Workflow automation through communication

Challenges faced

• Cross-functional collaboration. Servitron struggled to communicate and collaborate smoothly across departments.

• Delayed approvals. The on-site teams faced significant delays to get approvals for simple tasks like expense reports and travel claims.

• Paper-based approvals. Servitron had a manual approval system that involved tracking large volumes of paper-based forms and emails.

Solution

Servitron was growing fast and realized that it needed to fix these problems to accommodate its development. Servitron contemplated writing their own software to overcome these routine workflow hurdles, but they soon realized it would be too expensive, take a lot of time to develop, and may not be as flexible as an out-of-the-box workflow platform.

The story took an optimistic twist in September 2015 when Servitron discovered Kissflow. Kissflow helps Servitron simplify its processes and keep track of them at every step.

“We wanted to automate and have records on different processes, and [we] were looking for a software solution that was easy to use – something where you don’t need an IT guy to customize and where the end user can design and correct their own processes,” said Juan Carlos Calderón Tapia, Head of Operations at Servitron.

He added, “Kissflow is very easy and user-friendly…users can now create processes by themselves without the need to go through a software design process or involve the IT department.” What’s more, he says after adopting Kissflow, many other departments are eager to try automation on their own processes.

Servitron saw huge benefits on the financial and operational fronts after embracing Kissflow. The workflow platform saved the company from burning a large chunk of its bottom line on paper-based expenses and reduced its processing time on approval cycles.

And, as a company that is known for offering communication services for two-way radio devices, they love Kissflow’s mobile app and its functionalities above everything else. Tapia enthusiastically explains, “A good part of our operations and maintenance crews are constantly deployed [on the site], and having an easy-to-use app in their phones has simplified some previously tedious approvals like hotel stay expenses, airplane ticket approvals, travel expense reports, and so on.”

Now, they don’t have to dig through an avalanche of emails to track a certain request. They can follow up on tasks in real-time, make people accountable for pending tasks, and complete tasks even on the move.

Kissflow’s integration with G Suite was icing on the cake for Servitron because the company had recently migrated all its services to the Google domain. “The product is solid, it’s affordable, and we get adequate support,” Tapia says, expressing his company’s happiness about moving to Kissflow.

Results

With Kissflow, Servitron has realized significant benefits such as:

• Reduction in process cycle time

• Saving money

• Eliminating tedious manual work

Currently, Servitron uses Kissflow extensively to automate their travel expense workflows, access authorizations for infrastructure, and service and maintenance of their vehicle fleet. Tapia says that the company is planning to expand Kissflow’s use with their business partners, suppliers, and contractors to improve their business interactions.