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Paper may have once been necessary for workflows, but no longer.[/caption] Think about how often your employees use a request workflow on an ordinary day. They may have trouble logging into their workstation, so they request IT help. Down the hallway, the light over someone's cubicle may have burned out, so they make a building services request to have it fixed. Over in HR, a new employee is starting today, so the manager puts in a request to have office keys issued. Request workflows are central to countless work processes, and the more efficient and accurate they are, the more efficient and accurate employees can be. Streamlining request workflows can be an investment with a fast, impressive return on investment. Here are 6 benefits of a streamlined request workflow. 1. Less Paper Rare is the request workflow that can't be made paperless. Paper may have been necessary to streamlined workflows at one time, but we have much better options now. Paper forms take up space, can be lost or damaged, maybe illegible, and must be routed by hand throughout the chain of command. Electronic forms linked into workflows, however, require no filing cabinets, won't be lost, and are always legible. Plus, they can be routed swiftly and securely to everyone whose input is necessary. 2. Easier Tracking Old, cumbersome workflows were hard to track. You left the form in the correct person's inbox, but did they see it and act on it? More broadly, how many times was that manual, paper-based workflow used last quarter? Last year? Unless someone is manually keeping track, it's hard to know. Electronic workflows allow transparency at every step. Whoever initiated the request can track its progress anytime, and whoever is in charge of the workflow can automatically collect statistics such as the number of requests, number of requests approved, and how much money was spent fulfilling them. 3. Better Budget Forecasting If thirty IT requests were made to complain about a malfunctioning printer, maybe it's time to budget for a better printer. If the transportation pool is experiencing waiting lists for vehicles, perhaps buying or leasing more vehicles is a smart step for the next fiscal year. When request workflows are electronic and easily trackable, you can see what resources are most in-demand and how your budget dollars can be spent most wisely. While this could be done with manual workflows, it was much slower and prone to mistakes. Electronic request workflows can do a lot of the statistical work for you [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="400"]
