Document processing pipelines contain many manual and repetitive tasks that are error-prone and should be assigned to an automated tool rather than a human workforce. From such productive and efficient concepts, many document workflow automation tools emerged in the market. However, you can not just choose any of them. Join us as we review the airSlate workflow automation software to determine if the tool is truly beneficial for your business.
What Is Workflow Automation?
Workflow automation is the process of designing, executing, and automating a business process based on some internal workflow rules. Mostly, businesses that deal with a lot of contracts, documents, files, media, and content, use workflow automation to route tasks, files, and documents between people and machines depending on preset business criteria. In the present day, there is an online workspace tool where all the team members log in for their tasks. Managers can review yesterday’s documents and send them further down the pipeline for approval or send them back to the author for edits.
Why Do Businesses Really Need Workflow Automation?
Avoiding Human Errors
Human beings tend to make mistakes when they need to deliver repetitive tasks. And in computing, repetitive tasks are the best scenarios for automation. Hence, you need to automate your document processing workflow to avoid mistakes.
Content Accuracy
Your business document’s content will be more accurate and professional when you use machines and templates to initiate and complete a document processing life cycle.
Document Consistency
You can also avoid multiple quotes of different values being sent to the clients when you employ an automated system for contract management.
Business Branding
Businesses make an impact on their clients by using unique branding assets. When you use automated software to create every business document, you do not need to worry about appropriate branding on each file.
Operational Productivity
Your business can produce hundreds of contracts, content, and document, and send them for approvals, eSigning, and more in a matter of seconds. Thus, if you are processing critical business documents in high volume, you need document workflow automation software now.
Process Efficiency
The content pipeline of your business operations becomes highly efficient when you can balance the quantity and quality of documents using an automated system.
Scalability
If your business handles an increased volume of documents seasonally, then you must use a workflow automation tool to scale up. No need to go through the pain of hiring a temporary workforce.
What Is airSlate?
airSlate is an all-in-one cloud app that can handle every step of your document workflow process from flow creation to process analytics. Also, it is a no-code tool. You do not need to hire a coding specialist to manage and troubleshoot the tool. Not to mention, you will also not need to allocate training sessions to your employees to learn coding. It comes with many integration bots and no-code automation templates. If you can utilize the app to its full capabilities, you can cut down the manual workforce in your document processing department by half. Hence, you can free up more employees and re-assign them to sales and marketing that brings in revenue. Furthermore, the tool is completely cloud compatible. It means you do not need to host any data or software on the business premise. Also, you can connect airSlate with other cloud apps that your business use, like NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, and Microsoft Power Automate. Moreover, airSlate comes with a vast library consisting of tens of thousands of document automation templates for most industries. Hence, even if you do not have any automation experts, you can still use automated workflows on airSlate by just using the templates.
The Major Products of airSlate
airSlate ships with all the tools you need in full-service document automation software. Here are the products of this cloud app that you must use regularly:
#1. Flow Creator
The Flow Creator enables you to produce a visual representation of document workflow in a drag-and-drop user interface (UI). Also, it can automate live conditional routing and step assignments to build and launch various streamlined workflows in minutes.
#2. eSignature
You can quickly set up legally binding eSignatures for digital forms, surveys, documents, and content in a matter of seconds. There are 100+ no-code bots at your disposal for step assignment, automation, integration with CRMs, and notifications.
#3. Robotic Process Automation
airSlate bots facilitate robotic process automation and you do not need to write a single line of code. These bots can handle most of the document processing workflow tasks like document creation, routing, sending for approvals, gathering eSigns, sending notifications, and performing data analytics.
#4. Contract Negotiation
It enables you to create contracts of different formats and regulatory requirements automatically. You can also pre-fill the contract document with internal business data from on-site servers, cloud apps, spreadsheets, CRMs, and SQL databases. The module routes contracts through your clients, lets you make amendments in a single click, and finally sign a deal without waiting weeks.
#5. Document Generation
This airSlate product enables you to create forms, contracts, agreements, reports, etc., almost instantly. Also, some bots can fill up the documents with your business data and branding assets.
#6. Online Surveys
You can use the Online Surveys tool to create polls, questionnaires, quizzes, public surveys, beta app testing forms, etc. Moreover, you can integrate various cloud-based CRMs, ERPs, knowledge bases, etc., to share data between the surveys and the machine.
#7. Web Forms
The Web Forms help you capture live feedback and data from employees or clients. These online forms are responsive and open effortlessly on computers, tablets, and mobiles.
#8. Payments
It empowers you to automate the payments system by integrating the payments platform on invoices, contracts, agreements, and accounting workflows.
#9. Process Analytics
The Analytics module provides you with the key tools you need to perform workflow audits, create business reports, and analyze the workflow to make it more productive.
#10. PDF Editing
The PDF Editor enables you, your team, and your clients to perform all the basic and advanced PDF modification tasks. These are content editing, signature replacing, highlighting, annotating, adding images, and redacting documents.
#11. Workflow Automation Software
It enables you to install steps in an automated workflow, facilitate conditional routing, automate repetitive tasks, and integrate data with CRMs.
