By leveraging citizen development, many organizations were able to streamline their business processes and automate workflows without the involvement of IT teams. As the low-code/no-code market continues to grow, the demand for citizen developers among SMBs and enterprises will increase.

In this blog, we aim to answer the “how to become a citizen developer?” question for both employees looking to mastering new digital skills with the airSlate Academy, and business owners interested in fostering citizen development culture within their organization.

Document Workflow Automation for IT Professionals

• Business process automation
• Client onboarding
• Workflow optimization

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What is a citizen developer?

A citizen developer is a business user with little-to-no technical background capable of building applications that automate business processes and workflows without coding #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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Why do businesses introduce citizen development, also known as “self-serving innovation”? The main reason often lies in the inability of IT department to deliver new IT solutions on time. As a result, businesses experience different types of consequences, as follows:

• 62% – frustration among the forward-thinking employees
• 50% – inability to meet key strategic targets
• 49% – miss cost reduction opportunities
• 48% – loss of competitive edge

When leveraged alongside their IT department, citizen developers can help address the following business challenges:

1. Lack of skilled developers

According to Forrester, citizen development, once an experimental concept, has evolved to replace essential applications. Currently, 39% of organizations utilize low-code platforms to enable non-IT developers, and 27% have plans to adopt this approach in the coming year. The deployment of no-code solutions at the enterprise level allowed more businesses to leverage their non-technical workforce, thus minimizing the load on strapped IT teams. This way, organizations can not only optimize their existing employees and resources at hand but also significantly reduce employment expenses.

2. The growing need for applications

The ever-increasing need for business applications stems from the previous challenge. According to the IDC, the number of apps increases exponentially on a daily basis and is predicted to exceed 500 million apps developed and deployed using cloud-native approaches by 2023. Strapped IT departments are often unable to deliver the applications within the needed time frame to satisfy specific business needs. Leveraging citizen developers, however, can help address this challenge.

3. Insufficient productivity

As indicated by ZDNet, no-code solutions can accelerate app development by up to 10 times while consuming 70% fewer resources compared to conventional methods and workflows. No-code tools allow citizen developers and/or automation engineers to build business applications faster due to the pre-configured sequence of actions and blocks of code. For instance, airSlate workflows use pre-configured no-code bots to automate specific tasks. Overall, this results in significant savings in time and resources and eliminates the need for outsourcing developers to assist IT teams in coping with a heavy workload.

Don’t know how to kick-start you career in citizen development? Watch the video below to learn more:

Citizen developer salary range

The concept of a citizen developer doesn’t imply a specific profession, but rather a scope of tasks a business user can solve within a given organization. This is why the “how to get a job as a citizen developer?” question refers to a situation where employees are hired “from within”, rather than looking for an outside candidate. In each particular case, specialists involved in low-code/no-code app development, business process automation, workflow automation, etc., are referred to as citizen developers.

Occupation titles such as process automation engineer, workflow automation specialist, rapid application developer all fall under the “citizen developer” category depending on the business needs they are supposed to address. And the range of skills required from these specialists may differ significantly depending on their responsibilities.

On the topic of citizen developer compensation, the numbers may vary. According to ZipRecruiter, in 2023, the average annual pay for a citizen developer in the United States is $129,846. That’s approximately $62.43 per hour, which is equivalent to $2,497/week or $10,820/month.

According to Glassdoor, the average base salary of a workflow automation specialist in the US is $96,309. Payscale defines a process automation specialist’s salary range between $65,000 and $110,000 a year. Their salary may more or less vary depending on the level of work experience, as shown on the chart below:

4 key citizen developer skills

Most SMBs and enterprises planning to or already fostering the citizen development culture are usually looking for a specific skill set in their employees:

• Knowledge of an organization’s operational needs and business processes

Unlike software developers who are typically not involved with the business side of an organization, a citizen developer understands the nature of organizational inertia, inefficient business processes, and bottlenecks. Leveraging no-code tools allows citizen developers to address these challenges faster without the involvement of IT.

• Advanced level of digital skills

Profound knowledge of an organization’s business processes is only half of the problem. To be able to create efficient business apps and/or automate workflows, a citizen developer must possess an advanced level of digital skills, including no-code bot automation, workflow analytics, document generation, and more.

• Ability to collaborate with other departments

The use of low-code/no-code solutions allows organizations to increase the number of citizen developers across multiple departments. Ensuring seamless collaboration between the business and IT teams when building new functionalities capable of satisfying a company’s specific needs is one of the skills required from citizen developers.

• Motivation to upskill

Being motivated to upskill is crucial in the ever-changing digital transformation scenery. The concept of a citizen developer is relatively new, so the only way to become one is through self-education. Free business process automation courses at the airSlate Academy allow students to master the no-code skills essential to building a career in digital transformation.

5 steps to become a citizen developer

Organizations leveraging automation to streamline business processes typically explore citizen development programs. In most cases, however, a citizen development practice doesn’t begin as a full-fledged, enterprise-level program. Companies that start small and test, iterate, and improve their process before scaling it to the larger organization, are those that end up winning.

As Borya Shakhnovich writes in Forbes, there are four ways to empower no-code citizen developers:

• Leverage standard toolsets. Inform development staff about the standard low-code/no-code tools and enable access to them.
• Explore hyper agility. Combine intelligent automation with agile practices, transitioning to a smart agile enterprise.
• Maintain proper governance and control of shadow IT. Discourage using systems, devices, apps, and services disapproved by IT.
• Empower no-code developers. Foster mentorship and ongoing support from IT.

So, how do you become a citizen developer under a similar program in your organization?

1. Reach out to the automation leader

The automation/IT leader is typically the one responsible for handling a citizen developer program. The first step to becoming a citizen developer is connecting with your organization’s automation leader to learn how to get involved with the citizen development program. If one is in place, they will be able to learn more about the standard tools used within their organization to avoid shadow IT practices. For instance, low-code solutions may require some knowledge of coding, while no-code tools can be operated by an end-user through a visual interface.

2. Join the reskilling/upskilling program

The next step is to bridge the knowledge gap by joining the reskilling/upskilling program or online courses for citizen developers. Some organizations leverage vendor-offered courses or in-person training that covers the basics of business process automation, document process automation, no-code bots, and other tools used in citizen development. Free business process automation courses are also available online via resources such as the airSlate Academy and other education platforms that touch on citizen development concepts.

3. Automate your first workflow

Once you’ve mastered all the necessary skills, it’s time to automate your first workflow. airSlate’s no-code Bots allow for automating a vast scope of workflows — whether it’s adjunct contracting, employee onboarding, or student application processing.

Try following this path to automate your first workflow:

• outline the business requirements of the workflow
• break down the requirements into logical steps, i.e. create a flowchart to visualize the workflow
• use airSlate’s automation bots to mimic that flowchart and ensure it aligns with the initial requirements

Learning to become a good citizen developer is no different than learning any other skill—it takes observation, practice, and repetition.

4. Explore more automation opportunities

Here are a few other things you can do to grow as a citizen developer:

• Think about other business processes that need automation in your organization.
• Spread the word about your automation success to encourage other employees to explore the opportunities for automation in their area of work.
• Help them identify the pain points and leverage the appropriate tools to address the challenges they face in their manual work.

5. Expand your skillset

Once you’ve reached a certain level of proficiency with no-code business process automation, it’s time to expand your skillset.

Discover the top 6 courses to become a citizen developer with the airSlate Academy:

1. Citizen Development: What’s It All About?

This course explains the key benefits and principles of work behind the citizen development trend for current business environments. It gives insights into who can be a citizen developer, what no-code and low-code tools are and how to use them, and how to keep development balanced. Discover how you can improve your career prospects by becoming a citizen developer in your company.

