Document automation software removes the guesswork with less work

We automate so much of our lives to make things go smoother and faster, both professionally and personally. Apps and tools can help us with everything from instant business communication to instant flight check-ins, they can find us the nearest restaurant and book us a table, or they can track our heart rates and our timesheets.

When so much of our lives are conducted on smartphones and tablets, it’s natural to expect our workplaces to be across the latest in time-saving, efficiency-enhancing technology.

However most companies are still stuck in outdated processes when it comes to automating one of the biggest productivity roadblocks in business: administration.

Managing and creating documents ­– from invoices and contracts to sales quotes and briefs – makes up the lynchpin of any modern business. No matter the industry. Unfortunately, the task of creating and managing those docs chews up valuable employee time and resources every single work day.

And the problem is more serious than just being cumbersome. In fact, poor document management and administration practices can do some serious damage to your business, as we’ve blogged about at Templafy. One survey of US consultancy and advisory firms found that time wasted hunting for documents could be costing firms US$4000 every month. Meanwhile, a report called “The $687B question” found that the estimated potential opportunity cost of time wasted on unnecessary administration in the US amounted to a whopping US$687 billion.

Of course, it’s not just a US problem – productivity roadblocks created by time-consuming administration and poor document management practices are a global issue, affecting companies everywhere.

But what can you do? Invoices can’t just write themselves… can they?

In fact, apps and software are revolutionising business administration the same way they’ve transformed our personal lives. But not all managers may be clued in to the fact that document automation software is an exploding new category which can resolve much of these issues by automating time-consuming administrative processes, leaving your employees with more time for the big tasks and thinking work.

Given that innovation is a key driver of productivity, it’s no surprise that the companies looking to get ahead are the ones tackling their productivity glut by jumping on board and investing in document automation software. But how can tools like these help?

What is document automation software?

Document automation software allows you to convert your text-based docs and other forms into a powerful productivity tool: the template. Rather than starting from scratch with a business document, you can create and store best-practice, aesthetically-pleasing templates with pre-filled details and features and draw upon them every time you need to create a fresh doc, whether that’s an invoice or a slide deck for a sales presentation.

Via documentation automation software, all company users can tap in and access pre-made, best-practice templates from a library of digital assets packed with company documents, slides and images. That means they’re available directly where everyone needs them.

With this type of template software, creating a document - or several of them - takes a fraction of the time.

But how to keep your templates up-to-date?

The one problem with templates? They’re static, and pre-filled with all kinds of content that is prone to change in a fast-paced business environment. As your company grows, so will your branding, contact details, blurbs, job titles, as well as services and products on offer. It’s a mammoth task to get your team to stay on top of every little tweak, especially in a large organization – not to mention a waste of employee time and resources.

The answer? Harnessing document automation software which transforms your static best-practice templates into flexible, dynamic templates.

For example, Templafy’s software doesn’t just store your templates – it makes sure that the right, up-to-date data is integrated automatically into them. The software makes monitoring document compliance easy: Templafy’s smart and accessible interface alerts users when a doc they’ve opened is out of synch with current best practices.

With template management features, the document creation process becomes even faster and easier. Plus, it means your business docs aren’t vulnerable to human error, like when templates are manually updated.

To really save your company time, document automation software should also be user-relevant, meaning it can tailor template content to a user. Templafy automatically inserts content relevant to a specific team member, such as their contact details, department info or job title. Whether your organization is big or small, being able to dodge the effort of manually updating documents according to individual team member profiles offers a huge efficiency boost.

Document automation software offers companies huge flexibility, too. For example, Templafy works with most office suites and integrates across multiple devices, so your team members can create on-brand, compliant docs on-the-go. This way, nobody needs to chase up the latest templates from other team members when working out of office, and you can feel confident that employees working remotely will still produce up-to-date docs.

If you’d like to learn more about how Templafy can help optimize your internal work flows with document automation software, our team would love to talk to you.

Templafy was launched in as an enterprise cloud service in 2014 and has since established itself as a global market leader within its category validated by blue chip enterprise clients on all continents and offices across the globe.

With Templafy, global businesses safeguard their brand integrity and employees create professional and legally compliant documents and emails faster. It’s a solution that marketing, communication and compliance teams can control, that IT can trust and that everyone in an organization loves using day-to-day.