Document workflow automation lets your organization increase efficiency and accuracy, while also driving better collaboration and project management between different departments. Integrating document automation into your business’s workflow also allows for real-time collaboration along with keeping your files and documents in a centralized and universally accessible server. PDF editors and their various tools such as merge PDF, and split PDF can also be applied automatically, reducing the time needed to edit pdfs and create documents. This article will describe how document automation can help your business gain a competitive edge while also working for you as a freelancer or individual.
Document Automation: Unlocking the Power of Workflow Automation
Before document automation, businesses and individuals had to perform a series of repetitive tasks to create different types of documents. This was the norm for all types of businesses and it often led to errors and discrepancies in key documents that businesses needed to operate. A missing or incorrect document was enough to hold up workflows, as teams and managers had to wait to retrieve an essential contract or work order.
Document automation fixes all that. Now, documents are created to order, the same way, every time. A document workflow can start when, for example, goods and services are invoiced, ordered, or purchased. This inciting incident can trigger a document management program to create the next document needed for another department to keep the workflow flowing, such as a receipt, a bill of lading, or an entry into a spreadsheet.
But this is what document automation can do for large businesses, but what can it do for you, as an individual? If you have a small business or are a freelancer, document automation can also help drive efficiency and speed, as several key PDF editing features, such as merge, split, and extract PDF can be done automatically, if they are programmed into your document management software.
Document Automation: How PDF Editors Can Help
Most premium document management software is expensive and requires purchasing licenses, updates, and cloud-storage access. But a free online PDF editor can do much of the work of these high-priced programs. PDF editors can also be programmed to perform certain functions when new orders or documents are inputted. They can also organize and store new documents in their appropriate folder or location in a universal server.
One of the ways that a PDF editor can act as a document workflow automation system is with OCR technology. Using OCR PDF technology means converting scanned PDFs and images into a machine-readable format so other programs and software can perform different functions. PDFs converted with OCR technology can also be manipulated and edited, while also being saved in an easy-to-access drive.
But PDF editors can also generate PDF forms and texts. Some of the more widely-used PDF programs let you create and format new PDFs according to your specifications. You can create a new contract for your freelance business or an online job application form that users can fill out online without having to download or print any paper. Most importantly, these forms are free of errors and are written with legible writing.
Document Automation: How to Collaborate with PDF Editors
Another important advantage of document automation is that it can help different departments and team members work together on important projects. A PDF editor also has online capabilities, and can either be used online or downloaded into a company-wide network to be used by employees worldwide. A PDF editor can sync with an online cloud storage program so all the documents it creates are stored in the same location, and everyone with access to the cloud drive can open it.
Some PDF editors go even further by letting different team members access the same document and then collaborate in real-time. You can add the usual PDF text edits such as adding comments or annotations to specific areas or passages, while also highlighting, underlining, or striking through words or sentences that are not necessary. The advantage of this feature is that your entire team can perform these edits at the same time, and respond to them without delay.
Along with saving all the changes made to a text, PDF editors equipped with automation tools can track and manage different versions of a PDF document, ensuring that the most recent edits are incorporated while preserving previous iterations. All these features make a PDF editor a more attractive tool to introduce workflow automation if you are not a large corporation or business, while also reaping all the benefits of the way document automation can transform any workflow.