2. airSlate Fundamentals

This course is the perfect fit for users new to no-code automation. In this course, you will learn the airSlate basics and how to implement them to address practical business tasks. Explore the capabilities of the airSlate platform to learn how to configure an airSlate Workspace, design a Flow, streamline business processes using no-code Automation Bots, and more.

3. Business Process Automation

This free business process automation course will teach you how to streamline the most complicated business processes and save resources with airSlate. During this course, you’ll learn the benefits of business process automation with airSlate and its positive impact on an organization’s overall performance.

4. airSlate Bots: the Ultimate Guide

This course covers everything a citizen developer needs to know about airSlate’s no-code Automation Bots. You will learn the basics of setting up task automation using no-code Bot automation technology. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to create fully automated workflows, saving your business’s resources for higher priority goals.

5. Automation in Action: Industry Use Cases

This course is for more proficient citizen developers that are well-aware of airSlate’s mode of operation and who already employ the benefits of business process automation. The course covers industry use cases and demonstrates how businesses integrate airSlate into their working processes. With this course, you will learn how to enhance business process efficiency and save resources.

6. airSlate Workflow Analytics

This course is aimed at airSlate users who are already knowledgeable in workflow automation processes. Throughout this course, you will learn how to perform data analysis and performance analytics using airSlate functionality. airSlate provides handy dashboard reports, configurable analytics, and an audit trail to help you monitor actions in your Workspace in real time.

Ride the innovation wave with the airSlate Academy

Mastering no-code skills is an option for non-technical employees to get involved in the development of new digital experiences and apps. Becoming a no-code citizen developer is a great way to pursue new career opportunities within your organization, or shoot for a more rewarding job position elsewhere. By enrolling in upskilling or re-skilling programs, you can leverage the time saved on repetitive tasks and the technical knowledge to advance in your career.

FAQ

The post How to become a citizen developer: 5 steps to take charge of your company’s automation success appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

In 2020, nearly 70% of organizations implemented BPM to reduce operational expenses and boost productivity. #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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What is a business process?

The concept of a “business process” is essential to understanding the gist of business process management. In a very broad sense, a business process is everything that happens within an organization that has a clearly defined beginning and outcome. For instance, each time an applicant submits their CV for a vacancy, they become a part of an HR business process which may later result in employment and onboarding.

Why are business processes important?

The importance of business processes is especially evident at the enterprise level. Poorly managed processes result in wasted time and resources, multiple errors, lack of visibility, data leaks, and security issues. At the individual level, employees don’t see the big picture, so they don’t know the inputs and outputs of a business process and can’t assess the possible bottlenecks and inefficiencies. With this in mind, there are a number of reasons for an organization to streamline its business processes:

• Set priority tasks to achieve larger business goals
• Establish a scope of standard tools and procedures
• Ensure accountability and optimal use of resources
• Improve communication within the organization
• Boost productivity

It takes time, resources, and thorough planning to ensure that business processes within an organization are running smoothly — and that’s exactly what business process management is for.

What is business process management?

Business process management (BPM) is a systematic approach that involves the design, execution, monitoring, and optimization of business processes to help organizations achieve their business goals. At the heart of every BPM initiative lies continuous process improvement, an ongoing sequence of efforts that aims to make an organization’s processes, services, and products more efficient in the long run.

BPM is a systematic approach involving the design, execution, monitoring & optimization of business processes to help organizations achieve their business goals. #bpm #nocode @airSlateAcademy
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Business process management vs business process automation

It’s crucial to distinguish between business process management (BPM) and business process automation (BPA).

Business process automation uses technology to automate routine, repetitive business processes and tasks, thus minimizing or eliminating manual effort. BPA helps organizations reduce operational costs, improve efficiency, and streamline processes.

Business automation is closely tied to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Digital Process Automation (DPA):

• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) uses software bots that mimic human behavior to fulfill recurring, rule-based tasks with pre-defined inputs and outputs. RPA is often used to complete labor-intensive intellectual tasks like data entry, data processing, and mapping, etc.In a very general sense, no-code business automation falls under the same category as RPA, since it uses no-code bots to automate repetitive business workflows such as document generation, contract negotiation, eSignature, payments, etc.
• Digital Process Automation (DPA) primarily focuses on automating processes and optimizing workflows involving human interaction in management, sales, and marketing. DPA maximizes the efficiency delivered by BPM solutions to customers, contractors, and other stakeholders, thus improving user experiences.

Unlike BPA, business process management involves the management of complex organization-wide processes using different types of methodologies and tools.

What is business process management software?

Business process management software (BPMS) is a general term that covers a scope of tools meant to optimize an organization’s business processes and workflows to help achieve its business goals. BPM tools are used to collect and analyze information, automate and improve repetitive workflows, monitor and report on processes, etc.

The features and functionalities of most BPM tools can overlap with other solutions, so it’s important to differentiate among the offerings available on the market. Despite BPM and workflow management tools having a somewhat similar purpose, the former provides a more comprehensive picture of all the processes within an organization. When workflows are mentioned in the context of business process management, the conversation usually gravitates towards how repetitive, routine processes are executed.

Rapid application development (RAD) software, such as low-code/no-code (LCNC) solutions, allows businesses to build internally-facing applications to streamline processes and automate tasks. Leveraging low-code/no-code tools within an organization involves citizen developers – users with little to no coding experience, but are well aware of the company’s business needs. Low-code/no-code tools geared to build process automation applications are referred to as digital process automation (DPA) tools.

Finally, there’s also business process mining software, used to monitor if business processes are carried out properly. Apart from delivering a conformity check, process mining tools maintain visibility over the stages of a process that may go missing, get skipped, and even a specific employee. From there, it becomes possible to create data-driven improvements.

The benefits of using BPM solutions

Leveraging BPM tools on the enterprise level delivers palpable benefits, such as:

• Better organizational control

The inability to follow a rapidly changing business environment may often result in organizational errors that hinder overall efficiency. Having a BPM tool allows management to monitor resource allocation, spot inefficiencies sooner, reduce bottlenecks, and fix errors. Risk reduction yields better organizational control and compliance with organizational goals.

• Costs minimization

Research suggests that 70% of organizations are doing process work to reduce costs and improve productivity. The deployment of BPM software not only improves resource allocation but also ensures human effort is invested in relevant tasks. Compared to on-premise solutions, cloud-based BPM tools allow for better scalability, without extra costs or overhead. On top of that, cloud BPM providers take care of maintenance issues, so that an organization’s IT staff can devote more time to tackling priority tasks that add business value.

• Workflow automation

BPM tools make it possible to manage multiple workflows and determine which of them could be automated. AI-driven workflow automation leads to a significant reduction of manual effort, while also cutting the costs of some operations. According to McKinsey, at least one-third of routine work activities in 60% of occupations can be automated. Automation is applicable in a vast scope of business areas such as productivity and time management, payroll, tax compliance, reporting, etc. As suggested by a ServiceNow survey, 6,000 knowledge workers admit that workflow automation not only boosts productivity but satisfaction as well.

• Better collaboration, higher efficiency

BPM software is known to provide insights into the “big picture” — using it helps improve collaboration between internal teams and external agents, such as customers, vendors, etc. Ensuring that all parties are aware of their responsibilities, timelines, and bottlenecks results in faster approval times and easier information retrieval.

