With workflow automation, the possibilities are endless for nearly every industry. While we can’t go on forever about all the ways you can automate with workflows, we’ve decided to take the challenge and try to list 101 use cases just to give you some perspective on what’s you could automate with workflows.  

What is Workflow Automation 

Workflow automation gives organizations the ability to automate business processes by executing a series of related tasks which take place in a sequence. Pre-defined rules based around roles, data or documents are routed between people, departments and systems.  

Workflow automation is known for streamlining processes to get the right data to the right people at the right time to make the right decisions efficiently.  

Workflows are typically data–processes in which they route a data/content through a series of steps and track every task involved within the workflows.  

101 Use Cases for Workflow 

Insurance Use Cases

1. Assignment Automation 
   With assignment automation, tickets and projects can be automatically assigned to the appropriate user according to the designated trigger.

    

2. Policy Exceptions  
   Policy forms can be built with required dropdown fields to build a logic-based workflow. After a form is completed, an automatic risk assessment can be carried out, and any approval or denial notifications can be done automatically.

    

3. Claim Grievances and Appeals 
   When a claim grievance or appeal is made, policy information can be extracted, then analyzed through a set of rules. Depending on what rules are set, either the claim will be routed to a human decision-marker, be returned or move onto a different process.

    

4. Claim Data Entry 
   A workflow can be triggered when all the appropriate information is added and tell the person based on the type of claim, state, etc. to start working on the claim.

    

5. Form Registrations  
   With a form registration workflow, a set of rules can be automated after a user has registered on a form to respond accordingly — such as a thank you email.

    

6. Policy Cancellations 
   When a policy cancellation occurs, rules and steps can be put together to ensure proper cancellation is carried out.

    

7. Claims Processing  
   With claims processing, unstructured data can be extracted, then added to an automation workflow of rules in place for processing.

    

8. Incident Reporting  
   After an incident report is filed, cases will be automatically routed to the proper investigator or group.

    

9. Policy Underwriting 
   From an underwriting application, the underwriting process can be streamlined and mapped out from review to approval. Meaning you can streamline low–risk applicants all the way to approval and issuance.  

Banking Use Cases

10. Client Onboarding
    Client onboarding is a great use case, once an application is submitted you can rely on a workflow to set up the accounts or services, inform the account manager and quickly create a task to email or mail all the necessary documents to your clients.
    
    
11. CapEx Approval Requests
    By automating CapEx approval, you’ll eliminate errors that can interrupt the approval process. When a workflow is set up, your error-free CapEx data entry is streamlined against a set of guidelines, then sent to the appropriate stakeholders for quicker approvals.
     
    
12. Report Generation
    Automate the transfer of data to Excel to generate reports.

     

13. Mortgage Lending
    With an integrated mortgage lending workflow, loan documents can be extracted and validated to approve or deny loan applications quickly in an efficient manner. With automation, required documents such as tax records and driver’s license information can be ingested and sorted into appropriate categories for an organized database.

     

14. Loan Processing
    Loan applications can go through a set of rules for review and approval. Any exceptions can be sent to a human decision-maker for final decision making.

     

15. Credit Card Application Review
    A digitized credit card form integrated into workflows means faster processing.  The client’s data can go to the appropriate departments, resulting in faster turnaround times for approval. Plus, applicants can be notified automatically when their application went through via text or email.

     

16. Know Your Customer (KYC)
    Some processes of KYC can be automated, leaving important factors for human decision makers. Incoming applicants can be automated using a screening and identity verification process to match regulatory standards. Any “flagged” applicants can go on to a human decision maker.

     

17. Account Closure
    Prior to workflow automation, cancellations had to be done manually with interest charges and funds transfer in mind.  Now, this process can be seamless using workflow automation.

     

18. Expense Claims
    Automated expense processing, forms can be filled out online, cutting out the tedious manual tasks of completing paperwork. Plus, workflow triggers can be set up so when a claim is sent out, it notifies the appropriate individual or department resulting in faster reimbursement.

 IT Use Cases

19. IT Service Requests 
    With an automated system in place for IT service requests, task allocation can be simplified by notifying the appropriate IT employee according to the request sent.

     

20. Employee Account Setup 
    With automation, HR or IT can create accounts for a new hire all at once, instead of one at a time manually, cutting down on time and errors.

