steps should be involved in it, businesses can design the process in their workflow automation tool. Typically, it involves using pre-built templates for standard processes or using drag-and-drop functionality to create custom workflows from ready-made components.

Some of the advanced workflow automation softwares are equipped with an AI-assisted workflow designer that can suggest the next best move based on historical data, or templates in its database. A perfect example is Creatio’s Copilot - a seamless part of the Creatio Platform that uses GenAI assistance to help businesses improve their workflows and efficiency.

Triggering events

Workflow automation software relies on trigger events to initiate workflows. These trigger events can be predefined actions, such as form submissions, email notifications, database updates, or scheduled tasks. When a trigger event occurs, the workflow automation software automatically executes the associated workflow according to the predefined rules and conditions.

For example, if a user fills in a form on the website, the workflow is triggered to start the sequence of related tasks such as automatically updating the CRM with the new lead information, sending a confirmation email to the user, notifying the sales team to follow up, and scheduling a demo or consultation based on the user's preferences.

Typically, workflows include multiple steps and triggers based on the if/then rule that determines when and how each task is supposed to be performed.

Task assignment and routing

Once a workflow is triggered, the workflow automation software assigns tasks to the appropriate individuals or groups based on predefined rules and roles. Tasks are routed dynamically through the workflow, moving from one stage to the next based on preset conditions.

This ensures that tasks are directed to the right people at the right time, minimizing delays and bottlenecks.

Automating actions and decisions

Workflow automation software automates repetitive tasks and decision-making processes within the workflow. It can perform actions such as data entry, data validation, document generation, email notifications, and more, with almost no manual intervention.

Integration with existing systems

Workflow automation software usually integrates with other business systems and applications, such as CRM, ERP, HRIS, and document management systems. Integration enables data exchange and cooperation between systems, allowing for seamless workflow orchestration across the organization.

Real-time monitoring and reporting

Workflow automation software provides real-time visibility into the status and progress of workflows. Users can monitor the workflow dashboard to track the completion status of tasks, identify bottlenecks, and analyze performance metrics.

Advanced reporting and analytics features enable businesses to gain insights into workflow efficiency, identify areas for optimization, and make data-driven decisions to continuously improve their processes.

Workflow automation example

Workflow automation empowers businesses to automate repetitive tasks, streamline processes, and ensure seamless team collaboration. From invoice processing to customer support ticketing and content approval workflows, automation streamlines businesses processes.

Here are a few examples of workflow automations that businesses can implement to improve their processes and productivity:

• Automated data entry - Workflow automation software can transfer data from one system to another, reducing manual labor and minimizing errors. When a customer fills in a web form, the software can automatically extract the information and fill in relevant fields in the database.
• Order fulfillment - Workflow automation can streamline order fulfillment processes by automating tasks such as order processing, inventory management, and shipping logistics. For example, when an order is placed, the automation software can trigger alerts to relevant departments, update inventory levels, generate packing slips, and schedule shipments - all without manual intervention.
• Invoice processing - Workflow automation software can automatically capture invoice data, route invoices for approval, and update accounting systems upon approval.
• Customer support ticketing - Customer support tickets can be automatically sorted and assigned to the appropriate agents based on skillset or workload.
• Sales lead management - Workflow automation can facilitate sales lead management by automatically assigning leads to sales representatives, tracking follow-up tasks, and sending notifications for timely engagement.
• Automated email campaigns - When a user downloads a resource from a website, workflow automation can seamlessly subscribe to a pre-defined drip email campaign and send additional content or offers automatically to nurture the lead.

10 Best Workflow Automation Software

There are many workflows automation software available on the market. Each offers unique features and capabilities tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses across industries. To help you navigate the landscape and find the right solution for your organization, we've curated a list of the top 10 workflow automation software solutions for 2024.

1. Creatio

Studio Creatio is a no-code platform that offers a comprehensive workflow automation solution focusing on process management and CRM. Its intuitive interface and no-code composable architecture allow users to design, automate, and optimize business processes seamlessly. With drag-and-drop functionality and hundreds of pre-made customizable templates, users can build workflows of any complexity without extensive or even no programming knowledge.

Creatio offers a robust CRM integration that helps users create end-to-end workflow automation to streamline a wide range of business processes in sales, marketing, and service departments. It also provides ready-to-use workflow templates tailored to industry-specific requirements, advanced monitoring and analytics tools, and a powerful AI assistant.

OTP Bank used Creatio to launch a comprehensive solution to manage customer engagement, streamline interactions, and automate lending workflows - find out how!

Creatio expands its capabilities thanks to a marketplace with over 700 third-party apps and seamless integration that allows businesses to connect the platform to the existing ecosystem. With powerful security and governance control features, Creatio ensures compliance with the highest industry and security standards.