• Improved business resilience

The term “business resilience” refers to an organization’s ability to adjust its operational models to address any disruptions while maintaining operational continuity as well as its employee base, assets, and equity. COVID-19 forced businesses across different industries to transition to remote/hybrid workplaces, which would be impossible without effective workflow automation and business management tools. According to a 2020 McKinsey global survey of business leaders, 66% of organizations were piloting solutions to automate at least one business process, up from 57% in 2018. On top of that, organizations that successfully leveraged BPM and workflow automation were seven times more likely to involve employees in their automation initiatives.

• Security and compliance

A holistic BPM solution ensures industry-leading compliance with security standards and legislation. Promoting safety and security measures is possible by properly documenting procedures and providing detailed audit logs. This way, organizations can encourage their employees to protect private information, physical resources, and other organizational assets from misuse, loss, or theft.

10 must-have features of a BPM solution

When choosing the best BPM software to meet your specific business requirements, it’s worth taking a closer look at the features under the hood. The scope of functionalities can be endless, that’s why we’ve compiled a list that includes 10 must-have features necessary for an industry-leading BPM solution:

1. Cloud-based deployment
2. Visual process modeling and/or diagramming tool
3. Low-code/no-code tools with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface
4. Collaboration tools
5. Process analytics data and process performance
6. API connector and integrations with third-party applications
7. Role-based user access control
8. Data and document management functionality
9. Project management integration
10. Workflow automation

The TOP 5 business process management tools

The chart below illustrates a comparison between four industry-leading business process management solutions based on the most in-demand features. airSlate, Hyland, Pipefy, Zoho, and Kissflow are used to monitor, customize, and automate end-to-end business processes that typically involve document generation, eSignature, contract negotiation, workflow automation, no-code robotic process automation, and so on.

How to learn business process management

The global pandemic forced organizations to revise and adjust their operating models to the new realities of remote/hybrid work, which would be impossible without effective business process management. The employment market responded with a higher demand for qualified business process managers and business analysts.

The average salary of a business process manager in the United States ranges between $77,428 to $109,718, according to Salary.com. Meanwhile, PayScale reports that the average base salary of a business process manager is $82,708. This number does not include bonuses, profit sharing, and other compensation, which can push the total salary to $140,000 annually.

So, what does a business process manager do?

A business process manager estimates, designs, executes, measures, monitors, and controls business processes to ensure their complete alignment with an organization’s strategic goals. A business process manager works collaboratively across different departments to help streamline the execution of one or multiple business processes. They tend to focus on the entire process from end-to-end, introducing innovation into the process to improve the outcomes, enhance profitability, and assist an organization to meet its business goals.

More and more business professionals are looking for a high-quality business process management course to master new digital skills for the sake of being competitive in the post-covid world. The airSlate Academy’s Business Process Analyst Course can take your career in digital transformation to the next level by broadening your job-search opportunities.

In this course, students learn about the benefits that process management and workflow automation can deliver to a business; mastering the ins and outs of no-code workflow automation, analytics, and reporting within the airSlate platform. airSlate is a holistic no-code business automation solution that combines eSignature, contract lifecycle management, document management, and much more into a single platform.

Take note, learning the most in-demand business process management skills is totally free. Enroll now to boost your career by getting certified with the airSlate Academy.

airSlate Academy’s Business Process Management: a course outline

This free online course is the ideal choice for those looking to obtain business-process-manager qualifications. Students will learn how to get the most out of a business by minimizing the amount of time and resources dedicated to executing recurring tasks and processes.

The Business Process Management Certification covers the following points:

• An Introduction to Digital Document Automation partly focuses on Document Process Automation (DPA), Business Process Management (BPM), and the correlation between the two. Students will learn how to differentiate between the solutions designed for business process automation as well as acquire insights into their options for task optimization so that they can help a business reallocate resources and time towards other vital goals.
• The Digital Security and Compliance section keeps students in the know pertaining to legal frameworks, security and compliance standards, and why they’re essential. Students will develop a better understanding of privacy and security when setting up document workflows.
• The Workflow Analytics with airSlate section reveals how to ensure the efficient functioning of internal processes; which analytics tools and metrics can be adopted, and ways to determine areas of improvement. Students will learn more about the methods and mechanisms of data collection, analysis, and exporting.
• The airSlate Fundamentals section covers the essentials of the airSlate platform, including its basic terminology and concepts. Students will learn how to set up a Workspace, onboard a team, automate processes, etc. They will be able to create fully automated Flows that save their business’ time, employee resources, and money.

Read, enroll for free, and master new digital skills with the airSlate Academy.

The post The ultimate guide to business process management 2022 appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

According to Gartner, by 2023, the number of active citizen developers at high-end enterprises will surpass the number of professional developers by four times. Being one of the fastest-growing markets, no-code development is projected to generate a revenue of $187 billion by 2030.

Gartner predicts that by 2023, the number of active citizen developers at high-end enterprises will surpass the number of professional developers by x4. #nocode #citizendevelopers @airSlateAcademy
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Becoming a citizen developer

As technologies and business models are evolving, the scope of in-demand workforce skills is also undergoing a transformation. According to McKinsey & Company, IT is the second-largest business area with the need to address potential skill gaps. Based on recent data, developer shortage leads to the growth of software developer salaries, resulting in the overall increase in corporate expenses.

Even though low-code/no-code solutions and citizen developers are unable to completely replace professional developers and the skills they offer, they turn out to be more cost-effective. In particular cases, the use of citizen development can reduce the total costs of technology by more than 80%.

The the use of citizen development can reduce the total costs of technology by more than 80%. #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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Being a citizen developer doesn’t require full-fledged technical training. Today’s low-code/no-code platforms make it relatively easy for users to design, build, and launch apps as well as automate business processes without having to worry about the underlying requirements of operating systems or scalability. Training potential citizen developers in no-code business process automation is possible at the enterprise level.

Free online courses and certification programs at the airSlate Academy are a great starting point for individuals seeking careers in automation and/or citizen development.

Access a variety of certifications from basic courses covering business and document processes to complex automation and Bot configuration.

At the airSlate Academy, you can choose to enroll in a certification program that includes several courses or complete any course you need separately. Upon completion, you will earn a verified certificate to demonstrate the skills you gained. It’s possible to share an airSlate certificate on your LinkedIn profile or add it directly to your CV.

The benefits of learning with the airSlate Academy

While automation is rapidly transforming the labor market and working processes, the need for new talent has never been more pressing. At the airSlate Academy, we educate our potential and existing customers about workflow automation and how it applies to specific businesses. Free online courses and certification programs teach you how to use airSlate better to get the most value from it.

Take a moment to consider the benefits of online education with the airSlate Academy:

• Mastering in-demand career skills. In the realities of digital transformation, employees are expected to have an excellent grasp of digital skills. The airSlate Academy provides you with the real knowledge required to build a lucrative career or set you up for a new profession.
• Helping you grow your business. With the airSlate Academy, you’ll learn how to implement the right process automation strategy in your organization’s workflows, calculate ROI, and how to deploy solutions without coding skills or expensive development teams.
• Giving your career a boost. Even if you’re not considering a career change – with the help of the airSlate Academy, you can strengthen your professional position.

Mastering new digital skills will help you start a career as a citizen developer and prepare for the challenges brought by digital transformation. In this blog, you’ll learn about free business certification courses in 2021 available at the airSlate Academy.

FREE online courses at the airSlate Academy

The airSlate Fundamentals Certification Program

About the program

This certification program is for users beginning their no-code automation journey. This program will walk you through the process of learning airSlate basics to its practical usage. You’ll learn how to configure an airSlate Workspace, design a Flow, streamline business processes using no-code Automation Bots, and more.

