Despite the recent technology advancements adopted by higher education, many institutions continue to use paper forms as the constant that drives processes forward. But these paper-based processes leave users swamped with tedious and time-consuming manual tasks. Still, institutions tend to stick with these outdated processes because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. That reasoning leads to inefficiencies and lower productivity.
That’s no longer the case in the digital era. Going paperless may seem daunting — even overwhelming — to you, but all things considered, the advantages of going digital far outweigh any concerns you might have of adopting new tech solutions.
Let’s take a look at six ways eforms and workflow automation — one of the intelligent technologies offered within a robust content services solution — can impact your institution.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DRIVE DOWN WITH EFORMS AND WORKFLOW
1. Data entry and processing time
Paper-based processes and data entry are often time-consuming. With eforms, you can tailor your forms with specific features like required fields. Students can auto-fill and submit forms (and supporting documents) online without the hassle of paper-based submissions. This eliminates the need for staff to manually enter the data into the system. Plus, a highly configurable workflow tool allows you to automate complex processes and route information to where they need to go, which expedites the overall processing time.
2. Status inquiries delays
When a student submits a request, they expect a response immediately. Manual processes take time and offer little to no visibility into the status of inquiries and can negatively impact the student experience. Automated workflow enables them to get a quicker response because it provides a highly transparent process flow, enabling students to see exactly what the status is and where it is in the process. And with web and mobile interfaces, these status inquiries reach students on the device and format that is most convenient for them.
3. Duplication and loss of information
Manual and paper-based processes are largely prone to human errors such as incomplete or inaccurate information, duplication and misplaced documents. Workflow automation eliminates these pain points by streamlining the way information flows across the campus without any administrative burden. And with customizable forms, features like data validation can eliminate duplication and loss of information.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN DRIVE UP WITH EFORMS AND WORKFLOW
1. Compliance
Given the high volume of documents/data and the complex processes that institutions handle daily, data security and compliance are constant risk factors. Eforms and workflow enable institutions to automate their processes. You can route documents to where they need to go automatically and capture signatures on the approval path. Every action is tracked in an audit trail related to the workflow, which can be viewed on a reporting dashboard. With tools like keyword encryption, access control rules and digital signatures, you can easily protect student information and ensure compliance.
2. Collaboration
Workflow automation is designed to help members of your institution stay in touch with each other from the start — and until the end — of a project. This solution can notify respective individuals as each project stage is completed and prompts another when the next step is about to commence. This eliminates the need to physically track the person down and prevents any miscommunication. With higher process efficiency, your staff can focus on higher-value interactions with students.
3. Time for higher-value work
Eforms and workflow automation solutions ultimately aim to drive efficiency across your campus. These solutions can significantly cut back on mundane tasks and turnaround time for student requests and queries. So the more tasks and processes you can automate, the more time you will free up for your staff to focus on higher-value work. And this means more time on strategic initiatives to improve the student experience, interaction and engagement.
Today, more and more institutions are turning to eforms and workflow automation to streamline their administrative processes. According to Forrester Research, “Smart CIOs now see BPM1 as a way to lower maintenance costs and time by 50 percent.”
It is time to start thinking of what else you can accomplish with smart solutions.