Studio Creatio is designed to scale seamlessly and accommodate business growing needs as they expand their operations. Whether it's handling small-scale workflows, or managing enterprise-level business processes, Creatio ensures that everything goes smoothly.

Pricing starts at $25 per user per month.

Enhance your operations with Creatio's advanced workflow automation solution

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2. Monday

Monday.com is a comprehensive work management platform highly effective in automating business processes. It offers a visual workflow builder that allows teams to create and automate workflows tailored to their specific needs. One notable feature is its no-code workflow builder with an extensive library of over 200 ready-to-use templates and more than 30 drag-and-drop column types. It helps users customize workflows for various use cases, from project management to marketing campaigns, without writing a single line of code.

Monday.com offers a user-friendly interface, integration with over 200 popular third-party apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Gmail, automated notifications, and real-time collaboration features.

However, the initial setup and onboarding process might be time-consuming. Additionally, according to users, some of the reporting features are difficult to customize and tailor to the business needs.

Pricing starts at €9 per user per month for the Basic plan. Monday.com also offers a 14-day free trial and a free plan with limited capabilities.

3. Hive

Hive Automate is a project management and collaboration platform that excels in streamlining team workflows. Its intuitive interface and customizable project views make it easy for teams to automate and manage tasks, communicate effectively, and track progress in real-time.

Seamless collaboration within Hive is easy thanks to its features like in-app email, in-app chat, and customized project access. Thanks to automatic task documentation, all open tasks can be handed off to another team member without losing track of what needs to be done. Furthermore, users can customize their Hive perspectives tailoring the view of the tasks and projects to their preferences.

One standout feature is its AI-powered analytics, which provides valuable insights to optimize workflow efficiency. Hive Automate provides users with Gantt and Kanban views, which makes project tracking easy, and time management tools that help increase team productivity.

However, Hive is not without its flaws. According to users, task cards cannot include files or graphics, which makes it challenging to use for teams that rely on different media related to particular tasks. There’s also no way to specify the task progress in percentage, so checking the task status is more time-consuming. Hive is also not the best solution for larger organizations and those with complex workflows as it has a limitation of 500 automations that cannot be changed, even after upgrading to more expensive pricing models.

Pricing starts at $12 per user per month.

4. Miro

Miro is a visual collaboration platform that enables teams to brainstorm, plan, and collaborate in real time on an online whiteboard. Its extensive library of pre-built templates and frameworks with more than 1,000 solutions that include Gantt charts, research boards, mind maps, and flow charts, makes it ideal for facilitating remote workshops and design thinking sessions. It also provides a toolkit for different workflows including product development and management, research, engineering, design, sales, marketing, strategy, and planning.

Miro provides integration with over 130 popular apps, including design tools like Sketch and Figma, allowing for seamless collaboration between designers and stakeholders. Miro also offers robust security features included in the Miro Trust Center that provide enterprise-grade security, compliance with industry standards, and governance controls.

Miro users report that although it is possible to create custom templates, it’s not possible to save the created templates for reuse. Also, navigating the platform with many interconnected projects can be challenging, and managing access for stakeholders outside the team is difficult. According to Miro users, pricing is one of the deciding factors against this solution. Smaller organizations may find the pricing plans too expensive, especially with many paid tools that increase the costs.

Pricing starts at $8 per member per month. Miro also offers a free model with limited capabilities

5. HubSpot

HubSpot is a leading CRM platform that offers a comprehensive suite of marketing, sales, and customer service tools, including workflow automation capabilities. Its visual workflow editor allows users to create automated workflows for lead nurturing, email marketing, and customer support, making it an all-in-one workflow automation solution. It helps businesses easily hand over leads from marketing to sales and connect a service ticket with the right contact record from the customer base.

HubSpot CRM integration enables seamless data synchronization and personalized customer interactions. It offers a user-friendly interface, integration options with over 50 different workflows available in the HubSpot App Marketplace, and powerful analytics tools. However, some users may find the pricing plans expensive, especially for businesses with growing needs. Enterprises with complex processes might find that HubSpot can’t answer all their needs and that using advanced marketing features requires extensive training and specialized knowledge.

Pricing starts at $15 per user per month for a Starter package suitable for individuals and smaller businesses.

6. ClickUp

ClickUp is a no-code project management platform known for its versatility and customization options. It offers a wide range of features, including workflow management tools, task management, time tracking, and goal setting, all within a single intuitive interface.

ClickUp Automations allows users to benefit from a library of over 100 pre-made automation workflows and create custom workflows from over 50 different actions to automate repetitive tasks and streamline processes. With robust automation capabilities users can automatically assign tasks, change assignees and priorities, post comments, move statuses, and more.