Who will benefit from the course

This program will be especially useful for individuals starting their career as a citizen developer or willing to master new digital skills.

What you’ll learn from taking the course

• airSlate’s main components and key benefits
• How to navigate through the airSlate interface
• How to onboard teammates
• How to create a Flow and add documents to it
• What no-code airSlate Bots are and how to use them
• How to activate and track your automated workflow

The Business Processes Automation with airSlate Course

About the course

This course teaches students how to streamline the most complicated business processes and save resources with airSlate. During this course, you’ll learn the benefits of business process automation with airSlate and its positive impact on an organization’s overall performance.

Who will benefit from the course

This course is useful for anyone looking to get insights into the benefits of automating business processes with airSlate.

What you’ll learn from taking the course

• How to configure airSlate’s business process automation to fit your company’s needs
• Key benefits of workflow automation for your business
• The basics of data integration solutions
• How to improve data access and strengthen security
• How to minimize human error

airSlate Bots: the Ultimate Guide

About this course

This course covers everything a user needs to know about airSlate’s no-code Bots. It will teach you the basics of setting up task automation using different types of no-code Bot automation technology. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to create fully automated workflows, saving your business’s resources for higher priority goals.

Who will benefit from the course

This course is useful for anyone willing to learn how to use no-code Bots for workflow automation with airSlate. This course is most helpful for users who’ve already completed the airSlate Fundamentals Course.

What you’ll learn from taking the course

• The main components of airSlate
• No-code Bots as one of airSlate’s main tools of automation
• How to set up automation for your workflow
• How to develop an automation Bot tailored for your specific needs
• The basics of a Bot’s conditional logic
• Bot categories
• The philosophy of airSlate automation
• How to track progress with the help of the Bots log

The Introduction to Document Process Automation Course

About this course

This course serves as an introduction to document process automation (DPA) basics. It outlines the core categories of process automation and business process management (BPM) as well as includes a review of document process automation solutions. With this course, you’ll learn to distinguish between the different business process automation tools for task optimization and revise your business efforts in favor of higher priority goals.

Who will benefit from the course

This course is useful for anyone seeking automation-related careers and/or willing to become a citizen developer.

What you’ll learn from taking the course

• The concepts of document process automation (DPA) and business process management (BPM)
• How to automate your business processes without coding
• How to save time and money by minimizing routine tasks
• Basics of automation history
• How to simplify data entry

The Workflow Analytics with airSlate Course

About this course

This course is aimed at airSlate users who are already knowledgeable about workflow automation processes. Throughout this course, you’ll get a grasp of both data analysis fundamentals and performance analytics widgets for airSlate.

Who will benefit from the course

This course will be useful for anyone willing to become a proficient user of airSlate’s key features.

What you’ll learn from taking the course

• What workflow analytics is and why it is important for business
• How to utilize workflow analysis to understand and improve workflows
• How your company will benefit from workflow analysis
• How you can set up precise workflow analysis using airSlate
• The basics of collected data analytics

The Automation in Action: Industry Use Cases Course

About this course

This course is for the users who are already knowledgeable about airSlate’s mode of operation and who are already using the benefits of business process automation to the fullest. The course covers industry use cases and demonstrates how businesses integrate airSlate into their working processes. With this course, you’ll learn how to enhance business process efficiency and save resources.

Who will benefit from the course

This course is useful for anyone willing to reinforce their previous knowledge about automation with airSlate and put its practical benefits to use.

What you’ll learn from taking the course

• The most challenging workflows businesses are willing to automate
• The differences between manual and automated processes
• The value of automation for business efficiency
• How companies employ workflow automation depending on their industry and goals
• How to evaluate efficiency after implementing airSlate

Read, enroll for free, and master new digital skills with the airSlate Academy.

The post Free business certification courses: boost your career in no-code appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

With the COVID-19 pandemic not yet in the rearview mirror and the introduction of vaccination mandates, teams and businesses of all sizes are recalibrating their strategies to face the new challenges. Over the past couple of years, the priority has shifted from sporadic adoption of business automation technologies to actually making their deployment a success. Achieving business automation success will be one of the top priorities for both SMBs and enterprises.

In 2021, for over 40% of businesses implementing BPA was a work in progress, according to McKinsey & Co. #BPA #businesautomation #automation
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In this blog, we’re looking into the business process automation trends. Also, you’ll discover how to stay ahead of the latest BPA trends with the new airSlate Academy!

Document Workflow Automation for IT Professionals

• Business process automation
• Client onboarding
• Workflow optimization

Enroll now

Top 5 business process automation trends

1. RPA and bot automation

Robotic process automation (RPA) proved its value to businesses during the pandemic by helping healthcare facilities address staff shortages and minimize in-person contact. Switching to a remote workplace during an economic recession only increased the need for RPA adoption and workflow automation via no-code bots. Bot automation allowed SMBs and enterprises to reduce manual, recurring, and rule-based tasks, while quickly delivering ROI.

On the other hand, making no-code bots a part of enterprise solutions has set the stage for the citizen development movement, increasing the number of non-technical employees capable of automating business workflows. By 2024, enterprises are projected to triple the capacity of their existing RPA portfolios with the majority of expenditures going towards the scaling of existing solutions with new add-ons.

By 2024, enterprises are projected to triple the capacity of their existing RPA portfolios, Gartner predicts. #RPA #businesautomation #automation
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2. No-code

For the past couple of years, we’ve seen more and more businesses invest in no-code solutions. Using no-code solutions allows non-developers to build custom business apps and automate workflows. Owing to their drag-and-drop functionality, no-code tools simplify complex IT procedures. Apart from no-code bots, we’re now witnessing a growing need for no-code AI to allow for training, testing, and deploying machine learning models without leveraging IT resources.

The no-code narrative wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the rise of no-code intelligent document processing tools (IDEPs). About 20% of businesses are investing in these solutions to classify and extract data from documents, emails, forms, handle e-discovery, contract analytics, and compliance risk. For instance, AI-powered email automation tools can help generate human-like sales emails in less than a minute. Despite not being an IDEP, pdfFiller offers its users document management and workflow automation features, including data collection and exports, enterprise-grade eSignature, document templates, automated form filling, and many more.

3. Hyperautomation

In simple terms, hyperautomation stands for automating as many knowledge-based processes as possible within a given enterprise using a combination of RPA and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. However, hyperautomation doesn’t rely on bots exclusively. Rather, it involves the so-called “blended workforce” built on human-machine interaction.

Enterprises are moving away from randomly grouped automation technologies towards a more aligned automation strategy. According to Gartner, organizations will adopt at least 3 out of the 20 process-agnostic types of software that enable hyperautomation by 2024. These are predominantly mapping tools that enhance visibility into business activities, content ingestion automation and management, work orchestration across multiple systems, and complex rule engines.

By 2024, organizations will adopt  at least 3 out of the 20 process-agnostic types of software that enable hyperautomation, Gartner predicts. #BPA #hyperautomation #automation
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4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) enables a machine to simulate human behavior, while machine learning (ML) allows it to automatically learn from past data without explicit programming. Currently, AI is integrated into a vast scope of devices and applications — from AI-powered voice assistants and wearable devices to search engines and social media platforms.

AI is used to analyze human interactions, analyze customer behavior patterns and predict customer demand, improve efficiency, drive revenue, enhance personalized experiences, etc. Despite that, 93% of automation technologists feel ill-prepared for the upcoming challenges introduced by AI and smart machine technologies. Research indicates that companies will face staff skill limitations (56%), the fear of the unknown (42%), and the inability to identify a starting point (26%) when considering the implementation of AI.

