Workflow Automation
Automate the follow-up, routing and routine admin.
Much of the work that slows a business down is predictable: chasing a missing document, copying details between systems, sending the same report again. We build automation for that work, designed so each step is logged and a person approves anything that matters.
Send an enquiryIllustrative example
A supplier request with one missing document.
A reminder can run automatically. Approval to work remains a separate decision.
The expiry date is missing.
Send a reminder
Keep the request open. Record each attempt and send unresolved requests to a person.
Ask the responsible person
Present the documents for approval. Capture the decision before progressing the request.
When this helps
Your team spends the day chasing.
Reminder emails, follow-up calls and 'just checking in' messages fill every inbox.
Approvals stall.
Requests sit with someone who's away, and nobody knows who has them.
The same details get typed twice.
Information from a form or an email is copied by hand into another system.
What we can build
Approval workflows
Requests routed to the right person, with reminders, a record of who signed off what, and a fallback when someone is away.
Reminders and deadline tracking
Expiries, renewals and due dates tracked by the system, with notice going to a named person as each one approaches.
Scheduled reports and exports
Regular reports produced on a schedule, in the format the person reading them needs.
Triggers between systems
When a form is submitted or an invoice is paid, the next step starts in the system that needs it.
AI-assisted steps
Where a step needs reading or drafting, AI tools can prepare the work and a person checks it before it goes anywhere.
How we approach it
- 1.
Map the task
We look at how the task runs today: what starts it, who touches it, what goes wrong and what a mistake costs.
- 2.
Sort each step
Every step goes into one of three groups: suits an agent; AI-assisted, person approves; or stays with a person.
- 3.
Build it to flag failures
Each automated step is designed to log what it did, and to stop and tell a named person when something fails or looks wrong.
- 4.
Run it beside the old way
Where it matters, the automation runs next to the manual process first, so you can compare the results before switching over.
What you receive
- Working automations
- Set up and documented, with the triggers, rules and limits for each one written down.
- A task map
- Each task we looked at, the group it went into, and why.
- Logs and alerts
- A record of what each automation did, and alerts designed to reach a named person when something needs attention.
- A runbook
- How to pause, change or switch off each automation, in plain language.
What we need from you
- The person who owns the process, to decide what's in and what's out.
- Time with the people who do the task now.
- Examples of the task, such as emails, forms or spreadsheets, with sensitive details removed if you prefer.
- Access to the systems involved, through their own invite or permission settings.
Before committing
Scope depends on the systems, data and access available. These are the constraints we discuss with you.
Risks we check
- Steps where a mistake would cost money, harm someone or break a legal duty. Those keep a person in charge.
- Automations that fail silently.
- Personal information passing through a service your agreement doesn't name.
- Automating a broken process, which only makes it break faster.
What we won't recommend
- Automating decisions about people's jobs, pay, safety or complaints.
- Automation for a task that's rare, or that changes shape every time it comes up.
Where we're not the right fit
- If a feature in software you already pay for would do the job, we'll say so.
- Some tasks are too rare or too varied to be worth automating, and we'll tell you which ones.
- Decisions about roles are yours. Any change to someone's job should follow your own HR or legal advice.
Questions about workflow automation
What if an automation gets something wrong?
Automations we build are designed to log what they do, work inside limits you set, and pass anything uncertain to a person. The runbook shows how to pause each one.
Will this replace my staff?
We look at tasks, not people. What you do with the time is your decision, and any change to someone's role should follow your own HR or legal advice.
Do we need new software?
Not always. A lot of this work can be done by connecting or extending the systems you already use.
Where should we start?
With one task that repeats and annoys everyone. If you'd like the whole picture first, a workflow review looks at your tasks and sorts out which suit automation, which don't, and why.
How much will it cost, and how long will it take?
It depends on how many tasks and systems are involved. Scope, cost and timing are set out in a written proposal before anything is built.
Related capabilities
Have a project in mind?
Send a short description of the problem and the systems involved. We will review fit and availability.