Automate tasks: Reduce manual work and speed up approvals
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Automate tasks to eliminate repetitive manual work like data entry, approvals, and notifications. Use workflow automation software to reduce errors, speed up cycle times, and free your team for higher-value activities.
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Task automation software uses AI, robotic process automation (RPA), and machine learning to handle repetitive work and connect different parts of a workflow. Organizations that automate routine tasks reduce manual effort and speed up processes.
What does it mean to automate tasks?
Task automation uses software to handle repetitive tasks and multistep workflows. By automating data entry, notifications, and approvals, businesses eliminate manual work and free staff for higher-value activities.
Key enabling technologies
Modern workflow automation relies on several complementary technologies.
AI-driven automation
Artificial intelligence (AI) — particularly natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision — enables your automation platform to:
- Interpret unstructured data (e.g. parse invoices, emails, or scanned documents)
- Make smart decisions via predictive models (e.g. route a high-risk claim to a senior analyst)
- Continuously improve through feedback loops, reducing manual exceptions over time
Robotic process automation (RPA)
Robotic process automation (RPA) deploys software “robots” that mimic user interactions with applications when no APIs exist. Examples include:
- Screen scraping to extract data from legacy UIs
- Automating routine clicks and keystrokes (e.g. copying data between systems)
- Scaling quickly by converting manual, repetitive sequences into bot-driven tasks
Machine learning
Machine learning (ML) applies statistical models within your workflows to:
- Detect anomalies (e.g. flag unusual transactions before they slip through)
- Classify content automatically (e.g. auto-tag support tickets by topic or priority)
- Forecast outcomes (e.g. predict next month’s workload and trigger capacity-adjusting tasks)
Automation integrations and APIs
Robust integrations and APIs tie everything together, ensuring data flows seamlessly. Examples of these include:
- Prebuilt connectors for popular SaaS and enterprise apps (Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft 365, Slack, etc.)
- Custom API orchestration for in-house or niche systems
- Event-driven triggers that launch workflows the instant a data change or message arrives
Together, these technologies let organizations automate a wide range of tasks — from simple notifications to complex decision workflows.
Types of tasks you can automate
Organizations can automate tasks across daily operations, monthly processes, and data management.
Daily and weekly tasks
Everyday tasks are prime candidates for workflow automation tools:
- Data entry — Automate input into systems to save time and reduce errors.
- Notification sending — Automatically send updates, reminders, or alerts.
- Information retrieval — Fetch and compile data from multiple sources in seconds.
- Task reminders — Trigger automated reminders so nothing slips through the cracks.
- Report generation — Generate and distribute reports without human intervention.
Recurring monthly tasks
Monthly processes follow scheduled patterns, which are tasks that are ideal for RPA:
- Bill payments — Automate recurring payments to avoid late fees.
- Invoicing — Generate and send invoices automatically.
- Payroll processing — Calculate and disburse salaries accurately and on time.
Data management tasks
Data-centric tasks benefit from AI-driven automation and ML:
- Data collection and entry — Automate ingestion into databases or spreadsheets.
- Data processing — Process large volumes quickly and accurately.
- Data analysis — Generate insights and dashboards with no manual effort.
Software to automate tasks
Task automation tools vary based on complexity and use case. Simple integrations — like sending a Slack(opens in a new tab) notification when a social media post mentions your company — work well with tools like Zapier(opens in a new tab).
For more complex workflows like complaint handling or capital expenditure requests, you need a platform with robust integration capabilities. These tools let you build visual workflows that handle branching logic and multistep approvals.
Automated workflows streamline form approvals, employee onboarding, and other multistep processes — reducing errors and freeing teams for higher-value work.
Building automated task workflows
Modern task automation software uses drag-and-drop interfaces to arrange tasks into workflows. You connect task types — forms, approvals, assignments, system triggers, data retrieval, emails — in the order they need to execute.
Most platforms include prebuilt task types that can run sequentially or in parallel. No coding required.
Business rules
A workflow engine (sometimes called a business rules engine) is an application that runs within a task automation system and makes decisions automatically based on preset rules. These decisions usually involve deciding how a task should be accomplished, who should do it, how to know when it’s completed, and what needs to be done next.