5. Cloud automation

Cloud automation is a set of technologies aimed at alleviating the pains associated with manual labor and the amount of time employees spend on provisioning and managing cloud workloads and services.

Cloud automation delivers business value in the form of IT costs reduction, continuous deployment, enhanced security and resilience, improved backup processes, etc.

In the past, 92% of enterprises embraced multi-cloud strategies. What’s more, 61% wanted to optimize their existing cloud usage, while 59% wanted to migrate more workloads to the cloud. To do this, 75% of enterprises had a centralized cloud team or a cloud CoE (center of excellence). Speaking of cloud data management, Kubernetes strengthened its position by increasing its adoption rate by 68% during the pandemic. According to a Purestorage survey, almost two-thirds (64%) of businesses whose IT is “very knowledgeable” about Kubernetes reported an annual income of $100,000 to $250,000.

If you’re interested in learning more about business process automation, make sure to check airSlate’s Guide to Business Automation below:

Business process automation predictions

The global BPA market currently stands at 12.2% annually and is projected to reach $19.6 billion by 2026. When it comes to automation trends for 2021, Gartner‘s predictions included the following directions:

• Prediction #1: Massive adoption of new computational and storage technologies.
  Accelerated cloud adoption resulted in enterprises being unable to limit the costs of their ever-growing cloud infrastructure. According to a recent Flexera report, 92% of enterprises embrace a multi-cloud strategy, while 82% embrace a hybrid cloud strategy. Despite this, data management in multi-cloud environments poses a challenge for 60% of enterprises.
• Prediction #2: Increasing the pace of automation adoption to build completely automated value chains.
  In response to the pandemic, 39% of industry leaders leveraged a “control tower approach” to increase end-to-end supply chain visibility. Businesses have been automating data collection from every point across the supply chain to support the decision-making process with real-time analytics. Statista suggests that 58.6% of retail supply chain executives are looking to increase investment in omnichannel fulfillment, productive planning and demand forecasting (55.73%), as well as flexible operations enablement (52.87%).
• Prediction #3: Leadership teams focusing on enhancing customer experience and streamlining operational processes.
  A recent airSlate survey revealed the positive impact of digitization and automation on US businesses during the pandemic. In most valid cases, digital solutions had significantly increased efficiency and productivity (eSignature – 51%, PDF editor – 45%, and workflow automation tools – 46% of cases) as well as improved employee satisfaction (in 33% of cases). eSignature turned out to be extremely useful in improving customer engagement (in 34% of cases).

Take note, in one of our previous blogs, we looked into the automation trends of 2020.

Stay ahead of BPA trends with the new airSlate Academy

With the new airSlate Academy, you can keep pace with the latest trends in business automation. By joining the first educational hub for learning digital transformation, you get access to a complete catalog of courses for airSlate, signNow, and the pdfFiller academies on a single platform.

Whether you’re a business line owner, manager, or an aspiring citizen developer, enrolling in automation courses and learning plans at the new airSlate Academy will help you acquire new digital skills and/or advance in your career. Check out the list of business process automation courses we have to offer:

1. The Automation Architect Certification Program

This program will help you master airSlate tools and analytics when building and automating business workflows. The program comprises 4 courses: Business Process Automation with airSlate, Mastering Bots, Workflow Analytics with airSlate, and Automation in Action: Industry Use Cases. Learn how to make the most of your business workflows by simplifying day-to-day tasks and complex processes.

Enroll

2. The Business Process Analyst Certification Program

This program will help you master the ins and outs of airSlate analytics to create fully automated workflows. The certification program consists of 3 courses: Workflow Analytics with airSlate, Introduction to Document Process Automation, and Digital Security and Compliance. Learn how to get the most out of your business by reducing the amount of time and money spent on routine processes.

Enroll

3. Business Process Automation with airSlate

This course will help you grasp the basics of business process automation in airSlate. You will learn more about the most common business automation use cases, discover the positive impacts of automation on a company’s ROI, and discover the benefits of deploying BPA with airSlate. Enroll to digitize and automate paper-based processes as well as improve the overall performance of your business.

Enroll

Stay ahead of business automation trends in 2021 with the new airSlate Academy! Get certified!

The post Top 5 business automation trends appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

Business process automation has helped many businesses navigate through the challenges of the pandemic. #nocode #BPA #automation @airSlateAcademy
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The business process automation story would not be complete without mentioning robotic process automation (RPA) and workflow automation. RPA can be used to automate routine business processes and workflows using software bots. No-code bots are pre-programmed to mimic human behavior while performing monotonous, rule-based tasks. End-users don’t have to touch a single line of code to leverage these bots in a specific business process or workflow. This is why no-code RPA can fit into a vast variety of scenarios ranging from automatic email response generation to using a combination of bots for automating a particular workflow.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through airSlate’s RPA use cases for automating contract management, student registration, patient intake, employee onboarding, and other business workflows. For more use cases, enroll in the Automation in Action: Industry Use Cases course at the airSlate Academy and learn how to apply automation in your organization’s processes.

Document Workflow Automation for Operations Managers

• Onboarding
• Business process automation
• Workflow optimization

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Top 5 airSlate business process automation use cases

Still think of business automation as a sophisticated and frightening technology? Watch the video below to dispel the myth:

1. Contract management

Contract management can turn into a burdensome process, especially when it comes to handling paper-based contracts. A typical contract can take up to 30 hours to negotiate and modify. Still, even when digitized, contract management is often prone to bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Getting a contract approved and signed by multiple parties, implementing role-based access control, and distributing roles to each party requires a decent amount of time.

Apart from that, there are other risks associated with inefficient contract management such as loss of revenue, missed renewals, outdated information, compliance failure, etc. Leveraging automation technology can eliminate the risks mentioned above, thus making the contract management process more streamlined. According to ContractWorks, 70% of businesses are willing to adopt contract management software after the events of 2020, along with eSignature and collaboration tools.

airSlate Business Cloud solutions span PDF editing, eSignature workflows, and robotic and document process automation. airSlate’s automated workflows helped Claremont Graduate University speed up its adjunct contracting process and eliminate redundant physical paperwork and multiple digital backups. The deployment of eSignature allowed the institution to reduce document turnaround times from one and a half months to a few days.

Enroll in the free Automating Contract Management course at the airSlate Academy to learn how you can automate contract generation, route contracts between the parties involved, and track all the changes during the negotiation process.

2. Student registration

Registration is the process of collecting and storing required information about users in a database (register). The registration procedure is a typical requirement for most organizations that provide customers with a service. It allows customers to sign up for an account or service from a specific organization. Businesses utilize the data entered during the registration process to get a better understanding of customer needs, form proper offers, and as a result, build fruitful cooperation.

Leveraging airSlate’s no-code Bots helped when automating student registrations for IATDE (in at the deep end), a local swimming school. airSlate made IATDE’s reservation forms available using public links which eliminated the need for manual form completion, thus reducing document error. Now all customer information is captured and automatically updated in the school’s system once a form is submitted. Automating the registration process with airSlate also prevented documents from being misplaced, which made the overall service faster, and resulted in fewer customer churns.

If you want to learn how to automate student registration workflows in your organization, enroll in the free Automating Student Registration course at the airSlate Academy. This course shows you how airSlate automates the student registration process by collecting student information via digital forms, assigning roles to individuals in a workflow, and storing and processing the data collected.

