Document automation - how your work takes care of itself

Do your quotes and contracts repeatedly contain incorrect information or omit important pieces of information completely? Do your colleagues spend more time searching for content or old documents to reuse and (re)formatting than doing their actual job? If so, it is time for document automation!

This article explains what document automation is and how empower^® supports you.

Document automation - what is it?

Almost all business areas create many documents every day. Document automation simplifies this process and makes it more efficient by performing tedious and redundant work steps automatically. Automated documents are created based on existing data that would otherwise have to be compiled manually and repetitively. When a new document is created, formats and content are automatically integrated, saving time and effort.

As a rule, document automation helps whenever specific documents are regularly created, regardless of department or industry. Typical use cases include:

• Contracts
• Quotes
• Transaction processing
• Accounting/reporting
• Onboarding
• Presentations
• Performance reviews
• Circulars
• Product documentation

Document types that people create again and again are good automation candidates. To create offers, product overviews, reports, or presentations, department-specific content usually must be compiled and prepared according to a recurring schema. Document automation simplifies and optimizes that work. Think of it like the auto-complete suggestions on your smartphone, only much more powerful.

Based on known patterns, information is pulled from the company's databases and systems and put together in a targeted manner. Once a template has been created, there is no need to search through old documents or go through the copy-and-paste process. It is easier to create a new, compliant document from an automated template than to cannibalize an old document.

What are the advantages of document automation?

Manual data entry has a high potential for errors. Document automation, on the other hand, minimizes sources of errors by reducing manual work, protecting people from faulty transcriptions and clerical errors. It also frees up capacity, allowing people to concentrate on more important activities.

All of this makes document automation an important tool that increases efficiency and ensures error-free consistency in corporate communications.

Benefits of document automation at a glance:

• Consistency
• Compliance
• Reduced risk of errors
• Efficiency
• Flexibility

Consistency

Automation makes document uniformity less time-consuming and more reliable. Importantly, document automation can embed corporate design correctly. Predefined templates ensure that every document’s appearance matches your company's exact design specifications and is always up to date.

Compliance

Complying with all legal requirements and all company-specific regulations is a critical issue. Document automation reduces the likelihood of errors because templates can include all relevant requirements - whether legal or self-imposed. As a result, people rely on the automation to take care of documents’ formal legal compliance, saving valuable working time.

Reduced risk of errors

Fewer manual steps reduces the risk of erroneous information creeping into documents. Lost profit, legal consequences, or potentially alienating customers with mistakes becomes far less likely and confidence in the company is strengthened.

Efficiency

Automating repetitive content entry and formatting frees up time for people to focus on more important tasks. Another positive factor is work motivation, minimizing redundant and unstimulating activities that otherwise increase stress.

Flexibility

Market conditions, legalities, or internal company requirements can change quickly. Document automation enables incorporating changes flexibly into templates without having to make tedious adjustments to every document. This results in much greater flexibility in the design and implementation of innovations, and a company can respond dynamically to any changes.

Document automation challenges

Before implementing document automation, you should weigh whether a solution is suitable for your company. Logistical issues also need attention. The following aspects play a particularly important role.

Adaptability

Content that is inserted into the automated documents must be correct and suit the individual case. Company-specific requirements must be easy and quick to implement and meet individual needs and specifications.

Flexibility

Updating and distributing templates should be easy. Ideally, changes to templates should apply also to all documents that have already been created based on those templates. Template change management must enable the company to react efficiently and effectively to changing business requirements without having to deal with complicated updating and conversion processes.

Compatibility

Document automation must be compatible with existing software and fit into a company's digital infrastructure. A good document automation solution integrates with other company data sources and systems, such as SAP, Salesforce, or PIM and DAM systems, saving the need to switch between applications.

Applicability

Document automation software must be easy to use without the need for numerous training sessions or distracting users from their daily tasks.

Cost

Whether a one-time payment, a fixed monthly subscription system, or depending on the amount of usage - there are different payment options for document automation software.

Hosting

How you host the software can be an important decision factor. Do you prefer to manage the document automation yourself on-premise or would you like to rely on a cloud server – whether your own or the vendor’s?

The empower^® Content Enablement solution

At empower^® we make it our business to master the challenges of document creation. Our Document Automation solution has become the Content Enablement solution. The empower^® Content Enablement solution enables efficient and simple creation of uniform documents adapted to the individual needs of companies.
empower^® eliminates inefficiency in many document creation processes to save time and prevent errors. Unlike traditional content enablement software, empower^® is compatible with all systems such as PIM, CRM, and ERP via REST API and can be directly integrated into existing applications. Even complicated requirements can be easily met as individual extensions can be developed on demand. By default, empower^® follows the user-driven automation approach. Hybrid and fully automated solutions are also possible.

Advantages of the empower^® Content Enablement solution at a glance:

• Consistency in all documents (corporate design, legal requirements, etc.)
• Flexible changes to templates
• Efficient work due to time savings
• Easy usability and user-friendliness
• Compatibility with all REST API systems
• Customized solutions
• Security through compliance and avoidance of error sources

The empower^® Content Enablement solution offers individual possibilities for different business areas: from sales proposal automation to product presentation automation for marketing and dynamic template automation for a wide range of purposes.

We help you standardize and automate your document creation, freeing up more time for what really matters. Contact us today and find out what we can do for you!