     

21. Software and Hardware Requests  
    Self-service requests can be routed to the right departments and people.

     

22. IT Project Requests  
    IT projects can be kept, managed or scheduled using workflow software.

     

23. Software Accessibility Requests 
    Manage and track software requests through automated forms. Form data can be routed to the appropriate employee. 
     
    
24. Incident Reporting 
    Utilizing an appropriate workflow, it can help IT incident notifications to notify the appropriate employee and keep track of investigation and reporting.

     

25. Virus Detection 
    Virus detection can be scheduled automatically on all employees’ computers with a trigger to notify the appropriate IT employee should an issue arise.

     

    Legal Use Cases

26. New Work Intake
    Work intake is made simpler using a workflow automation that securely, efficiently and compliantly takes in new business. Implement a visual workflow tool to make spotting where processes can be further improved and streamlined easy.

     

27. Case Tracking
    Keep track of cases with an automated workflow. Law firms or departments can request where cases stand with their progress and if there are any delays, ensuring there are no outstanding cases.

     

28. Policy Exceptions
    Policy exceptions can be submitted through a digital form in a database for necessary stakeholders to see.

     

29. Bar Certification Tracking
    With automation, a system can keep track of attorneys’ bar certifications and issue a notification to alert when their certification is about to expire.

     

30. Self-Service NDAs
    NDAs can now be pre-formatted through templates and then routed to appropriate users through workflow automation.

     

31. Trademark Infringement Log
    With a self-service trademark application request, trademarks can be approved faster with an automated trademark search database and notification for renewal.

     

32. Writing Legal Documents
    Instead of having to produce a new legal document every time, a workflow system can generate a legal document template, such as sales contracts, that simply requires review.

     

33. Billing of Service
    Time-tracking software can be linked to invoice software to generate accurate invoicing.

     

    Sales and Marketing Use Cases

34. Delivering Invoices
    Bots utilize accounting records to prepare and deliver invoices to the proper email account.

     

35. CRM Updates
    Integration of omnichannel data (email, call, chat) automatically to CRM.

     

36. Sales Order
    Replace manual processes with automated behavior with sales orders. Form fields can be auto completed to expedite sales processes without error.

     

37. Leads Submissions Pulled into CRM Database
    Whenever a new customer fills out a form or request, their information is pulled via automation to a CRM database.

     

38. Follow Ups 
    Simplify sales processes with an automated reminder to follow up on prospects.

     

39. Renewal Reminders
    For users on a subscription basis, a workflow can be set up to send them a notification via email or text that their service is about to renew. 

     

40. Sync Customers to an Email List
    CRMs keep track of prospects and customers’ information, so you can automate and email list quicker than before instead of manually one-by-one. 

     

41. Negative Reviews Response 
    Automate and trigger an email response to ask for feedback whenever a user leaves a negative review. 

     

42. Social Media Scheduling
    A social media workflow software allows you to automate and schedule posts across any social platform. 

     

43. Reorder Notifications
    Generate automated workflow to send reminders to a customer when it’s time for a new order.

     

    HR Use Cases

44. Employee Onboarding
    Onboarding can be done seamlessly with a self-service process customized by HR that can be tailored to job type. 

     

45. Benefit Enrollments
    Cut paper forms and manual processes by digitizing the enrollment process for new hires.

     

     

46. Expense Management
    Information can be extracted according to employee, and data can be pulled by receipt or invoice when combined with OCR. 

     

47. Payroll Approval 
    Payroll processing is expedited by following a series of rules and regulations to speed up the process.  

     

48. Budget Approval
    With a budget workflow automation solution tool, budget approvals can be made easier by defining a process according to department and using tools to simplify data entry. Approval submissions are also routed quicker, resulting in faster approvals.   

     

49. Timesheet Approval 
    When it’s the end of the week, the timesheet can be sent automatically to the manager for approval. 

     

     

50. Vacation/Time Off Requests 
    Employees can use a self-service form to schedule time off requests. Blackout dates and similar rules can be applied to restrict time off. Once submitted this can be routed to the appropriate manager who submits the approval.  

     

     

51. Performance Evaluations 
    With a performance review workflow template, evaluations are simplified with a checklist to complete that includes filling out necessary documents and submitting them easily to HR for record keeping. 

     

     

52. Travel Requests 
    An employee can submit a travel request digitally that outlines plans, purpose and estimated cost, which can be routed to the appropriate manager for approval.  

     

53. Employee Termination
    Employee terminations can be made painless by an automated system able to terminate all associated accounts and log in information, instead of having to do it manually.  

