The form builders that many manufacturing companies invested in not long ago are like buying shoes for a teenager—you buy what you think is the correct size one day, only to discover those shoes are too tight a few weeks later. Form fillers are not growing to fit the constantly changing needs of manufacturing companies competing in a very turbulent environment. Some of the criticisms from manufacturing leadership about their form filler packages include their lack of flexibility, and the fact that these packages are “self-help” with minimal, if any, back-end support. They’re essentially paper forms translated into an electronic format, like a Google Survey. They’re not very engaging for workers, and the workers themselves desire more digital innovation to keep up with the pace of their jobs. Fortunately, there is a better way, and it comes in the form of workflow automation. So, why are workflows a viable replacement for form builder software? Here’s why:

Before You Invest in a Form Filler…

Whether you are seeking a way to digitize your paper files, or you have been using a form builder software for some time, it pays to consider the benefits of workflow automation now. Automated workflows like Anvl can grow and adapt with your needs as your company grows, and workers are more ready for this move than you realize. Don’t buy shoes that only fit for a short time—find a solution that will grow with you for the duration, and you’ll never look back.

5 Reasons Workflows are a Viable Replacement to Form Builder Software

To describe why workflow automation is the future of manufacturing, it’s important to describe it first, and then to outline the benefits. Simply put, workflow automation is a process. You start with a set of business-focused rules. The system of creating, implementing and then automating processes that fit those rules, which leadership may need to change in the future, is workflow automation. The digital solution that management and workers use enables them to rapidly and correctly perform defined tasks within the workflow, which then transmits important data to all concerned parties in real-time. 

What makes automated workflows truly magical is that this data is alive and actionable—workers and supervisors can see it immediately, quickly run analyses on it, and gain insight about how safety, quality and operations can be improved and strengthened right away. No hours or days are wasted sifting through forms, paper or electronic, trying to find the data you need. It’s there, operating within the workflow, right now. The benefits of an automated workflow solution like Anvl include: 

1. Rapid Safety, Quality and Operations Improvements

If your company needs an immediate quality boost, urgent safety insight, or a way to streamline operations for better competitiveness (or all three at once), workflows can be tailored to grab and analyze incoming data from a variety of sources: your workers, sensors throughout the plant, and even remote, incoming data. Anvl can churn through this data to provide answers you need quickly. 

2. A Customized Approach

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach that works for every company. Your company is unique, and you need a solution that can be tailored to fit your processes and rules. This is why Anvl has flexibility built into it, so that it can be customized to answer your unique questions and needs. 

3. A Digital Partner

Unlike a typical form builder or form filler package that just collects and stores data, solutions like Anvl become more of a digital partner that can work with you to design a guided, digital experience for your workers. It’s more than just turning paper into digital forms: it’s taking the data from everywhere at once and giving you answers to your most vital business questions on the fly. 

4. Support You Can Rely On

When you choose Anvl workflow automation, you get more than just an advanced, intelligent digital solution. You get a team of experts that work with you, from onboarding and customization to implementation and continued support as your needs change. 

5. Digital Transformation is Easier than You Realize

The solution to digital transformation does exist now, and it will take you farther and faster than the “simple” (but inflexible) form builder that you’ll likely outgrow within a quarter or two. Why waste time in that space, when you can adopt workflows that will last and grow with your business and not slow you down later? 

Anvl Workflows Grow With Your Needs

You can’t afford to waste time with solutions that won’t grow with your business. You need solutions that adjust and adapt to a competitive environment that never stops changing. Anvl’s guided, digital workflows can flex and stretch with you, meeting your unique business needs now, and in the future. See the Anvl demo here, and be sure to contact our experts today to get started.