3. Patient intake

The healthcare industry has seen a surge in the adoption of automation technology after the pandemic outbreak. According to Statista, in 2020, 90% of large healthcare organizations had an AI and/or automation strategy, while 34% of respondents had already adopted automation solutions. One of the areas where healthcare facilities struggle to be more efficient is patient intake. During the pandemic, many hospitals were overwhelmed with the need to gather and process patient information while ensuring complete security and compliance.

airSlate helped T2 Biosystems streamline, accelerate, and secure their patient intake procedure. Before airSlate, T2 had been using word processors for handling patient forms and sensitive information. Due to the compliance process for obtaining medical data, T2’s inability to revisit their forms and complete them at a later time without having to restart an entire workflow was causing delays. By integrating airSlate into their Salesforce processes, T2 Biosystems could easily share forms with end-users and secure partially completed information for future use.

To make your healthcare facility more efficient and less reliant on physical paperwork, enroll in the free Automating Patient Intake course. Learn how to improve the patient registration process by replacing paper-based forms with configurable web applications and reduce the time it takes to process them from hours to minutes.

4. Employee onboarding

Before the pandemic, many HR processes were predominantly paper-based — employee onboarding, record management, policies and procedures, administration, etc. This has changed over the course of the pandemic with business automation becoming more common in the HR industry. According to Gartner, 17% of organizations use some form of AI-based HR automation and another 30% will do so by 2022. In a recent study, Deloitte identified that over 50% of standard HR processes could be automated using RPA tools.

Deploying airSlate can help in automating industry-specific repetitive HR tasks, such as employee on/offboarding, attendance tracking, data management, HR analytics, and more. It takes only a few steps to configure your onboarding workflow in airSlate:

– add the job offer and other docs with all the necessary fillable fields to your flow;
– create roles for everyone involved in the Flow (the employee, responsible HR managers, IT specialists), set access permissions and assign the fields in the documents to the roles you’ve created;
– add Bots that would send email notifications and route documents from role to role based on the conditions you’ve set;
– share the Flow with recipients.

Alternatively, you can use a pre-configured Employee Onboarding Flow Template to automatically collect new employee information for future use.

To learn more about no-code HR automation, enroll in a free Employee Onboarding Course at the airSlate Academy. It will take only three hours to get certified in onboarding automation fundamentals! Here you will get detailed step-by-step instructions on how to automate the onboarding processes in your organization in the most efficient way possible.

5. Price quoting

According to McKinsey & Company, over 30% of sales activities are highly automatable with today’s technologies — these include sales strategy and planning, lead identification, configuration, price and quotation (CPQ), and many more. Overall, sales automation has proven to increase customer-facing time, customer satisfaction, and efficiency by 10% to 15%, and sales potential is uplifted by another 10%. Aberdeen’s study suggests that CPQ-enabled sales reps require 27% less time (3.6 hours) to produce a typical quote or proposal than those not using CPQ.

Owing to a vast selection of capabilities, airSlate can be used to automate sales workflows. Although airSlate is not strictly geared for sales automation, its configurable no-code Automation Bots allow for setting up a fully automated price quoting workflow tailored to the specific business process you have in mind. To master the different types of airSlate Bots developed for price quoting automation, enroll in the free automation courses listed below:

• Pre-fill from Google Sheets Bot (pre-populates a Slate document with data from a specific Google Sheet).
• Export to Salesforce Bot (uploads a completed Slate document to Salesforce records).
• Email upon Slate Opening Bot (sends automatic notifications each time someone has edited or completed a Slate).
• Remind Step to Complete Slate Bot (sends automatic reminder emails to all workflow participants about roles that need to be executed to complete a Slate).
• Save to Google Drive Bot (archives completed Slate documents to your Google Drive account).

If you still have questions or want to upgrade your sales automation skills, enroll in the free Automating Price Quoting course at the airSlate Academy. In this course, you will learn how to enhance your price quoting workflow, minimize manual data entry, improve collaboration between teams and departments, and reduce the time it takes to close sales deals.

The post How SMBs automate their business processes: the top 5 airSlate automation use cases appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

What is a Salesforce data export?

In a nutshell, data export is a process of pulling data or data sets between various software applications. Salesforce data export is a native Salesforce functionality that implies creating a copy, extracting, and syncing Salesforce data into another format or application. One of the most common uses is exporting a Salesforce report to a downloadable spreadsheet in CSV format. In Salesforce, users can run the export process manually or automatically, on a weekly or monthly basis.

Data export is a process of pulling data or data sets between various software applications. #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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Document Workflow Automation for Salesforce Admins

• Salesforce
• CRM integration
• Contract management

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3 reasons to export data from Salesforce

There are three reasons to perform a Salesforce data export:

1. To retain Salesforce data in a separate file for the purposes of data analysis, reporting, and visualization.
2. To backup data. The 2020 Salesforce Data Recovery Service’s retirement caused concerns among users. It later became known that Salesforce backup and restore services built natively on the platform will be available in summer 2021.
3. To integrate a Salesforce account with a third-party app and import Salesforce data there.

How to export data from Salesforce to Google Sheets using airSlate Bots

In this chapter, we’ll focus on the three most common ways to automate a Salesforce data export – using airSlate’s no-code Bots, the native Salesforce Data Export tool, and/or a custom script.

How to automate your business processes with airSlate Bots

airSlate’s no-code Bots allow users to set up a fully automated no-code workflow designed to fit specific business needs, including data transfers. In a very general sense, bots are software robots that perform actions based on pre-set conditions and are triggered to act when a Slate (package of documents) is opened or after it’s been edited.

Using no-code bots doesn’t require any special technical skills, which makes the process easy and intuitive for business users. When properly configured, bots can complete a vast scope of tasks without any further action from the user.

In airSlate, Bots are split into two categories based on their mode of operation:

• Automation Bots are used to manage access control to documents, send notifications and reminders to the intended recipients, and so on.
• Integration Bots are used to build connections with third-party services like CRM systems, databases, systems of record, and others.
  

airSlate’s integration Bots include various data export bots, which allow users to automate data exports from third-party software including CRMs, databases, productivity applications, etc. Using these bots allows users to eliminate issues associated with manual data entry and ensure the accuracy of business data. To export Salesforce data to Google Sheets, you will need to leverage two integration Bots – the Pre-fill from Salesforce Record Bot and the Export to Google Sheet Bot.

Follow the steps below to perform a Salesforce data export to Google Sheets using airSlate Bots:

Complete the following steps before you start using airSlate Bots:

1. To start working with documents, create a Flow that can later be connected to integration or automation Bots.
2. Add the documents you intend to use.
3. Set up Bots to automate the data transfer.

The process of a Salesforce data export to Google Sheets with airSlate involves two stages:

1) exporting data from your Salesforce record to the Slate (a document or spreadsheet).

2) moving this data from the Slate to a Google Sheet.

Make sure that your airSlate workflow is properly configured before exporting Salesforce data to Google Sheets.

Once you’ve uploaded the necessary document(s) or created them from scratch, you will need to set up two airSlate integration Bots:

• The Pre-fill from Salesforce Record Bot
• The Export to Google Sheet Bot
  

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to configure the Pre-fill from Salesforce Record Bot:

1. Connect your Salesforce account to your airSlate workflow and select the instance you will use: Production, Sandbox, or Custom URL.
2. Choose the Salesforce base object with the record you need (e.g., you want to export Contacts from Salesforce).
3. Set the correspondence between the Salesforce record fields and the document fields (where you will export the data).
4. Select the Bot execution condition that will trigger the Bot to act (e.g., the Bot will be triggered once a specific field in the document is filled in).

Once the execution condition is fulfilled, the data will be automatically exported from the indicated Salesforce record to your document.