     

    Healthcare Use Cases 

54. Patient Transfer
    Medical records can be transferred and routed to the appropriate doctor

     

55. Patient Admission and Discharge
    When a patient is admitted, their records can go through a streamlined, digitized process of registration, billing and insurance to make admission easier. Similarly, discharge can be handled digitally by a doctor for approval.

     

56. Appointment Reminders
    Appointment reminder workflows can keep track of patient appointments and alert them of their appointment via email, text or call.

     

57. Patient Surveys
    After a patient is discharged, patient survey emails can be automatically sent out to provide feedback on the level of care received.

     

    Manufacturing Use Cases 

58. Bill of Materials
    Automating bill of materials allows alerts to occur for changes in the system with real-time monitoring and analytics of materials used.

     

59. Regulatory Compliance
    Use workflows to help streamline your safety protocols and product regulations. With accurate data processing, you’ll have in-depth records to track your events as well as real-time monitoring.

     

60. Logistics Data Automation
    Within every manufacturing operation, there is a logistics department which manages the transportation and distribution of product to customers. With an automated workflow, there can be monitoring of transport of product with a report of estimated time of when the product arrives.’

     

    Facilities Use Cases 

61. Move Requests
    An office or desk move can be a long, tedious process. With a workflow set up that is sent to the appropriate facilities employee to orchestrate the move and notify the moving employee, so everyone is on board.

     

62. Facility Access
    For guests, new employees or contractors, facility access needs to be set up. Using a workflow software, access can be granted or revoked immediately through an FOB or badge.

     

63. Maintenance Scheduling
    Facility maintenance can be scheduled and set up to send alerts to staff via workflow automation.

     

64. Emergency Preparedness
    When combining automated workflows with an emergency preparedness plan, tasks can generate according to the emergency, to ensure protection of anyone in the facility.

     

65. Recordkeeping
    With an automated workflow, facility recordkeeping can be easy. A task checklist can be generated for the appropriate data, and time kept digitally for records and managerial use.

     

66. Conference Room Booking
    With a workflow system, you can see the times a conference room is available and book it for meetings.

Company Wide Use Cases

67. Partner Onboarding
    When a self-service form is submitted, a workflow can be set up where the partner receives a checklist of requirements to meet before being registered as an official partner.

     

68. Mass Email Generation
    Data can be pulled from multiple databases and then tasked out to send as emails.

     

69. Purchase Orders
    Purchase orders can be completed digitally and then routed to the appropriate individual for approval.

     

70. Document Access
    Manage cloud storage and access in the cloud and select whether users can read or write specific documents.

     

71. Customer Support
    For customers making first contact, automated email clients and chatbots can help answer common questions quickly.

     

72. File Transfers
    Transfer your files into a designated network automation system that includes tasks of encryption and decryption, as well as pulling information.

     

    E-Commerce Use Cases 

73. Abandoned Cart Reminders
    For customers shopping online on an e-commerce site, if they add an item in a cart and then don’t follow through with an order, an email will send a reminder that they still have items in their cart.

     

74. Supply Replenishment
    With an appropriate workflow setup in an inventory management system, a trigger can be sent to send a purchase order to a vendor whenever you have low stock.

     

75. Order Fulfillment
    If you’re low on stock on a current order, you can set up a workflow through your inventory management system to either set up an action such as transferring an order through to another warehouse or backordering the items.

     

76. Welcome Email
    Did you know: welcome emails have an 84 percent open rate according to getresponse.com. Welcome emails can be automatically generated through an automation marketing software, helping to nurture leads and to send important information and promotional items.

     

77. Accounting
    With an accounting software integrated with your inventory management system and e-commerce site, your customer and purchase information can be automatically updated over to your accounting software with an automated workflow, so all purchase orders can be tracked.
    

     

    Miscellaneous Use Cases 

78. Public Record Requests
    Public record requests used to take hours at a time. With workflows you can distribute and route requests to the appropriate department and submit a request online.

     

79. Automatic Quotes via Order Estimates
    Instead of having to go through a tedious process of figuring out an order estimate manually, workflow automation is used to generate calculations by type and quantity of order.

     

80. System Backups
    With an automated system backup, you can schedule out a system backup at your convenience during a time you’re not working.

     

Want to hear 81-101? Speak with one of our automation experts and they will be able to pull out 20 more workflow applications examples specific to your organization.

Looking for some real-life workflow case studies — we got those too. Check them out here: