For many years one of the biggest buzzwords in business has been workflow. But what is the workflow exactly? Workflow is a series of processes and tasks that make the business move. The sales team sells a product, the finance team sends the bill, etc. So, this process is how the business operates. Workflow is also an extension of how documents circulate through the various gears of a business. These gears can slow and that can create problems for the business, the employees, and even potential customers. One of the ways we can prevent this from happening is by having the correct documentation.
Documentation can help grease the gears of business by making things easier, removing obstacles, and creating an environment for the organization. There are many ways to do this with proper documentation. You can achieve this through a set of best practices but in the practical sense, you will need some type of standardized document type. For most businesses, this means working with PDFs since they are the best document when it comes to being able to be used on many different types of devices and OS. But to work with PDFs you will want to have a PDF editor of some type. With the correct applications and document types, you will not only have a steady and efficient workflow, but your employees will even be able to make things go faster
Proper Document Workflows Provide Quick Access to Information
If you are using a PDF editor such as Lumin PDF you will be able to access information via Google Drive very quickly. This is an example of how a standardized workflow process can make document access quicker. Why is this important? The speed at which your employees can access documents determines how fast all other tasks go. Remember a process is only as fast as its slowest part. This means having an effective and standard way to work with PDFs or whichever document type you are using a paramount objective.
Reduce Time Spent on Low-Value Tasks
Not all tasks are as important as others such as making copies of document types or merging some documents together such as two types of identification files that might be redundant otherwise. This can be done using the various tools that come with an online PDF editor. For example, if you need to merge some documents as part of a package in your workflow, using the merge PDF tool can help with this. Additionally, many of these tasks can even be automated. By automating tasks your workflow can go even faster and thus increase productivity. By eliminating or reducing the time it takes to do some mundane tasks, we can spend more time focusing on those more time-consuming tasks.
Identify Inefficiencies
One of the benefits of having a sound documentation system such as a PDF editor and appropriate filing system is that it shows inefficiencies. You can begin to see what takes more time, which processes can be fine-tuned, where you should spend less time, and where you should consider spending more time or using more personnel. For example one of your PDFs could take a long time to fill out, so it might be worth considering automating that part of the process if possible. Otherwise, a small procedure could disrupt the workflow of your entire operation.
Speed up Response to Customer Requests
Another important part of a workflow that has not been discussed in detail yet but is very important is the requests that come from customers. When working in a b2c or b2b industry, customer relations is how companies establish long-term clients and repeat customers which are the lifeblood of a company. One of the ways we can work with customers is by listening to them. When a company receives a complaint or a suggestion, it would be foolish to ignore it so there must be some type of workflow system in place to get this information to the right people. By paying attention to best practices and having a system in place, you can learn more about your consumer and how you can improve their experience. An example of this would be a complaint coming in, the customer support rep converts the file to a PDF and sends the PDF to the sales team, the sales team consults the producer and resolves the problem, and eliminates future issues. This is just one way a company can use workflow to manage clients.
Proper Document Workflows with Lumin PDF
To manage PDFs better and increase the productivity of workflow, it is necessary to have an online PDF editor that can be trusted to accomplish a wide range of tasks. Lumin PDF is an affordable PDF editor that comes with many tools and one tool in particular. In addition to these tools, Lumin PDF has a special tool that can be used to greatly increase productivity. Mentioned earlier is the fact that Lumin PDF can be connected with Google Drive. If your business uses Google Drive (almost all do at some point) then this is great. You can convert a scanned PDF in Google Drive, then your coworker who needs this document can get it directly from the corporate Google Drive Account, no emails required. This will speed up workflow and get the right documents in the correct hands.
As you can see workflow is like the circulatory system for the company, carrying needed documents to different parts of the company so that everyone can complete their specific task which ultimately creates the whole of the company in terms of production. This is why having a set process and the correct tools is so important. For pretty much every business this will mean a PDF editor. By having a PDF editor that your workers are familiar with and the right procedures, you will see substantial growth in terms of your company’s productivity.