Integrated Workflow: The Key to Increased Efficiency and Productivity

Research indicates that an average employee hops more than 1000 times a day in between applications. As a result, you can face lower levels of employee motivation and unpleasant work experiences, eventually leading to the increased risk of costly mundane errors. To avoid this daily grind, you can engage in workflow integration enabling your team to focus more on more important tasks.

Defining Workflow Integration

The process of connecting various business systems typically with their application programming interfaces (APIs) which, as a result, enables the smooth transfer of data between platforms, is known as workflow automation. Once the systems are integrated, the data flows freely between applications and is accessible to the team.

‍Point to notice: Workflow automation and Workflow integration have the slightest difference. Workflow automation helps streamline your business processes across teams, applications, and data, whereas workflow integration solely focuses on connecting your applications.

Benefits of Workflow Integration

Workflow integration holds importance due to the following reasons:

• • Eliminates data silos  

Data Silos can be defined as a repository of data, which is collected and controlled by one department, but the other department does not have access to that specific data. Data silos can thus introduce multiple issues.Information gets varied and creates misalignment among teams. Employees, on the other hand, make decisions across different functions based on the information that is available to them. This results in low output as the employees cannot perform at their best due to missing important information. For efficient working, employees must ask their colleagues for input or switch between applications and fetch it themselves.Workflow integration ensures the elimination of data silos. By connecting applications, data is made accessible to everyone across different teams. Any negative consequences caused by data silos are now removed.

• • It helps you to make the most out of your applications.  

Each application contains meaningful data that can be beneficial if shared across teams. Workflow integration ensures data flow which means that every piece of data is fully visible and easily accessible to all the relevant parties.For instance, your sales representatives might want to dig up a chat. They would spend a larger time looking for it. By connecting applications through integration, one can establish data workflows. Finding data will also not be a problem because of its streamlined flow among all applications.

• • Improves employee experience

When the employees are given less tedious, manual tasks (like data entry, etc.), their motivation level drops. Instead, they are happy in roles that include strategic and more meaningful work. In return, the organization benefits because more engaged workers are more productive, stay with the company longer and produce higher profits. Positive employee behavior also helps the company build a good reputation as well.

• • Strengthens customer relationships  

Resources are required to improve customer experience, whereas inefficient processes waste time. Non-integrated systems result in disparate workflows due to inefficient resource utilization. Integrating workflows ensures the correct availability and utilization of resources, eventually saving time, money and improving customer relationships.

• • Reduces constant delays

Due to unoptimized processes, organizations can face constant bottlenecks that bring down efficiency and increase the time to market. Scattered information creates limits that cause delays in multiple processes. A cohesive unit is formed with integration enabling the free flow of data and efficient operations.

Types of Workflow Integrations

Creating seamless workflows is possible with in-depth knowledge and required research on integrating workflows. Workflow Integrations can be categorized into three types. These are:

1. Native Integration

Native integration takes place when applications provide direct integrations through APIs. They have built-in integrations that are easy to set up and come with the application. Mostly, these built-in integrations do not have an extra cost as well.

2. Custom Integration

Custom integration involves custom-built integrations by a software developer or an engineer. It uses custom codes to connect applications. Code can be written through multiple technologies, so your team can build a network of point-to-point integrations using various languages.

3. Third-Party Integration

Third-party integration refers to connecting a third-party application to your workflows. The application can be connected to your system through APIs.

API Integration Workflow  

API integration is the process of connecting two or more applications, systems, or services to allow data to be exchanged between them. It enables businesses to use different applications in a unified manner and share data, increasing efficiency, saving time, and reducing costs. API Integration workflow is a set of steps that must be followed to integrate two or more applications using APIs. This workflow consists of setting up authentication, defining data structures, mapping endpoints, configuring security policies, and testing the integration. API integration also helps organizations save time and money by reducing the need for manual coding. Using an API-based system, developers can quickly integrate different applications with minimal effort. This helps them focus on other aspects of the project while still getting the desired results from their integrations.

Steps for initiating Workflow Integration  

Below mentioned are the steps that are followed to start integrating workflows in an organization:

• • Identify inefficient and detached workflows.
• • Map out the tools and the people involved.
• • Replace it with either a complete solution (preferably) or native integrations.
• • Optimize the whole process along with automating repetitive tasks.
• • Measure the impact of the improved workflow you created and adjust accordingly.

Automation and Workflow Integration

Workflow automation reduces human dependency on a project. Automating repetitive processes in a workflow increases process efficiency. But integrating various useful systems is necessary for automation to provide the desired results. Workflow automation can be built using integrated processes as a foundation. Integrating all workflows and systems for automation to improve business outcomes is essential. Workflow automation increases operational efficiency while boosting transparency and removing the human element from repeated processes.

Ace your Workflows with Integration  

Are you ready to introduce workflow integration and eliminate your repetitive mundane tasks? If you are still trying to figure out where to start, we are here to help you. Databeys has an expert team of consultants who can help you choose the right solution and assist you in your journey toward integration.