Improve Your Teams' Productivity: Automate Workflows

With or without the complications of pandemic-related worker shortages and hybrid work models, every team faces a mountain of challenges in getting its work done. Projects pile up. Deadlines loom. And in most cases, there are so many planning, execution and approval hoops to jump through that team members spend time slogging through emails and spreadsheets instead of moving on to the next step or the next assignment.

The problem is process friction. The extra hurdles required to move every project forward make the mountain even harder to climb, causing both efficiency and enthusiasm to suffer. Removing these obstacles can help avoid talent burnout while also maximizing employee productivity, margins and ultimately business performance.

That’s where workflow management comes in. Customized for each business and project type, this technology intelligently automates processes ranging from passing work up the chain of command to securing digital approvals. It streamlines collaboration, provides clear communication channels between team members, and helps keep projects on track.

Screendragon has automated workflows for some of the best-known marketers, brands and organizations in the world, and we’ve seen the results firsthand.

Consider the case of a major global sports organization with complex rights management needs. We developed and implemented a workflow that made it possible for the client to meet global, regional, country, category, sport type and a number of other requirements with a single click. Instead of requiring users to work through every criterion individually, the system set up the decision making upfront, saving time as well as frustration for the team.

Another example is the work we did for a global food manufacturer that needed to overhaul an unwieldy brand compliance review process to ensure that company packaging and communications met FDA and FTC regulatory mandates. The resulting workflow management system increased first-round submission approval by more than 60%, trimmed the number of hours committed to compliance approval and administration every week, and reduced onboarding training by up to eight hours per employee. It also slashed legal administrative costs by nearly $1 million and external legal billable hours by 20%.

For the same Fortune 500 company, we also simplified a cumbersome packaging development process requiring employees to navigate12 independent, disconnected workstreams. We integrated all 12 systems into a single automated platform that eliminated overlapping and duplicate processes, reclaiming thousands of wasted hours for the 10,000+ items handled annually. The project also reduced rush jobs by50% the first year and 20% annually for the next five years, saving millions of dollars in overtime and manufacturing. And it helped slash inventory write offs by more than 60%.

Whether it’s compliance management, project management, asset management, content delivery or any other need, workflow automation can remove process friction that can limit the ability of teams to reach their full potential. It’s a strategy that can fast-track projects, lead to better work outcomes, and help create a culture where talent can operate at their full potential. That’s a big return on a single technology investment.