Workflow Automation Software: Digital Transformation

The higher education industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation to improve operational cost-efficiency and stay relevant in today's competitive landscape.

While every institution has its unique requirements, you can't afford to ignore key trends such as information security, system integration, student-centric experience, student retention and completion, administrative simplification, and cost reduction.

With so many different competing priorities, how can you leverage your resources strategically?

That's why higher education institutions are turning to workflow automation to check off many of the digital transformation boxes cost-effectively.

However, implementing automation to replace paper and email workflows is time-consuming and cumbersome if your IT team has to build the functionalities from scratch and provide ongoing support and maintenance.

The good news is that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. Thanks to workflow automation software, you can tap into the power of automation and free up your IT team to focus on strategic initiatives.  

The Importance of Using Workflow Automation Software For Higher Education Institutions

Here's why you should automate paper- and email-based workflows :

1. Strengthen Information Security

Paper- and email-based workflows pose many data security risks that can land your institution in regulatory hot waters. Workflow automation software with robust security features helps you stay compliant with the various data privacy regulations while giving you the visibility to ensure that only authorized personnel can access and share documents containing sensitive data.

2. Integrate Data From Multiple Platforms

Data integration among different systems is a major digital transformation hurdle for higher education institutions. Transferring data manually from one application to another is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. Automating data transfer can help you ensure data integrity while improving the scalability and interoperability of your IT infrastructure.

3. Deliver a Seamless Student Experience

Workflow automation software helps create a student-centric experience by making sure all the student data is up-to-date and shared among systems that manage everything from enrollment and learning to job placement and alumni engagement. You can also send out relevant communications at the right time to improve student satisfaction.

4. Improve Student Retention and Completion

Nearly 20% of students who left college before graduation have finished over 75% of their graduation requirements. Many didn't complete their programs because of the perceived lack of student support. Workflow automation software helps you improve responsiveness and make sure requests don't fall through the cracks.

5. Facilitate Application and Enrollment

To acquire more students, higher education institutions must ensure the timely processing of applications. Workflow automation software helps eliminate errors and delays that could deter potential students. It also allows you to deliver a personalized recruitment experience that will increase your enrollment rate.  

6. Streamline Administrative Processes

Processing paperwork is time-consuming, error-prone, and cumbersome. Workflow automation software can help eliminate bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Besides increasing productivity, automation can improve the end-user experience, reduce frustration, minimize oversight, and increase employee satisfaction.

7. Eliminate Costly Paper and PDF Workflows

Most institutions hire 15 to 19 full-time employees per month to handle paper forms. Meanwhile, 65% of PDF forms end up getting printed for signature and archiving. Besides printing and storage costs, you also have to pay for the software (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) to process those documents.

Maximizing the Benefits of Workflow Automation

To reap the benefits of workflow automation, choose software designed specifically for higher education institutions.

Look for a low-code platform that allows administrators with no coding skill to build forms and set up automated workflows in minutes without waiting for IT assistance or increasing IT workload.

But this doesn't mean sacrificing speed and convenience for robust functionalities. For example, Kuali Build's intuitive drag-and-drop interface enables users to set up complex fields with advanced field gadgets and create sophisticated logic to show the appropriate fields based on previous input.

Then, our built-in workflow makes setting up automation a breeze. Powerful features such as process mapping, approval routing, customized emails, and parallel branching facilitate workflows while delivering a top-notch user experience for administrators and students alike. Built-in integration syncs data across all your systems to minimize errors and delays without adding IT workload.

Ready to get the most of workflow automation? Learn more about Kuali Build and request a demo with our process consultants today.