Automation: Gain greater visibility Q: How can managers use automation to improve performance?
By Ellen Sluder
Updated Mon April 24, 2017
A. Workflow automation is a way to gain greater visibility and control, and it will help you set best practices. Beyond the basics of standardizing and streamlining operations, it improves your ability to manage on a daily basis.
Alerts & Escalations
Timeliness is crucial in the back office. You can stay on track effortlessly by building these deadlines into your workflow system. You set the date by which activities need to happen (e.g. a calendar date) or the expected amount of elapsed time (e.g. 4 hours). Alerts and escalations can be customized to notify you whether something has or has not happened in the expected timeframe. It enables you to identify potential issues before they become problems that impact revenue.
Scheduled Reporting
When all of your work is completed in a single, centralized workflow system, you have a wealth of data you can use to inform business decisions. You can examine progress against goals, get to the root causes of performance, and identify areas for improvement. With automation, reports keep you in touch with the metrics that matter most.
Work Distribution
With paper-based systems, work is often distributed through very basic criteria—by alphabet, by payer, by dollar amount. Automated work distribution allows you to assign work based on complex logic built to return maximize productivity. It takes into consideration varied characteristics such as the type of work, employee skill sets, dollar amounts, and employee schedules. Everyone's queue stays at a reasonable length, nothing gets missed, and your managerial time is freed up to focus on strategic tasks.
Ellen Sluder is vice president of marketing for Medforce Technologies. Reach her at esluder@medforcetech.com.
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