5 Ways Workflow Automation Saves Time and Budget
Businesses today handle more information than ever, and managing it manually often wastes valuable hours and resources. By automating repetitive document tasks, companies can save both time and money while improving accuracy and compliance. Solutions like Toshiba Elevate Sky® Workflow make this possible with AI-driven tools and secure cloud integrations.
1. Slashing manual processing time
Employees often spend hours scanning, uploading, classifying, routing, or entering data from documents. These tasks are repetitive but essential—and prone to error. According to a recent survey, U.S. workers spend more than nine hours per week just on repetitive data‐entry tasks.
How automation helps:
- Capture documents from multiple sources, including multifunction printers (MFPs), mobile devices, cloud-based folders, and desktops.
- Use AI tools like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and classification to separate documents and extract data without manual keying.
- Provide HITL (human in the loop) review to ensure accuracy
- Route documents automatically to the correct department or system, reducing delays.
Benefit: This can reduce processing time by up to 40%, which means quicker responses, faster approvals, and more time for higher-value tasks.
2. Reducing errors and compliance risks
Human error—such as typos, misplaced files, or incorrect routing—leads to costly rework and compliance risks.
With workflow automation:
- Built-in validation, and HITL to check and maintain accuracy.
- Automatic classification and redaction help with privacy and records compliance.
- Secure cloud-based archiving with encryption keeps sensitive files safe.
Benefit: Fewer mistakes mean less rework and reduced compliance risk, so teams can focus resources on growth.
3. Integrating with business systems
Many companies rely on multiple platforms for accounting, HR, CRM, and storage. Manually moving documents between them slows operations.
Automation allows:
- Connection to thousands of business applications, from accounting software to cloud drives via iPaaS (integration platform as a service).
- Trigger-based workflows monitoring cloud-based folders, for departmental review such as automatically routing invoices to finance.
- Uploading files from any device, from scanners to most any scanning-capable copier.
Benefit: Seamless integrations reduce duplication, speed up processes, and give teams more agility.
4. Scaling without increasing costs
As businesses grow, manual document handling demands more staff and infrastructure.
How automation scales:
- Cloud-based platforms reduce the need for on-premises hardware and maintenance.
- A single licensing model makes it easy to expand to new locations or departments.
- Automated extraction and routing manage higher volume without additional staff.
- Rapid deployment across the enterprise, from one to hundreds of Toshiba MFDs.
Benefit: Cost per document drops as volume increases, making growth more predictable and affordable.
- Tracking ROI with measurable results
Without clear metrics, automation investments may feel uncertain. Workflow automation solves that with measurable outcomes.
Automation delivers:
- Hours saved annually—sometimes over 190 hours per department.
- Processing speeds up to five times faster.
- Transparency over where delays or errors occur.
Benefit: Organizations gain clarity on ROI, justifying investments and re-allocating budget from manual fixes toward innovation.
Final thoughts
Workflow automation is not about replacing people—it’s about giving them more time for meaningful work. Platforms like Toshiba Elevate Sky® Workflow combine AI, cloud tools, and business application integrations to save time, reduce costs, and scale efficiently.
