The advantages of centralizing your organization on a request and approval management system. Includes examples of request workflows and primary benefits of a request management system.

1. Automating Request
and Approval
Management

2. Automating Request and Approval Management
Overview
For most organizations, decisions are rarely made in a vacuum.
Organizations require some level of structure, to ensure corporate
policies are adhered to and critical decisions receive the proper
checks and balances before action is taken. Sometimes this is due to
regulatory or compliance pressure, sometimes it’s simply
organizational due diligence.
Automating the processes behind these decisions ensures:
• Productivity/Efficiency
• Visibility/Accountability
• Standardization/Compliance
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

3. The Request Problem
Request Management Solutions Are Flawed
Usually, the ways an organization handles requests has more downsides
than upsides. Here are three common “solutions.”
• Paper
Manual request and approval processes are inefficient, error-prone
and create day-to-day setbacks in productivity and morale.
• Email
Email requests are hard to process and catalog. Attachments even
moreso. Plus it just adds to everyone’s email pile.
• Homegrown
For a full explanation of the potential issues of a homegrown solution
see our blog post “The Temptation and the Trap of Homegrown
Systems.”
• Shoe-Horned Web Solutions
In the absence of a purpose-built solution, some companies turn to
survey software like Survey Monkey, Google Docs, Wufoo which are
great products but ill-equipped to handle true request management.
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

4. The Solution: Request & Approval Management
Automate the entire request process
Request management systems are designed handle a large volume of incoming requests and route them smartly.
Here is the basic structure of a request management system:
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

5. Example: Expense Request
Taking the Pain Out of Expense Requests
Most organizations have an expense request process for travel,
budget allocations, capital expenditures, etc. With a Request
Management system it might look like the illustration on the right.
• The process is started, via an online form.
• The system ensures the proper information has been supplied.
• The completed form is routed to the submitter’s manager.
• The manager approves or denies the request.
• If approved, the request continues to Accounting.
• If approved, the reimbursement is processed.
• Alerts are sent to the submitter when denied, or processed.
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

6. A Few More Examples
Integrify is used across the organization
• Finance
• HR
• IT/IS
• Operations
• Marketing
• Legal
• Sales
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

7. Benefit: Productivity/Efficiency
Process more requests faster
• Streamline and speed up internal processes by reducing
manual entry and request handling.
• Increase output and increase productivity for both
requesters and approvers.
• Better align tasks with skillsets and assign tasks to the
most appropriate staff members.
• Reduce request handling overhead and do more with
fewer administrators.
• Gain back time for more strategic work.
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

8. Benefit: Standardization/Compliance
Reduce Business Errors
• Reduce critical errors and re-work.
• Reduce risk of improperly-approved requests, contracts,
hires, etc.
• Improve compliance with audit trails.
• Reduce need for manual decision making and handling
with business rules.
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

9. Benefit: Visibility/Accountability
Track Business Performance
• Track request status (completed, pending, or in-progress,
etc.) in real time.
• Identify performance trends (group/individual) over time.
• Use alerts/reminders to keep requesters and approvers
on track and accountable.
• Centralize all departments on a unified, personalized
portal for staff to submit forms.
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow

10. Automating Request and Approval Management
Conclusion
For organizations that handle a lot of requests and approvals,
whether in HR, Finance, Marketing, IT, Operations or any other
department, implementing a Request Management System is the
best way to ensure efficiency, accuracy and compliance.
For a demonstration of how to build a request management
workflow with Integrify, you can watch our demonstration video
anytime at:
http://get.integrify.com/demonstration-video
For the complete eBook, visit: http://get.integrify.com/automating-request-and-approval-workflow