#12. Contract Management
The Contract Management tool is for managing your procurement and sales processes. It lets you produce orders, quotes, contracts, and invoices. Also, you can receive payments and monitor contract processing on the same tool.
airSlate as a Workflow Automation
airSlate is essentially a document workflow automation tool. You can create many document workflows using this tool and automate the processes using bots. Additionally, you can assign a few employees within the workflows to oversee the entire operation. It lets you build the followings:
Actionable business document templates for future needsStreamline integrations, notifications, and routine automationA built in-in eSignature tool for document approval processes
That is not all! You can collaborate with external and internal parties for document production. Once the content, file, and documents are ready, share those effortlessly via QR codes, SMS, etc. Benefits of airSlate Workflow Automation Software
It comes with all kinds of basic and advanced workflows.You can also create custom workflows for highly rare business cases. Most workflows that established industries need are already present in the airSlate templates library. You can perform conditional routing without writing any codes.The workflow automation app saves your document at every step. Hence, you can easily retrieve a previous version without jumping through hoops
Features of airSlate Workflow Automation Software
Basic workflows for small and medium businessesAdvanced workflows for startups and enterprisesCode-less conditional routingCustomized workflowsCustomized bots developmentContent version control at every phase of its life cycleRecipient roles in contracts, documents, forms, etc.Embedded workflowsMulti-cloud workflow automation and data syncingAssign tasks onlineeSignature
How Does the airSlate Workflow Automation Work?
Essentially, it just replicates all the manual and repetitive tasks you do in a document processing project. Once you create a workflow or reuse a workflow template from its library, the tool creates a document upon receiving a trigger signal. Then, it fills up the document, for example, a business quote, with business data from your cloud apps or servers. The tool routes this draft to the next sales, marketing, or negotiation manager for approval. Once approved, the quote either goes to the mailbox of a sales rep or directly to the customer’s inbox. In each step of this process, the tool saves a version of the quote. Hence, if you need to review a quote, you do not need to start from scratch.
How to Use the airSlate?
Sign up for a free account using Google Facebook, or Apple account.Once you see the airSlate Dashboard, click on Create new flow.On the Add documents and forms screen, you can create a custom Flow via Import documents and Upload documents.If you want to create a new Flow from an existing process choose any of the 9 options in the Create section.Once you have uploaded a document, you can now select Workflows and Bots for automation.In Workflows, you can insert an autostart trigger from the Add autostart option.These could be from SharePoint, Google Sheets Update, Scheduled start, etc.Now, you can add a new Step to assign a recipient in the workflow.When you need to approve a document from multiple managers, you can add a new Branch and then add new Steps.Now, start adding some bots for automation tasks like prefilling SharePoint files, exporting to PostgreSQL, saving to Dropbox, etc. Click Continue to send the Flow to the recipients that you have added in the Workflow section.
Applications of airSlate Workflow
You need airSlate if your business operates in any of the following industries:
Education: Course applications, student aid applications, program change requests, etc.Governments: Grievance recording, grievance redressal, citizen inquiries, issuing certificates, etc.Insurance: Applying for policies, processing claims, reviewing contracts, etc.Healthcare: Patient registration on the Enterprise Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) system, medical records processing, etc.
This is not a complete list of industries. There are more like construction, staffing, IT services, consulting, banking, financial services, legal, travel, eCommerce, etc.
Pricing of airSlate
Our review of several workflow automation software pricing plans suggests that airSlate is, by far, the most cost-effective workflow automation tool you can get. First off, an almost full version is available for you and your team for free for 30 days. After this evaluation period, if you like the product, you can either get the Basic ($36 Flow Creator/month) or Business Cloud ($50 Flow Creator/month) subscription. You can save more if you get an annual subscription plan. We recommend the Business Cloud subscription since it gives you unlimited access to all the features, products, bots, and integrations.
airSlate Alternatives
Reviewing an online business app for critical revenue operations stays incomplete if you do not compare it with a few similar apps. Hence, take a look at the following airSlate alternatives and find out how robust airSlate is when compared with its competitors:
Avokaado
Avokaado is a contract life cycle management tool along with a few document workflow automation features. It gives your team a shared workspace for all-things documents. Hence, collaboration, approvals, and eSigning of documents become easier than ever. It offers a free usage plan but that is not effective for businesses.
Document360
Document360 is a self-service knowledge base platform with some document workflow automation features. You can build a robust internal or external knowledge base with this tool to aid your customer service reps. Furthermore, you can automate some parts of the knowledge base management process using third-party integrations. You can get the tool for free for up to 5 teams for knowledge-base purposes but you will still need airSlate for blanket automation.
Final Words
So far, you have gone through the basics of workflow automation and its requirement in your business. You have also learned in detail about the airSlate workflow automation software for your content or document-based business operations. Our review verdict suggests that the airSlate tool is a full-service document workflow automation software for any small, medium, startup, or large business. It also has the needed modules and high workload capabilities for enterprise-level businesses. You may also be interested in the best workflow automation and integration platforms for business or personal use.