ClickUp offers customizable dashboards, extensive integration options with more than 1000 third-party applications, and a generous free tier for small teams. However, some users may find the learning curve steep, particularly when configuring complex workflows. Businesses looking for templates and automations tailored to their industry needs might find ClickUp not suitable for their requirements.

Pricing starts at $7 per user per month for an Unlimited package.

7. Nintex

Nintex is a workflow automation software designed to streamline, manage, and automate business processes across departments. Its drag-and-drop workflow designer allows users to create automated workflows without coding. Nintex offers plenty of workflow automation tools, including process mapping, which enables users to visualize and optimize complex workflows easily. It helps businesses automate complex business processes with integrated components for forms and robotic process automation, document generation, and e-signature.

The Nintex platform offers a user-friendly workflow design that seamlessly integrates with popular business applications, robust analytics tools, and advanced workflow automation features. It also provides Automation Cloud Services which allows users to use data-driven insights to optimize their processes.

Customization options offered by Nintex are quite limited since the platform offers a system-defined user experience only. Users must depend on third-party data storage applications as the Nintex platform doesn't store data. Also, users reported a big learning curve requiring intensive training and that the platform is not user-friendly for non-IT professionals.

Pricing starts at $25,000 per year.

8. Kissflow

Kissflow is a cloud-based workflow automation and business process management (BPM) software that empowers businesses to automate repetitive tasks and streamline processes with ease. Its intuitive interface and customizable templates make it easy for users to create and deploy rule-based workflows that automate tasks in sales, marketing, finance, administration, HR, and purchase departments, without coding knowledge.

Thanks to over 50 ready-to-use business process management apps, such as personalized dashboards and reports, expensing and sales orders, conditions, and triggers, it’s easy to streamline almost all business processes with Kissflow. One notable feature is its process tracking and reporting capabilities, which provide real-time insights into workflow performance, help identify bottlenecks, and optimize workflows.

Kissflow offers a user-friendly interface, extensive integration options, and flexible pricing plans. However, some users may find the customization options limited compared to other platforms, and a steep learning curve that causes benefiting from all the Kissflow capabilities challenging. Users also report that the pricing model is not suitable for scaling or small businesses.

Pricing starts at $1,500/month.

9. Zapier

Zapier is a popular workflow automation tool that connects over 6000 apps through its zero-code solution to automate tasks and workflows across different platforms. Its simple interface and extensive library of pre-built integrations make it easy for users to create automated workflows, known as "Zaps," without writing any code.

Zapier offers multi-step workflows, which enable users to create complex custom workflows involving multiple actions and triggers. Zapier supports businesses in streamlining processes, boosting productivity, and improving efficiency with its easy setup process and a generous free plan for basic usage.

Although Zapier is quite user-friendly, creating multi-step process automations might be challenging, especially for inexperienced users. It also requires testing and troubleshooting to ensure the workflow works seamlessly, which requires spending more time on fine-tuning and refining. Even with these precocious, users have reported that workflows might unexpectedly stop working without any apparent reason.

Pricing starts at $19.99 per month and depends on the features and the number of required tasks.

10. Integrify

Integrify is a workflow automation platform that enables businesses to streamline and automate their internal processes. Its visual workflow builder and customizable templates make it easy for users to create and deploy automated workflows across departments and run parallel or sequential flows. Integrify provides an intuitive form builder, which allows users to create custom forms, with a drag-and-drop functionality to collect data and trigger workflow actions.

Thanks to low-code functionality, users can easily automate manual tasks, collaborate, set up reminders, create approval processes, and test the processes to streamline business processes and improve productivity. Integrify also offers a robust reporting tool that provides performance insights and granular permission controls. With its open API, businesses can easily integrate with other systems such as ERP, CRM, and more, to ensure smooth data flow between different tools.

Customizing the Integrify UI requires some coding knowledge, so it’s not the best solution for non-technical users with no coding skills. Users also reported that the platform doesn’t scale well with increasingly complex processes and workflow, which might be problematic for larger and growing businesses.

Pricing is available upon request.

Workflow Automation Will Boost Your Business

Integrating workflow automation into your business processes offers plenty of benefits that can significantly boost efficiency, productivity, and profitability. By automating repetitive tasks, streamlining complex workflows, and ensuring seamless collaboration across teams, workflow automation empowers organizations to operate more effectively in today's fast-paced digital landscape.

With the right workflow automation software, businesses can achieve greater agility, improve decision-making, and enhance customer satisfaction. Whether it's streamlining order fulfillment, automating marketing campaigns, or optimizing HR processes, workflow automation provides the tools and capabilities needed to improve operational efficiency and achieve business goals. Embracing automation isn’t just about staying competitive - it’s about making sure your business can grow in the future.