Workflow automation software solutions are all over the place.
It’s virtually impossible to keep up with the many features they all offer when you barely understand the processes yourself.
The question so many companies are coming back to is: what is the best workflow automation software for my company’s unique needs?
To make selecting the right workflow automation easier, we’ve compared thirty workflow automation platforms based on the business problem they solve and their functionality.
Let’s start by defining workflow automation tools and how they differ from business process management tools.
Workflow Automation Software vs Business Process Management Tools
Business Process Management (BPM) is the process modeling, discovery, analysis, measurement, improvement, optimization and automation that companies undertake to increase efficiency and meet customers demands.
This process can often get confused with workflow automation as they both result in increased time and money savings by reducing manual processes.
» However, they differ in complexity and overall goals.
While workflow automation software uses rule-based logic to enable automation for individual tasks or niche oriented processes, BPM is a more robust system that supports process streamlining across an entire organization.
It’s important to note that once set up correctly, neither approach relies on human intervention to operate smoothly.
When to Look for a Workflow Automation Tool
If you are looking to eliminate manual tasks and save time in one specific department, and that one alone, for example procurement, then you can look for a procurement specific workflow automation tool.
This kind of tool usually comes with already pre-defined workflows, which your team members can quickly customize and use.
Some of the areas that we are seeing most businesses are looking to streamline adopting workflow automation tools are:
– Sales and marketing departments that want to improve the customer service, traceability and close sales faster.
– Finance departments who could benefit from automating processes such as:
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- Expense approvals
- Purchase payments
- Budget creation & approval, etc.
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– Human Resources that need to easily:
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- Manage candidates
- Manage employees
- Collect employee feedback
- Distribute key documents, etc.
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– Operations departments that are looking to:
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- automate and compile reports
- eliminate duplicate records
- manage team permissions, etc.
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– Purchasing teams that are handling a great number of vendors and service providers and must improve workflow processes as:
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- Vendor onboarding
- Credentialing
- Contract creation and management
- Communications, etc.
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But, what if you want to create workflows to automate processes in more areas?
When to Look for a BPM Software?
- If you are looking to automate business workflows across different LoBs
- When you have company specific processes that are not the industry standard
- If you have intricate processes in place
- When you are looking for seamless integrations with specific third party applications
Even though there is no general rule, larger companies with well-defined processes get more out of BPM software.
Whereas smaller or less structured companies are better off opting for simpler workflow automation software that focuses on pre-built workflows for more detailed tasks.
5 Business Process Management Solutions to Look At
1- Virtus Flow
It’s a fully No Code Digital Process Automation solution that helps automate and manage business processes across all departments and industries
Features include:
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- Dynamic forms generation
- Document automation
- Complex rules and conditions
- Reporting & Analytics
- Project management
- Ticketing Management
- Templates
- Document Management,
- Communications Management
- Customer, Vendor & Employee Portal, etc
Learn how to automate any Business Process with Virtus Flow!
2- Kissflow
This cloud-based Low Code- No Code BPM solution helps to automate processes, business activity monitoring performance and approve pending tasks, among others.
Features include:
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- Workflow management
- Form Designer
- Collaboration
- Project Management
- Reporting
- Ticketing System
- Templates
3- Kintone
Designed to help teams build, share, and automate custom workflows.
Features include:
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- Workflow management
- Project management
- Team collaboration
- Data management
- Notifications
4- FlowForma
Features include form designer, workflow and document generation to help you digitize business processes without coding and with minimal IT involvement. It enables cross-functional teams to collaborate and can be integrated to a large number of external apps.
5- AuraQuantic
This BPM suite helps companies in their digital transformation journey through optimization and digitization of their processes.
Features include:
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- Workflow management
- Data Management
- Document Management
- Content Management
- Intranet & Extranet
5 Vendor Management Workflow Automation Software
1- Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper serves as an all-in-one vendor lifecycle management platform.
Features include:
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- Vendor Portal
- Self registration
- Contract templates
- Contract repository
- Risk Assessment
- Surveys
2- PRM360
It’s a cloud-based procurement software that helps to manage the organization’s efforts to obtain supplies and run related processes.