To move the exported data from the document to a Google Sheet, set up the Export to Google Sheet Bot:

1. Connect your Google account to your airSlate workflow and select the Google Sheet you intend to populate with data.
2. Set the correspondence between the document fields and the fields in the Google Sheet.
3. Select the Bot execution condition that will trigger the Bot to act.

Once the execution condition is met, the data will be automatically exported from the document to the selected Google Sheet.

How to export data using native Salesforce functionality

The native Salesforce Data Export tool allows users to pull data from Salesforce once per week/month and/or schedule mass exports once a month. Once the export is configured, the Data Export tool emails a link to a downloadable CSV file the Salesforce user has to manually download on their device.

On the one hand, using a native tool within the Salesforce environment is convenient, since it doesn’t require any third-party apps or plug-ins. On the other hand, the native Salesforce Data Export tool only automates half of the process, as users still have to download the CSV file manually.

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to set up a Salesforce data export using the Data Export tool:

1. Start by clicking Setup, then expand Data Management on the left side of the screen, and then click Data export.

2. You will be presented with two options – “Export Now” or “Schedule Export”.

The “Export Now” option allows users to manually extract Salesforce data once per month. Users of Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions can export data every week.

Select the data you intend to export, then click Save. Once the file(s) are ready for download, you will receive an email notification.

Take note: the exported file(s) will be available for download for 48 hours. Click Download to retrieve the ZIP archive containing the CSV file to your device.

3. The “Schedule Export” option allows for automating the process of executing a Salesforce data export on a monthly basis. Set the frequency, select the data you need exported, and then click Save.

Take note: the exported data will be pulled automatically into a CSV file on the schedule you’ve set. After that, you’ll need to manually save it to your device.

How to export Salesforce data using a custom script

The Salesforce platform can be expanded with the pre-programmed Extract, Transform, Load tool or script. ETL refers to the procedure of pulling data from one or several sources into a destination system which then processes the data and represents it differently from the source or in a different context.

An ETL tool/script is capable of extracting data from Salesforce into CSV format and outputting the aggregated files in a target destination for analysis or retention. For instance, a custom script in Python or Ruby allows for automating the process of downloading files from Salesforce to a local computer. After that, a script sends out an email notification per the download’s completion or failure.

Overall, configuring a custom script is a great option for both tech-savvy users or if there’s a way to leverage the IT department. On the other hand, for an average business user, pre-programming a script to automate a Salesforce data export requires technical skills and knowledge of programming they simply may not have.

Learn more about airSlate’s native integration with Salesfloce by watchig the video below:

Learn how to export Salesforce data with the airSlate Academy

At the airSlate Academy, we educate our potential and existing customers about workflow automation and how it applies to specific industries and business needs. The airSlate Academy offers a selection of free courses and certification programs covering topics from automation fundamentals to mastering the most popular airSlate Bots for no-code business automation.

Discover the courses focused specifically on Salesforce integration Bots:

1. The Export to Salesforce course will teach you how to automatically upload a Slate (i.e. a document or a collection of documents) to a Salesforce record. For instance, if you need to attach a document to a specific Salesforce record, the Export to Salesforce Bot will come in handy.
   
   
2. The Pre-fill from Salesforce Record course will help you automatically export Salesforce data and transfer it to a Slate (a document or a spreadsheet). For instance, you can use this Bot to extract Salesforce leads, contacts, etc., to a report, contract, or any other document you’ve uploaded to your Flow.
   
   
3. The Create Salesforce Record course will provide you with all the necessary instructions on how to generate a new Salesforce Record by transferring data from a Slate once it’s completed. For instance, once a client’s registration form is filled out, you need to automatically transfer its data to create new leads in Salesforce — the Create Salesforce Record Bot will do the job for you.
   
   
4. The Update Salesforce Record course will teach you how to update the existing Salesforce record with data from a Slate once it’s completed. For instance, whenever you need to update a client’s contact information with the data from a completed survey, use the Update Salesforce Record Bot.

The post How to export data from Salesforce to Google Sheets with airSlate Bots appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

TJ Ramadoss and Amrith D

Located in Melbourne, Australia

TJ has a Master’s degree and 18+ years of experience working in the Information Technology sector specializing in Product management and Solutions design.

Amrith has a Bachelor of Engineering with 18 years of experience in Information technology and Project management.

In 2020, they founded a two-person consulting company. To date, they are at the stage of conceptualization and are now actively considering all the newest quick-to-market tools for their future portfolio.

Combined, TJ and Amrith have completed 11 courses at the airSlate Academy.

The inspiration to become airSlate Academy students:

After getting their certificates of completion at the airSlate Academy, TJ and Amrith agreed to a short virtual interview about airSlate.

In the course of this interview, they very openly spoke about their competitive analysis of the 2020 no-code solutions market.

Why does airSlate outshine the competition? From the experienced IT professionals, in their own words:

• “Nintex, K2, and a few others, in our observations, need some sort of technology intervention. With them, we can provide an initial technological consultation. But later on, in three or six months down the line, the organization would still need someone to help them out. At the same time, airSlate allows businesses and other organizations to manage their own solution as they progress and develop”, said TJ.
• “We were also considering Kissflow and a couple of other similar solutions”. TJ notes, “These are the so-called “forms-first, automation next”. They do really cool forms but their workflow at the backend level is rather limited.”
• “There is also Microsoft, now playing with its Power Apps. This is brand new and very interesting but when we actually compare their solution with what Bots in airSlate do — there is a big gap between them, in terms of both functionality and especially in terms of cost and real value delivered.” Amrith concludes, “When it comes to choosing one of the larger licensed players, it is always the factor of cost, no matter what you are trying to automate.”

Both TJ and Amrith are now looking forward to joining the ranks of official airSlate Partners.

All airSlate Academy students who have completed courses are also eligible to apply for participation in the airSlate Partnership Program. In this program, participants get access to resources that will help them boost their existing IT consulting and/or reseller businesses.

Document Workflow Automation for IT Professionals

• Business process automation
• Client onboarding
• Workflow optimization

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The post Competitive analysis of no-code solutions from airSlate Academy graduates appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

The airSlate Academy offers free online certification programs, developed specifically for those who are fully aware of the increasingly important roles of no-code automation and citizen development in today’s economic context.

The airSlate Academy offers free online certifications, developed for people aware of the important role of no-code automation and citizen development in today’s economic context. #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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If you’re still unsure how relevant business automation could be for your personal development and future career, you’re welcome to read the stories we’ve collected from Zoom interviews with recent Academy graduates. Our graduates (who are primarily IT consultants and early-career professionals) have already applied the obtained knowledge in real-life business situations.

Document Workflow Automation for Finance Specialists

• E-payments
• Workflow optimization
• Business process automation

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Student Profile:

Brian Dazo

Private consultant and a certified public accountant specializing in financial and regulatory reporting, mainly for the e-commerce and financial services industry.

For the month of October 2020, Brian completed seven courses at the airSlate Academy.

Background & motivation to become an airSlate Academy student:

Brian was hired by a CPA firm based in Puerto Rico. Just like thousands of other accountants around the world, they too have loads of paperwork going in and out of the office. Brian was hired to automate these paper-based processes and coordinate the initial setup of airSlate workflows for them. When Brian was invited to join, the firm already had airSlate in mind. Brian was hired because of his previous exposure to RPA and familiarity with its great potential to cut costs and increase productivity:

Future plans:

Firm-level:

Brian was hired when the firm’s process automation was still in the early stages of development. Completing courses at the airSlate Academy was an integral part of this preparation process.

