What are office workflow solutions?

Everyone seems to talk about them, but what actually are workflow solutions, and why should you be considering them? This month we go back to basics to understand workflow terminology and what difference workflow solutions can make to everyday tasks.

Are you ready to a) save your team time, b) save your company money, and c) make your office smarter and more intelligent?

What do we mean by office workflows?

Office workflows are the ways you complete tasks to achieve a business or organisational goal. For example, you collect payments for your work and services and then follow a series of steps to add those payments to accounting software and check everything matches up. The essential goal is bringing income and profit into your company. The tasks that make up the workflow might look a little like this:

Collect payment information
Scan each piece of evidence to yourself
Open each file and save it in the correct place
Log in to your accounting programme
Upload each file into the relevant place
Review the totals, edit and submit onwards

The above example is just one office workflow. Chances are that across your business, there are hundreds of workflows through all things administration, accounting, human resources, health and safety, sales, marketing, contracting, data security, archiving. Some of these will be short and sweet, others more complex and time-consuming. Beyond those workflows familiar to most organisations, there are also countless vertical-specific workflows. Consider, for example, patient admission and discharge, insurance claims and warehousing shipping and receiving.

What is an 'office workflow solution'?

An office workflow solution should make your workflow (e.g. accounts payable or updating your CRM) more straightforward, more efficient, and free up staff time for other activities. It might automate some or all of the workflow or cut out some of the steps in the process. Returning to the accounts payable example above, a suitable office workflow solution would make the process shorter and slicker:

Collect payment information
Scan into an app
Review the totals, edit and submit onwards

The Xerox Connect App for Sage Accounting is just one app that can make this happen – others are available depending on your chosen accounting package; Yooz, Quickbooks and the like. Xerox quote that manual processing of invoices can be up to 88% slower than an electronic process with automation. Scan and capture that automatically populates your software and cloud services saves time and money.

There are many other office workflow solutions available, covering a vast range of processes. If you need to file it, transform it, store it, manage it, design it, translate it, sign it, redact it, trace it, check it – then there is bound to be a solution out there. Many are available ‘off the shelf’; others can be designed for your specific needs.

Are office workflow solutions expensive?

The solutions you need might surprise you. If you have a computer and/or a multifunction printer, then you are almost there. Some apps are free to download, some based on usage and subscriptions, others a one-off cost to get you started. Many offer free trials so that you can see how much value they add before you commit.

Not all workplace solutions are apps; you can find out more about office print and content management on our Solutions page. You may also be interested in Mobile Print and Print Management, for example.

Rather than looking at the cost of the solution in isolation, consider how much staff time it will free up down the line. If the solution is the right one for the job that it’s likely to add value in terms of time savings and new opportunities in the future.

Do all multifunction printers (MFPs) offer office workflow solutions?

Many modern MFPs offer the ability to choose and install office workflow apps and solutions, although what’s available for each brand varies. It might be called an app ecosystem, smart application system, ConnectKey technology or something else. It’s worth considering which brand’s portfolio best fits the rest of your business software packages when you come to contract time. Take into account your CRM, accounts, electronic signatures, cloud services and other management systems.

All the big brands – Ricoh, Konica Minolta, HP, Canon, Lexmark, Xerox and the like – know that multifunction printers are now as much about digital documents as they are about physically printed ones. It’s about making the most of your investment in your print fleet and simplifying everyday jobs.

Not all workflow apps need printers and are instead Software as a Service (SaaS); see, for example, Xerox Translate and Print, Hybrid Mail and the Xerox Team Availability App. So although it can be an enormous benefit, it doesn’t always matter that your apps and your printers ‘match’.

Why should I consider Xerox office workflow solutions?

If you have read this far, you probably know that we are a mono-branded Xerox partner. Therefore, of course we would suggest you consider Xerox! Xerox is what we know; we have been a Xerox partner for thirty years and have seen the offering grow and evolve – we have stuck with them this long because they offer excellent products and services.

However, you don’t need to take it from us. Keypoint Intelligence is the leading independent provider of testing services and analytical information to the document imaging industry. In the last month or so, it has announced two big awards (among several others) for Xerox, as follows:

BLI 2021-2022 pacesetter in MFP app ecosystem

“Xerox Leads the Way in MFP Apps. With more than 120 MFP apps in its portfolio and 400 partners in its Personalised Application Builder Program, Xerox has focused on making its VersaLink, AltaLink, and (now) PrimeLink MFPs true “workplace assistants.”…From a vertical-market perspective, some app collections have been designed for sectors including education, healthcare, legal, and retail. Xerox has also made educating dealers and customers on MFP apps a priority, putting on regular webinars, conferences, and training focused on these kinds of solutions as well as producing up-to-date e-materials.”

BLI 2021 document imaging software line of the year award

“Xerox has the strongest lineup overall in three of the six categories studied: MFP Apps & Connectors, Capture & Workflow, and Fleet Management & MPS Tools. In MFP Apps & Connectors, Xerox boasts an unrivalled catalogue of approximately 125 apps to extend the functionality of Xerox ConnectKey VersaLink and AltaLink MFPs, plus many more private apps that have been built by Xerox partners for their customers…In Capture & Workflow, the Xerox Workflow Automation Solution family stood out, with more than 40 specialised applications for needs ranging from Recruiting and HR Onboarding to Loan Application Processing to Student Billing and Advising. The company’s strong MPS programme is underpinned by a range of solutions and services (under the company’s Intelligent Workplace Services umbrella) to help partners with managed print and managed document services engagements.

This year, Xerox again held onto the crown in the global Quocirca Managed Print Services report. With excellent office workflow solutions and independently accredited managed printer services (MPS), what’s not to like?

Where can I find out more about Xerox office workflow solutions?

We are continually adding content around workflow apps and other solutions to our website. You can find a regularly updated list of ConnectKey apps here. We also have pages about Flexible and Hybrid Working and product listings for individual software solutions, including Xerox Content Hub and Xerox Workplace Suite.

In addition, there is a multitude of news articles and blogs about various apps and solutions as they’ve become available: a selection of these appears in a carousel under this post.

If you’re unsure where to start or would like to talk to us about anything mentioned in this blog, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill in the contact form below, and one of our specialists will come back to you.

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What are office workflow solutions?

What do we mean by office workflows?

What is an 'office workflow solution'?

Are office workflow solutions expensive?

Do all multifunction printers (MFPs) offer office workflow solutions?

Why should I consider Xerox office workflow solutions?

Where can I find out more about Xerox office workflow solutions?

Ena Catlin

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