Features include:
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- Online bidding
- Contracts and Invoices Repository
- Contract Management
- Spend analysis
- Catalog Management
- Project Management
- Vendor Profiling
- Risk management
Pricing not provided on the website.
3- Precoro
It promises to provide cost effective and easy to use procurement solutions to help companies reduce administrative headaches, lower costs, and increase productivity.
Features include:
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- PO generations
- Tracking
- Requests
- Approvals workflows
- Reporting
- Budget management
- Supplier management
- Warehouse management
This cloud-based platform helps organizations find, manage, and engage third party vendors. It helps automate compliance management, security, quality of work, and more.
Features include:
- Contingent workforce management
- Analytics and reporting
- Service Management
- Vendor Onboarding and offboarding
- Work management
- Project Management
- Vendor negotiations
Price not shared through the website
5- AMN Healthcare
It’s a healthcare specific vendor management system that administers the acquisition of nursing, allied, locum tenens and non-clinical professionals.
Features include:
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- Requisition creation and approvals
- Invoice approvals and billing
- Credentialing
- Reporting
- Scheduling
- Bidding
Pricing not provided on its website.
Discover how to automate your Vendor Management with Virtus Flow
5 Human Resources Automation Tools
1- Bamboo HR
This automation platform was particularly built for HR as it offers an all-in-one software.
Features include:
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- Reporting & Analytics
- Workflows
- Employee records
- Payroll and benefits administrations
- Time off tracking
- Performance management
Price is not shared publicly.
2- Gusto
Gusto offers payroll solutions, employee onboarding, management of employee benefits and time tracking.
Services include:
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- Payroll Management
- Employee Benefits
- Onboarding
- Hiring
- Talent management
- Time tracking
- Workers Compensation
- Reporting
3- Paycom
This solution is employee-driven for talent acquisition, talent management, payroll, labor management and more.
Features include:
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- Payroll
- Talent Acquisitions
- Talent Management
- Time Management
- HR documents management
- Expense Management
Pricing is not shared on the website.
4- Zoho
From hiring to retiring, Zoho offers robust automation for all your HR operations. You can also consolidate employee data, streamline communications, and much more.
Features include:
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- Recruitment
- Employee management
- Payroll
- Time off management
- HR chatbot
- Analytics
- Expense Management
- Shift Management
- Surveys
- Performance Evaluations
5- HiBob
Automate HR processes, seamlessly create reports, and store all HR documentation in one, easily accessible location.
Features include:
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- Workforce planning
- Payroll
- Time Management
- Surveys
- Performance
- Benefits administrations
- Analytics
Prices are not shared publicly.
Automate your Human Resources processes on your own terms!
5 Ticket Management Automation Software
1- Virtus Flow Ticketing
It offers a complete service desk suite for any department ticketing need. One of its very particular features is that it is fully integrated to our workflow engine.
This allows you to automatically create tickets after certain criteria apply, or vice versa, start a process when certain tickets are submitted or resolved.
Features include:
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- Full customization
- Incident Management
- Change Management
- Facility Management
- Custom dashboard
- Insights & Reporting
- Project Management
- User Management
- ALC and automatic audit trails
- Document Management
- Dynamic Forms
2- HubSpot
It lets users log, organize, and keep track of customer issues. You can automate tickets to create a help desk, prioritize requests to resolve issues faster.
Features include:
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- Customer portal
- Knowledge Base
- Omni-channel messaging
- Live chat
- VoIP calling
- Customer Surveys
- Service Analytics
- Team Management
3- Jira
Provides a ticketing solution for tracking, and notifications for both internal and external customers. Jira focuses on supporting IT teams.
Features include:
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- Templates
- Task Management
- Request & Incident Management
- Asset Management
- Change Management
- Smart Forms
- Reporting
4- Zendesk
Zendesk was designed to help you assist customers with online tickets by using better intel and less manual work. Their software lets you solve customer support tickets via web, email, phone, SMS, and social media.
