Workflow automation tools have become increasingly popular in recent years. Workflow tools are apps and software that allow you to automate processes and integrate all of the apps your business uses. In other words, an automated workflow eliminates manual processes within your workflow to increase productivity and save you from countless repetitive tasks every day.

You can create an automated workflow with a number of different apps available today. However, it’s important to choose the right app for your business. What works best for you may not work best for your friends in a different industry or occupation. Even within your organization, you may find different platforms work better for some departments than others.

In general, when you’re shopping for a workflow automation tool, there are some things to consider. Here are some of the features to prioritize as you’re deciding between platforms.

• Benefits: Obviously, your first consideration will be how much the tool will benefit your business. Even if one solution is cheaper than another, if the more expensive option saves more time and produces better results, it may be worth the extra expense.
• Ease of setup: Unless you have programmers with time on their hands, you’ll want an out-of-the-box solution that lets you get started right away.
• Ease of use: Your workflow automation tools should be straightforward enough for team members to use without formal training or coding experience. If the tool lets you create workflows, is there a drag-and-drop editor to ensure it’s not only easy to use, but also fun and visually appealing?
• Remote accessibility: The best tools today are cloud-based, allowing your team to use them from anywhere.
• Access control: You’ll need to not only be able to decide who has access to various features, but you should also be able to easily add and remove people from the platform.
• Integrations: Most software is built to be used in coordination with some of the most popular workplace tools. Check to make sure a solution integrates with the software you already use.
• Cost: Price will always be a consideration and it’s important to look at how the purchase will impact your budget long-term.
• Reporting: The right tool will not only make collaboration and project management easier, but it will also provide insight into your daily operations.

Ready to get started? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best workflow automation solutions for a variety of scenarios below to give you a head start.

Workflow Tools for Business

Managing your business processes can be among the most important tasks you take on as a leader. The following tools will help you log and track everything, as well as set and work toward reaching your goals.

ClickUp

This workflow app lets you organize projects, events, contacts, and more. You can also integrate ClickUp into your workflow with a Slack app.

Trello

This Kanban-based project management tool makes it easy to track all your projects.

Workfront

This workflow app specializes in workflows, helping you make sure everything your team does aligns with your overall company mission.

Khorus

Designed for CEOs, this free tool helps you set goals, manage teams, and monitor company performance

Productboard

Having a hard time deciding what products to build next? Productboard automates the feedback-gathering process to save you time and help you get better results.

VTiger

If you need one tool to bring your marketing, sales, and support teams together, this CRM can help. You’ll have a 360-degree view of your customers and your internal processes.

Workflow Tools for Remote Teams

Now more than ever, teams are working remotely. That makes it more important than ever that leaders have something in place that lets them view and manage workflows. Here are some tools that help supervisors bring everyone together in one place.

Monday.com

This tool addresses the unique needs of remote teams, offering features that help everyone stay in touch even when they aren’t under the same roof.

Asana

This tool is similar to Trello, but with various layout options to help you choose the page design that makes you most productive.

WorkflowMax

This all-in-one tool gives you an overview of your operations, including quoting, time tracking, and reporting, to help you keep an eye on everything when your team is spread out.

Hive

Although there are plenty of collaboration platforms, this tool stands apart by combining project and process management for easier workflow management.

Workflow Tools for Marketing

Marketing teams combine creativity with business, coming up with great campaign ideas, and tracking data to make sure they work. This calls for workflow automation tools that merge all of these features into one useful piece of software. Here are some of our favorites.

Wrike

This workflow app promotes both collaboration and performance tracking, making it perfect for marketing teams.

Hootsuite

Social media is an important part of the work marketing teams do, and this dashboard tool helps you manage it all.

Airtable

This tool combines spreadsheets and databases into a visually-appealing project management tool. Automate your Airtable even more with the Slack app.

Alpha

One of the biggest challenges for marketing teams is feedback. This tool lets you test and gather information to give you the data you need for more successful campaigns.

PartnerStack

If your business relies on partner relationships for revenue, this tool can help automate management of those programs for better results.

Workflow Tools for Customer Relationship Management

Supporting your customers keeps your business going. But as your company grows, it can be tougher to keep up with everything. These tools help you automate workflows related to your CRM solution.

HappyFox

Save time and boost productivity with this web-based help desk and knowledge base workflow automation tool for customer support teams.

Teamwork

This workflow app offers a little of everything, including helpdesk, chat, document management software and CRM.

OTRS

This support desk software helps streamline your ticketing and help desk systems.

Agile CRM

This tool automates your sales, marketing, and service functions to help you manage everything in one place.

Workflow Tools for Small Business

What makes small business solutions unique is that they need to be able to do a little bit of everything. Your workflow automation tools will need to be able to help you manage projects, stay on top of your client communications, and handle your finances.

Bitrix24

The small business version of Bitrix24 is free, making it a workflow automation tool well worth checking out.

WorkFlowy

If lists are your thing, this productivity tool will help you get everything down so you can better manage your workflows.

HoneyBook

This tool is built specifically for the needs of small businesses, providing everything you need to manage your growing client list.

Wimi

Built for the unique needs of small businesses, this tool keeps your team, projects, and data in one platform.