The firm’s plans pertaining to process automation include complete automation of the invoicing process, with automated routing, notifications, and automatic reminders sent to clients who are not responding.

After this automated invoicing test drive, full-scale automation of other accounting processes is next on the list.

Brian’s individual career plans and aspirations:

Having several years of experience in both the fields of accounting and consultancy, Brian is optimistic about the potential benefits of business automation and airSlate in particular:

Students who have already completed courses at the airSlate Academy have the opportunity to become airSlate Partners.

The airSlate Partner Program was recently launched to satisfy the rapidly changing needs of private IT consultants and/or resellers.

Upgrade your career

Start learning workflow automation today for free

Enroll

The post airSlate Academy graduates: RPA with airSlate for certified public accountants appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

A sales rep needs 4.9 hours to manually issue a single quote or proposal. CPQ software helps businesses speed up the price quoting process to 3.6 hours. #CPQ #automation @airSlateAcademy
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Businesses using CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) solutions need about 3.6 hours to complete a routine price quoting process. With pricing automation, sales representatives can generate quotes, statements of work, and legal contracts tailored for the specific needs of a customer in mere minutes.

Document Workflow Automation for Sales Professionals

• Price quotes
• Workflow optimization
• Business process automation

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Common sales quoting process challenges

Handling any price quoting process manually entails a common sequence of events:

1. To initiate the price quoting process, the customer sends an email to the vendor with a request for an estimate of goods or services.
   
2. Once the vendor reviews the request, the customer is sent the quote that lists the requested goods, services, and any discounts.
   
3. If the customer needs to propose any changes to the quote, the parties then negotiate until they come to an agreement or the quote is declined by the customer.
   
4. The pricing negotiations take place by email, with all parties involved in the email chain. Once the customer accepts the terms, the parties sign the amended quote to proceed with payment.

As a result, sales quoting can easily become a time-consuming process that requires an exceptional degree of coordination and team collaboration. Using automation can help resolve any issues related to the lengthy, monotonous, and inefficient setup of the price quoting process.

CPQ in facts and figures:

• The CPQ market is expected to reach $872.8 million by 2025 with a 19.23% growth over the forecasted period.
• CPQ solutions can elevate quote productivity by 33%.
• CPQ-enabled businesses decrease proposal turnarounds from 3-5 Days to 15 minutes.
• Using a CPQ solution boosts the average deal budget from $211k to $432k.

The CPQ market is expected to reach $872.8 million by 2025 with a 19.23% growth over the forecasted period. #quotation #CPQ #automation @airSlateAcademy
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Learn sales quoting automation with the airSlate Academy

With the airSlate Academy, you can enhance your professional skills with free certification programs. Start with basic courses on business and document processes or plunge headlong into the expert certifications for automation deployment. Each of the airSlate Academy’s Certification Programs has several courses to complete. Feel free to take the courses in any order, however, following the order listed on the platform is recommended.

airSlate’s Price Quoting Course contains learning resources combined with practice sessions. In this course, you’ll learn how to automate your price quoting process workflows, minimize manual data entry, enhance team collaboration, and much more. Once you complete a Price Quoting Course, you will obtain a Verified Certificate shareable on social media. Feel free to include it in your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate the skills you’ve gained.

A no-code automation solution like airSlate makes sales quoting workflows faster and more efficient:

1. The customer requests a sales quote by completing the data collection form and specifying what goods/services are needed. Then, the information they’ve provided is automatically pre-filled in the sales quote.
   
2. Next, the vendor receives the quote with the pre-filled information for the purchase. All they need to do is fill in any extra information for discounts and return the quote to the customer.
   
3. After the customer reviews the quote, they can begin to negotiate the terms in real-time by proposing their changes. Once the customer is willing to accept the terms, they sign the quote.
   
4. An automatic email notification is sent as a follow up to make the vendor aware that the quote was accepted.
   
5. Finally, the vendor can proceed with processing the payment.

Take note, all sales quotation and payment processing forms are automatically housed in Google Drive.

How to use airSlate’s no-code Bots in sales quoting automation

Despite stiff competition among various automation solutions, airSlate has no direct rivals. That’s because its capabilities are not strictly limited to the automation of the price quoting process. With the help of airSlate, SMBs and enterprises can use powerful automation to streamline routine tasks and eliminate costly bottlenecks.

airSlate’s configurable no-code Automation Bots will help you set up a fully automated sales quoting workflow specifically tailored to the business process you have in mind.No specialized IT skills are needed to start working with airSlate’s no-code Bots. All you need to do is enroll in the automation courses listed below. You’ll learn the basic steps of setting up pricing automation and master the different types of airSlate Bots developed for this purpose:

• Pre-fill from Google Sheets Bot (pre-populates a Slate document with data from a specific Google Sheet).
• Export to Salesforce Bot (uploads a completed Slate document to Salesforce records).
• Email Notification Bot (sends automatic notifications each time someone has edited or completed a Slate).
• Roles Reminder Bot (sends automatic reminder emails to all workflow participants about roles that need to be executed to complete a Slate).
• Google Drive Bot (archives completed Slate documents to your Google Drive account).

If you want to boost your automation skills, we recommend enrolling in the free certification programs at the airSlate Academy. Start with the Price Quoting course to expand your knowledge of sales quoting automation or try any other course that corresponds to your business needs.

Enhance your price quoting workflow

with the airSlate Academy

Enroll now!

The post New course alert: learn how to automate the sales quoting process for your business appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.

The airSlate Academy offers free online training and certification programs, designed and launched specifically for those who dare to become pioneers in no-code automation and citizen development.

The in-demand skills you get at the airSlate Academy will help you open up your career opportunities and improve operations and workflows at your current workplace. #nocode #automation @airSlateAcademy
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If you’re still unsure how relevant business automation is for the development of your career, read the stories we’ve collected based on interviews with recent Academy graduates. These graduates (IT consultants, early-career professionals, and SMB managers) have already applied the obtained knowledge in real-life business situations.

Watch the video below to find out the benefits of automating contract management with airSlate:

Student Profile:

Sonia Sidhu

Private consultant for ITWORX

Completed three courses with the airSlate Academy, including airSlate Fundamentals and Contract Management.

While at university, Sonia was studying Engineering and Telecommunications. Thus, she was able to obtain the knowledge and core skills necessary to become an IT consultant. However, she was still missing applied skills in business automation and workflow setup for contract negotiations specifically.

The inspiration to become an airSlate Academy student:

Sonia is now working for ITWORX. The company has been already considering airSlate for its contract negotiations process:

Today, Sonia is confidently using airSlate on a daily basis, namely the airSlate Pre-fill Bot for contract negotiation setup. She plans to continue her studies at the airSlate Academy.

Upgrade your career

Start learning workflow automation today for free

Enroll

For Sonia personally, the benefits achieved with airSlate Academy are twofold:

1. A deeper understanding of business workflow setup under her current contract:

2. More confidence in her own career and future consultancy prospects:

After months of having to work remotely in 2020, more and more people are now considering IT consultancy as a career path. If you are one of them, make sure you are familiar with the key buzzwords in the field:

• No-code automation
• Citizen developer
• RPA (robotic process automation).

At the airSlate Academy, you can easily master all three. Anywhere, any time, and at your own pace. Enroll now and start your automation journey!

Document Workflow Automation for IT Professionals

• Business process automation
• Client onboarding
• Workflow optimization

Enroll now

The post airSlate Academy graduates: how IT consultants master contract negotiation with the airSlate Academy appeared first on airSlate Blog | Business automation.