For instance, you might have a task that’s part of the process for onboarding new hires. The task is ensuring a new hire is correctly entered into the payroll system. Here are some potential questions:
- How should the task be accomplished? — Selecting the proper salary classification for the new hire
- Who should do it? — The HR administrator for the new hire’s region
- How will we know the task is completed? — When the salary classification is selected and submitted
- What needs to be done next? — The salary classification must be reviewed and approved by the HR director
This task could be automated in several ways:
- As the new hire is entered into the system, the salary classification is automatically added based on the title or other data.
- The task could be automatically assigned to the proper HR administrator based on the new hire’s office location.
- A new task could automatically be assigned to the HR director upon submission.
- If the selected salary classification is inappropriate for the title and department, it could automatically come back to the HR administrator for adjustment.
Task collaboration
Automation handles routine work, but people still step in for exceptions and decisions. Workflow tools often include built-in chat, comments, and alerts so stakeholders can resolve issues and coordinate transitions.
Benefits when you automate tasks
- Reduced manual work — Eliminate repetitive data entry and handoffs
- Fewer errors — Remove human mistakes from routine processes
- Policy compliance — Enforce rules automatically
- Better visibility — Track every task in real time
- Happier employees — Free staff for meaningful work
- Faster approvals — Cut cycle times with automatic routing
Common challenges when automating tasks
| Challenge/pitfall | Why it happens | Potential solution |
|---|---|---|
| Unclear or incomplete process definition | Automating a poorly documented workflow propagates errors and hidden steps into your automated workflow. | Map and standardize processes first (use swim lanes or a RACI matrix); run pilot tests and walk through every branch before full rollout. |
| Poor data quality and inconsistent formats | Automation engines choke on malformed, missing, or inconsistent input data (dates, codes, free text). | Build in data validation rules (e.g. required fields, regex checks); leverage ML-powered anomaly detection to flag outliers before they enter the pipeline. |
| Integration complexity | Connecting to legacy systems or custom in-house apps may require brittle UI scraping or fragile scripts. | Prefer prebuilt connectors or middleware when available; use APIs or microservices for robust, versioned integration points. |
| Over-automation (“set and forget”) | Once deployed, workflows may drift out of alignment with business changes, creating “shadow processes.” | Include human checkpoints and exception-handling routes; schedule regular audits of automated workflows and exception logs. |
| Change management resistance | Users feel threatened by bots replacing their tasks, or are unsure how to handle exceptions and escalations. | Communicate clear ROI and pain-point relief; provide in-app guidance, quick-reference cheatsheets, and targeted training sessions. |
| Unmanaged exceptions and error handling | When an unexpected condition arises, the automation may fail silently or produce incorrect outputs. | Design explicit exception paths (e.g. “if X fails, notify Y and pause”); log all errors centrally, and send real-time alerts to a support queue. |
| Security and compliance gaps | Automated scripts with broad permissions can expose data or bypass audit controls. | Use role-based access controls for bots; maintain an audit trail of all automated actions; encrypt sensitive data in transit and at rest. |
| Scalability and performance bottlenecks | Workflows that run fine at small scale may time out or starve resources under heavy load. | Implement rate limiting and queuing mechanisms; monitor performance metrics (latency, throughput), and autoscale your execution environment. |
| Lack of monitoring and visibility | Without dashboards, you can’t see where tasks are backing up or if SLAs are at risk. | Build real-time dashboards and SLA alerts into your automated workflow management platform; use KPIs like “tasks completed per hour,” “error rate,” and “average exception turnaround.” |
| Underestimating total cost of ownership (TCO) | Licensing, maintenance, and development overheads pile up after initial deployment. | Model TCO, including support, updates, and infrastructure; start with a small proof of concept, and then expand incrementally to control costs. |
Get started with Nutrient Workflow
Nutrient Workflow helps you automate tasks with drag-and-drop process design, automatic routing, and real-time tracking. Start a free trial or request a demo.
FAQ
Nutrient Workflow automates approval routing, form submissions, notifications, data entry, employee onboarding, expense requests, and any multistep process with defined rules.
Nutrient Workflow provides a drag-and-drop builder, automatic routing based on business rules, real-time tracking, and integrations with ERP, CRM, and accounting systems — all without coding.
Start with high-volume, rule-based tasks that consume manual effort or cause frequent errors — like invoice approvals, data entry, or notification sending. Early wins build momentum for broader automation.
Yes. Nutrient Workflow connects with ERP systems, CRMs, accounting software, and other business applications through APIs and prebuilt connectors.
Most customers have their first automated workflow live within a few weeks. The Nutrient Workflow Customer Success team provides hands-on support during setup.