Zoho

This solution gives you the tools you need to run your entire business, including customer management, accounting, and HR. Zoho One lets you create workflows by connecting more than 40 different popular business applications.

Workflow Tools for Enterprise

Enterprises may have more resources, but they’re also juggling many things at once. The right workflow automation solution will help the leadership team track what’s going on and manage employees and projects.

10000ft

This tool has everything you need in one place, from resource allocation to time tracking to dynamic reporting.

Aha!

Enterprises can be challenged to stay on mission with so much going on This tool uses roadmaps to help you visualize your progress.

Dynamics365

If your business uses Microsoft’s suite of solutions, this enterprise-geared set of tools may be the best option for you.

Workep

This tool integrates with G Suite to create an all-in-one workspace that encourages collaboration and improves oversight.

ProWorkFlow

For your projects, this tool brings everything together, with project management, task management, timesheets, templates, workflow management, and more.

AskSpoke

Employees don’t have time to place a helpdesk ticket and wait for a technician to show up. This tool makes things easier for everyone, letting workers ask questions and get answers.

Workflow Tools for Sales

Sales teams are essential to keeping revenue coming in. The right workflow tools can give them the support they need to bring in new business.

Salesforce

If you use Salesforce, you already know the many benefits of the software. But the Service Cloud is geared toward helping you manage your client relations.

Accelo

For managing clients, this tool can be a big help. It helps you manage your ops, track your client interactions, and provide customer service.

Apollo

Accelerate the growth and success of your sales team with Apollo's reliable and scalable sales revenue and engagement platform. Equipped with an extensive database, prospect searcher, and CRM tracking, Apollo will help you boost sales with precision.   

Forecast

This solution is all about profitability. The focus is on improving productivity to boost your business’s bottom line.

Hubspot Sales

This tool makes it easy to manage leads, reach out to customers, and track everything to improve your success rates.

Yesware

Turn your inbox into a selling machine with this solution, which gives you the tools you need to prospect, schedule meetings, and follow up with sales leads.

Copper

Built for G Suite, Copper lets you manage your contacts, deals, emails, files, and more directly within your inbox and Google Calendar.

Workflow Tools for Human Resources

Today’s human resources professionals rely heavily on technology to help with the work they do. Workflow automation tools can help them both work more efficiently and evaluate the results of that work.

Bamboo HR

Whether you’re hiring or managing the team you already have, this tool has you covered with features like applicant tracking, time tracking, new employee onboarding, and performance management.

WebHR

The social media-style interface on this tool makes it easy to use while still packing in features like time and attendance, payroll, and benefits administration.

Pipefy

Customers may use a variety of methods to interact with a business, and Pipefy streamlines them all into one easy-to-use platform.

FactoHR

Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions such as a recruitment management system, automated payroll platform, attendance management, and remote employee monitoring software; so you can ditch the paperwork and boost productivity.  

Beekast

Presentations are a large part of HR processes, and this tool helps you plan, execute, and evaluate those meetings.

Workflow Tools for Finance

Your finance team faces the ongoing challenge of keeping revenue flowing. Workflow automation tools will help boost your business’s bottom line while also keeping morale and productivity high.

JetPack Workflow

Designed for accountants, CPA firms, and bookkeepers, this software will help you automate and track tasks to improve efficiency.

Avaza

With this software, you get resource scheduling, time and expense tracking, quoting and invoicing, and more.

Bill.com

Automate your accounts payable and receivable tasks with this tool, which syncs with many of the most popular accounting and bookkeeping tools.

Time Doctor

If your team needs to track your time for billing purposes, this tool will help, running in the background to provide the data you need.

Certify

Reduce the workload for your team with this tool, which makes travel and expense reporting easy.

Workflow Tools for Information Technology

Technology teams have unique needs, especially when it comes to large-scale projects like server deployments and application development. Since collaboration and project management are both essential to success in these larger endeavors, a workflow automation tool can make a big difference. Here are some to consider.

Nintex

This tool helps you automate and standardize your business processes with end-to-end process management and workflow automation.

Jira

Software releases can be complex, but Jira has you covered with progress tracking, release planning, and reporting.

GitScrum

This tool gives you a tool to help you plan your projects to get better results from each release.

FogBugz

This all-in-one tool provides task management, email response templates, and code review.

Spiceworks

With free tools like help desk and inventory monitoring, this site can give your IT team the support they need to keep your company’s technology running.

Cross-Platform Integration Apps

Zapier

With Zapier integrations, you create workflows based on tasks associated with various projects or processes, integrating with the apps you use to do those tasks for seamless operation. It also works as a Slack app.

Tray.io

Integrate all your apps to automate your entire daily workflow with this workflow automation tool.

IFTTT

An acronym for “If This, Then That,” IFTTT is an automation app that connects your apps as well as other products connected to the internet.

Pulling It All Together

As you’re looking for ways to boost your team’s productivity and efficiency, one of the best things you can do is streamline the solutions you use each day. Shift organizes your desktop, giving you one central location to find all your favorite apps. Simply download Shift and begin adding your favorite tools to make your software easily accessible throughout the day.