Features include:
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- Conversational support
- Omni-channel conversations
- Agent workspace
- Help Center
- AI & Chatbots
- Analytics
5- ServiceDesk Plus
Automate, customize, and prioritize tickets through this ticketing software that helps you accomplish everything you need to do to resolve the day-to-day IT tickets faster than ever.
Features include:
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- Customer portal
- Templates
- Support center
- Incident Management
- Analytics
- Log Management
- Asset Management
- Project Management
- Account management
Price is not shared publicly.
5 Document Automation & Management Software
1- Jotform PDF Editor
Jotform PDF Editor automatically turns collected form responses into professional, secure PDF documents that you can share with colleagues and customers.
Features include:
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- Drag and drop building
- Customization
- Templates
- Electronic signature
2- HotDocs
This document generation tool slashes the time it takes to draft, assemble, and distribute new documents. HotDocs provides strong functionality to automate complicated and custom document templates.
Key features:
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- Version controls
- Templates
- Electronic signature
- Document Management System
- Content Management
Pricing is not shared in their website.
3- PandaDoc
This popular solution offers high-quality software at affordable pricing. You can create, manage, and e-sign documents through easy to use drag-and-drop features and read-to-use templates.
Other features include:
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- Real time access to approvals
- Version tracking
- Conditional logic
- Electronic Signatures
- Forms creation
- No-Code
4- Templafy
It offers high levels of customization through their modular design feature — which means you can select the modules that tailor to your company’s needs.
Features include:
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- Document Branding
- Automated document assembly
- Automatic sharing and tracking
- Templates
- Email signature management
- Content Management
Price is not shared publicly.
5- Gavel
It is a no-code solution that uses smart automation to help you build documents fast and share customized workflows externally.
It focuses on legal teams.
Features include:
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- Document automation
- Logic and constraints
- Automatic routing
- Website embedding
5 Logistics Workflow Automation Software
1- ShipStation
It helps companies to connect with more carriers which allows companies to access the most convenient fees.
Features include:
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- Shipping Management
- Discounted Postage
- Automatic Tracking sharing
- Email customization
- SMS tracking updates
- Branded returns
Learn how other companies are automating processes linked to ShipStation with Virtus Flow!
2- Extensiv
A technology platform that connects brands, warehouses, and 3PLs to create a seamless fulfillment workflow. It provides a suite of products with integrated warehouse, inventory, and order management systems.
Features include:
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- Warehouse Management
- Order Management
- Network Management
- Demand forecasting
Prices are not shared via its website.
3- Fareeye
It’s an all-in-one low code/no code delivery logistics platform combines orchestration, real-time visibility, branded customer experiences, and business process management.
Features include:
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- Multichannel order placing
- Order fulfillment
- Shipment allocations
- Order Tracking
- ML-driven insights
Price is not shared online.
4- Chain.io
It’s a cloud-based platform that solves one of the most challenging puzzles for logistics services providers, shippers, and software providers: rapid integrations with thousands of digital logistics software platforms used by shippers, carriers, and software vendors.
Features include:
- Freight booking management
- Invoicing
- Data centralization
- Vessel tracking
- Invoicing and payment automation
- Bookings automation
- PO management
5- ShipBob
ShipBob is an end-to-end fulfillment provider. It helps businesses to determine optimal inventory placement across a growing fulfillment network to improve delivery speeds and reduce shipping costs.
Features include:
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- Retail drop shipping
- 2 day express shipping
- Inventory Management
- Unboxing experience
- Order customization
- Reports & Analytics
- Fulfillment automation
- Real time stock levels
Price is not shared publicly via its website
Conclusion
Workflow automation platforms and BPM solutions both have similar goals: to streamline efficiency and help your company become as agile as possible.
However, the two approaches are different.
Workflow automation software helps automate repetitive tasks in specific areas of an organization.
BPM, on the other hand, looks at the more holistic goal of how to create automated workflows to streamline operations across your organization.
To find the best workflow automation software in 2023, it’s important to look for features and functionalities that support your organization’s unique needs.
Use an All-In-One No Code BPM solution to automate your business processes!
