Doing repetitive tasks manually is a bottleneck in productivity for any company. These kinds of tasks take away the creativity and time that could be spent on innovation. However, you may already know that workflow management software solves all these problems and can automate most of your day-to-day tasks.
Identifying the problem and finding what can you use to solve it is just the first step. There are a lot of tools for workflow management and automation. How do you choose the right one for you and how do you know you got the best deal?
Questions like what features to look for in workflow management software or how much you should pay for workflow automation software have the answer in this article.
Our Study on Workflow Management Software
We looked at over 40 Workflow Management Software and analyzed their features, the platforms they support, and their price. By doing this we figured out what are the core features of a workflow automation system, what are the common features, and what features stand out. We also manage to figure out the average price of products.
Using this kind of information you can determine if the price of a product is high or low compared to its alternatives and if its features are worth paying extra or not.
Below you can find an infographic with all the information we got from our study.
Let’s break it down and get into more detail for each type of feature.
What are the core features of Workflow Management Software?
These features are available in every Workflow Automation System that we looked at.
Task Management
These features refer to the possibility of managing tasks. This means creating and assigning tasks to users and tracking their progress and their status.
3rd Party Integrations
The possibility to integrate the Workflow Management System with other tools. This can include things like Google Docs, Microsoft Suite, or webhooks to automate some aspects of your business with other tools that you already use.
The Common Features of Workflow Management Software
The common features are the ones that we found in over 80% of the tools we analyzed. You can think about these as the features that all Workflow Automation tools should have to meet the industry standards.
Workflow Configuration
This refers to the ability to configure a workflow according to your needs. We are not talking about standard templates but customization that match your business necessities.
Documents Management
Any company has to deal with documents. And sometimes the process of handling them and keeping the organized can be difficult without a system in place. This is exactly the problem that Workflow Management Software Solves.
Access Control
You probably don’t want that all of your employees to have access to all the resources inside a company. For example, financial documents should not be available to software developers. In the same way, you might not want your accounting team to be able to access source code. Moreover, you could restrict access to a project’s information only to the team assigned to it.
Workflow Automation
This is the best part. Workflow automation lets you provide flows that can be done automatically. This way, you eliminate the need for someone to do the same thing over and over every day. Especially when all this work can be automated.
Mobile Access
Not all tools have apps for Android or iOS. We considered that Mobile Access should refer if they have at least one app for mobile. However, this kind of feature depends on your needs and if you want to have access to your workflows directly from your phone.
Calendar Management
More like a productivity tool Calendar Management comes in very handy on any Workflow System. For instance, you can add all your meetings and important deadlines to a Calendar. Then you can receive notifications when an event is approaching. This way you’ll stay organized and on top of things.
Custom Dashboard
When building your own custom workflows you need a custom dashboard. This way you can add all the elements you need to it. Then you can easily see all the information and even create quick actions to make all the changes effortless.
Forms Management
As you may already know, a lot of the workflows will involve forms. This is why a form management feature comes in handy. For instance, when you need to find and change a part of some workflow a good forms management system can help you do that with ease.
Extra Features in Workflow Management Software
Most Workflow Management Software is pretty rich in features. We decided to consider extra features the ones that you find in less than 80% of the tools. You might think of them as features that are starting to set apart some tools from others.
Compliance
We live in a world where software generates huge quantities of data. And all this information is valuable for a lot of parties. These features refers to companies that are compliant with rules of tracking customer data and match some of today’s standards
Graphical Editor
When you design your workflows a graphical editor can come in very handy. This way, you can visualize your flows and their structure. Furthermore, you can edit the workflows when you identify bottlenecks or parts you don’t like.
No Code
This feature comes in very handy for people who want to design workflows without writing any code. For instance, you can design your workflows and choose what actions you want to be taken. This can help you simplify a lot of your work without having a lot of technical knowledge.
SSO (Single Sign On)
Single Sign On is available mostly on the plans designed for big companies. In fact, that’s where it’s needed the most. With SSO you can use the same ID to log in to different systems. For example, so you could use a Microsoft or Google account to do that.
Template
Templates are very useful when you get started. For instance, if you don’t know how or where to begin you can use a template to get things moving. This way you’ll be able to create some basic workflows that can still be very useful for your company.
Analytics
After you implement some workflows and some time passes you might want to see some insights. This information could be very valuable as you can identify troublesome areas. Then you can adjust your flows to eliminate them.
Stand Out Features for Workflow Management System
As you might have seen in our study about Landing Page Builders these features are on just a few of the tools. And it seems they are about the same.
AI Tools
AI Tools are still new. In fact, only a couple of tools have AI in their list of features. In this case, AI can help you identify bottlenecks and give you suggestions on how to fix them. Furthermore, they could optimize and automate flows on the fly.
There were 3 tools that we found to include AI features:
On What Platforms you can use Workflow Management Software?
We looked at 4 big platforms: Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. In this case we should note that all tools have Web platforms or cloud services to use them. You can think of the platforms as on what type of device you can use the tool. These are as follows:
- Windows – 77%
- macOS – 66%
- Android – 77%
- iOS – 84%
The Price of Workflow Automation Software
The Average Price
We found that the average price of Workflow Automation Software is $30.88 per month per user. The price might seem a little high when you add it up. However, the benefits and increase in productivity might be well worth the cost.
For example, you can use workflow automation to automate most of the repetitive work that is done manually. Then you can free up your employees, so they can work on more important things and focus on innovation.
We should also note that some tools have a minimum number of users for which they offer a plan.
Tools that have a Free Plan
Only 39% of tools offer a free plan. Most of them however offer a free trial so you can try them out and then decide if you want to pay for them. However, this is a short-term solution. To sum it up, if you want to use workflow tools in your business and don’t want to pay for them, you should go for one of these tools.
Tools with Only Custom Plans
Some platforms don’t have a fixed pricing plan that you can use. In this case, the only way to find out how much it costs you have to contact their sales team. Most of the time they’ll give you a demo. Then according to your needs and the size of your team, they will make you a custom offer.
We have to note, that we did not take these tools into account when we calculated the average price. That is because the prices will vary depending on the needs and size of the team.
Conclusion
At first, Workflow Management Software might seem expensive, but you should keep in mind that this is a solution for the whole company. The benefits you might get from a tool like this might be well worth the cost.
We created this article to help you figure out which features you should expect to be included in a regular workflow management software and which features are worth paying extra. Also, you can figure out if the price is high or low and if it’s worth paying for, by using the average price.
Now, all you have to do is pick the tool that it best fits your needs.
If you want to learn more about Workflow Management Software, these articles might help:
