10 business processes to automate first for the fastest ROI

Automation isn’t the goal – it’s how you eliminate routine work

When people think about digital transformation, they often imagine implementing a new ERP system, rolling out a complex CRM, or launching a company-wide project that takes months to complete. Ironically, these large-scale initiatives are often the very reason businesses postpone automation altogether.

In reality, the most successful business process automation projects rarely begin with a major transformation. They begin with a single process. More specifically, with a process employees repeat every day.

Based on our experience helping companies digitize their operations, the fastest return on investment usually comes from workflows that still rely on:

• Emails
• Excel spreadsheets
• Manual data entry
• Phone calls
• Manual task reminders
• Waiting for approvals

Not because these processes are the most important – but because they’re where countless small delays occur. Individually, they seem insignificant. Together, they can consume dozens of working hours every month. That’s why automation isn’t about replacing people. It’s about eliminating repetitive work that nobody enjoys doing.

Which business process should you automate first?

This is probably the most common question companies ask when they begin their automation journey.

The answer isn’t: „The most complex one,” or: „The process used by the largest number of employees.” Your first automation project should deliver visible results as quickly as possible.

When employees see within a few weeks that dozens of emails have disappeared, manual data entry is no longer necessary, and the entire workflow has become more transparent, they’re far more likely to embrace digital transformation across the rest of the business.

That’s why we recommend starting with processes that meet most of the following criteria.

How to identify the right process to automate

Before choosing software or designing a workflow, ask yourself a few simple questions. If you answer “yes” to most of them, you’ve probably found an excellent candidate for your first automation project.

• Does the process occur several times a week – or even every day?
• Does it involve multiple employees or departments?
• Are information and requests exchanged through emails, Excel spreadsheets, or chat?
• Does it require manual data entry or copying information between systems?
• Does someone regularly need to remind others to complete their tasks?
• Does the process frequently result in delays, mistakes, or unnecessary back-and-forth communication?
• Does it have a clearly defined beginning and end?

The more questions you answer with “yes,” the greater the potential benefit from automating that process. The following ranking is based on these exact criteria.

10 business processes to automate first for the fastest ROI

There is no universal ranking that fits every company. Every business has different priorities, workflows, and challenges.

However, based on our experience implementing Tabidoo across organizations of different sizes and industries, the following processes consistently deliver the fastest results and the quickest return on investment.

1. Invoice Approval Workflows ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Why Start Here?

Invoice approval is one of the most repetitive business processes in almost every organization. It typically involves finance teams, managers, and executives, and is often managed through email chains or manually forwarded documents.

All it takes is one person forgetting to respond, and the entire approval process comes to a standstill.

Common Challenges

• Invoices are forwarded via email.
• No one knows who is currently responsible for approving the invoice.
• There is no clear approval history or audit trail.
• Finance teams spend time chasing approvers.
• Invoice approvals take days instead of hours.

How Automation Helps

An automated workflow routes invoices to the next approver, sends reminders, tracks deadlines, and provides real-time visibility into the approval status.

Finance teams and managers can instantly see where every invoice is in the process and who is responsible for the next step.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

2. Employee Onboarding ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Why Start Here?

Employee onboarding is a cross-functional process involving HR, IT, office management, and the new employee’s manager. Yet in many organizations, it’s still coordinated through emails, spreadsheets, or checklists.

The result? New employees arrive on their first day only to discover their laptop isn’t ready, their accounts haven’t been created, or they don’t have access to the systems they need.

Common Challenges

• Tasks are scattered across multiple email threads.
• IT isn’t informed when a new employee is starting.
• Managers have no visibility into what has already been completed.
• There is no centralized overview of the onboarding process.

How Automation Helps

A predefined onboarding workflow automatically assigns tasks to the appropriate departments, sets deadlines, sends notifications, and tracks progress in one central place.

Everyone knows exactly what they need to do – without constant reminders or follow-up emails.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

3. Helpdesk & Internal Service Requests ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Why Start Here?

Every organization handles a steady stream of internal requests. „The printer isn’t working,” „I need access to a new application,“„Please order a software license.” When these requests arrive through email or chat, they quickly become difficult to track.

Common Challenges

• No one knows who is handling the request.
• Communication history is fragmented or missing.
• Requests disappear in chat conversations.
• Employees submit the same request multiple times.
• There is no visibility into request status.

How Automation Helps

A helpdesk application automatically creates a support ticket, assigns it to the right person, sets priorities, and tracks every request from submission to resolution.

Employees always know the current status of their request, while IT and support teams can manage their workload more efficiently.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very High

4. CRM & Sales Pipeline Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Why Start Here?

For most companies, generating leads isn’t the biggest challenge. Managing them effectively is. Sales representatives often keep notes in their phones, email inboxes, or Excel spreadsheets. The next follow-up frequently depends on whether someone remembers to reach out.

As your business grows, this approach quickly becomes unsustainable.

Common Challenges

• Sales opportunities are scattered across multiple tools.
• There is no clear visibility into each deal’s stage.
• Sales representatives forget to follow up with prospects.
• Management lacks an accurate view of the sales pipeline.
• Customer information remains with individual salespeople instead of the organization.

How Automation Helps

An automated CRM workflow can:

• Create follow-up tasks automatically
• Alert sales reps about inactive opportunities
• Update deal stages automatically
• Send reminders and notifications
• Display the entire sales pipeline in real time

Instead of serving as just a contact database, your CRM becomes an active tool that helps your team move opportunities forward and close more deals.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

5. Asset Management ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Why Start Here?

Laptops. Mobile phones. Company vehicles. Software licenses. Tools and equipment. As a business grows, keeping track of company assets becomes increasingly difficult. Knowing who is using each asset, when warranties expire, or when maintenance is due quickly turns into a challenge if everything is managed manually.

Spreadsheets may work for a while – but they rarely scale with the business.

Common Challenges

• It’s unclear who is currently using a specific asset.
• Asset handovers are not documented.
• Maintenance schedules are easily overlooked.
• Software licenses expire without anyone noticing.
• Asset information is scattered across multiple spreadsheets or systems.

How Automation Helps

An automated asset management workflow allows you to:

• Track the complete lifecycle of every asset
• Notify responsible employees before warranties expire
• Schedule preventive maintenance automatically
• Link assets to employees, departments, or locations
• Maintain a complete history of changes and transfers

Instead of searching through spreadsheets, your team always has access to accurate and up-to-date asset information.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

6. Leave Request Approvals ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Why Start Here?

Vacation requests are often among the first HR processes companies choose to digitize. And for good reason. They occur every month, follow a predictable workflow, and involve employees, managers, and HR teams.

Common Challenges

• Leave requests are submitted via email.
• Managers forget to approve requests.
• HR manually transfers approved leave into another system.
• Employees don’t know whether their request has been approved.
• Vacation schedules overlap unexpectedly.

How Automation Helps

A digital workflow enables employees to:

• Submit leave requests online
• Automatically route requests to the appropriate manager
• Notify approvers about pending requests
• Track approval status in real time
• Synchronize approved leave with HR systems or company calendars

The result is a faster approval process with fewer manual steps and greater transparency for everyone involved.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

7. Purchase Requests ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Why Start Here?

Ordering a new office chair. Requesting a monitor. Purchasing software. Buying a company phone. Although these requests are routine, many organizations still handle them individually through email conversations.

As a result, approvals become inconsistent and difficult to track.

Common Challenges

• Employees don’t know who should approve the request.
• Purchase requests disappear in email threads.
• There is no approval history.
• Requesters have no visibility into the current status.

How Automation Helps

An automated purchasing workflow can:

• Create standardized purchase requests
• Route requests to the correct approver
• Set deadlines automatically
• Send reminders when approvals are delayed
• Store a complete approval history for future reference

Instead of chasing approvals manually, every stakeholder can follow the process from request to purchase.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ High

8. Project & Task Management ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Why Start Here?

Successful project management is about much more than assigning tasks. It’s about ensuring everyone knows:

• what needs to be done,
• who is responsible,
• when it’s due,
• and how their work depends on others.

When project information is scattered across emails, chat messages, and spreadsheets, delays become inevitable.

Common Challenges

• Tasks are not assigned to clear owners.
• Deadlines are difficult to track.
• Documentation is stored in different locations.
• Project managers lack an up-to-date overview of project progress.

How Automation Helps

A workflow platform connects:

• Tasks
• Deadlines
• Responsibilities
• Documents
• Team communication
• Approval steps

Everyone works with the same information in one centralized system, reducing misunderstandings and improving project visibility.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium

9. Service Request Management ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Why Start Here?

Whether you’re maintaining machinery, buildings, company vehicles, or IT equipment, service requests usually follow a predictable process. Despite that, many businesses still rely on spreadsheets, calendars, or email reminders to schedule maintenance and repairs.

As organizations grow, this approach becomes increasingly difficult to manage.

Common Challenges

• Service requests are not centrally tracked.
• Maintenance history is incomplete or missing.
• Regular inspections and preventive maintenance are overlooked.
• Managers have limited visibility into technician workloads.

How Automation Helps

An automated service management workflow can:

• Schedule recurring maintenance automatically
• Create service tasks based on predefined intervals
• Keep a complete maintenance history
• Notify responsible employees before upcoming service deadlines
• Track the status of every request in real time

Instead of reacting to problems after they occur, companies can proactively manage maintenance and reduce unexpected downtime.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium

10. Contract & Document Approval ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Why Start Here?

Contracts rarely require approval from just one person. They often move between legal teams, department managers, finance, and executive leadership before they can be signed.

When the process relies on email attachments, a single overlooked message can delay approval by days.

Common Challenges

• No one knows who currently has the document.
• Approvals happen outside a centralized system.
• There is no version history or audit trail.
• Different stakeholders work with different document versions.

How Automation Helps

An approval workflow ensures:

• Documents follow the correct approval sequence
• Automatic notifications are sent to approvers
• Every action is recorded in an audit trail
• Everyone works with the latest document version

This significantly reduces delays while improving transparency and compliance.

Typical ROI: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ Medium

What do all these processes have in common?

You may have noticed something. None of the processes in this list are particularly complex. We’re not talking about ERP implementations. Or production planning. Or accounting systems. Instead, these are everyday operational processes that employees perform repeatedly.

Most follow the same simple pattern: Someone submits a request → Someone reviews it → Someone approves it → Someone completes it. This repeatability is exactly what makes these processes ideal candidates for automation.

Which business processes do companies automate most often?

Every organization is different, but after implementing workflow solutions across companies of various sizes and industries, we’ve noticed a clear pattern.

Businesses rarely begin with large-scale transformation projects.

Instead, they automate the repetitive workflows that employees use every day.

The most common starting points include:

• Invoice approval workflows
• CRM and sales processes
• Employee onboarding
• Help desk and internal service requests
• Asset management
• Leave request approvals
• Purchase request workflows
• Project management
• Service request management
• Contract approval workflows

These processes have one thing in common:

They are repetitive, involve multiple people, and rely on information being passed from one person to another. That’s exactly why they deliver the fastest return on investment.

Which processes should you automate later?

That doesn’t mean every other business process should remain manual. However, companies usually achieve better results by starting with workflows that deliver immediate, visible improvements for employees.

More complex initiatives are often better suited for a later phase, including:

• A full ERP implementation
• Advanced production planning
• Warehouse management
• Accounting systems
• Enterprise-wide reporting and analytics

These projects typically require more analysis, configuration, and organizational change. Starting with smaller workflow automations helps teams gain confidence, demonstrate quick wins, and build a strong foundation for broader digital transformation.

Excel, Project management software, or a workflow platform?

There is no single solution that’s right for every business. The best choice depends on the complexity of your processes and how your organization works.

Solution	Best For	Limitations
Excel	Simple lists, personal tracking, or one-off data management.	Manual updates, no workflow automation, no approvals, no notifications, and limited collaboration as your business grows.
Tabidoo	Business process automation, approval workflows, CRM, HR, help desk, asset management, and custom business applications – all in one platform. Ideal for organizations that want to digitize multiple processes without traditional software development.	It doesn’t replace specialized accounting or payroll software – instead, it integrates with them through APIs and automation tools.
Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, Trello	Project and task management.	Excellent for managing work, but not primarily designed to build custom business applications or complex operational workflows.
Airtable	Databases and lightweight internal applications.	More advanced workflows often require additional integrations or technical customization.
Microsoft Power Apps	Organizations deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem with dedicated IT resources.	Extremely powerful but typically requires greater technical expertise to build and maintain complex applications.

The goal isn’t to choose the most popular platform.

It’s to choose the one that matches how your business operates today—and one that can continue supporting your growth tomorrow.

When is Tabidoo the right choice?

Tabidoo is an excellent fit if you want to:

• Digitize multiple business processes within a single platform
• Connect workflows across departments
• Build and modify applications without traditional coding
• Centralize business data in one place
• Expand your system gradually as your company grows

One of the biggest advantages of a workflow platform is that you don’t need to start from scratch every time. Today you can automate invoice approvals. Next month, employee onboarding. Later, CRM, help desk, asset management, or any other business process.

Everything runs on the same platform and works with the same data.

When should you consider another solution?

Tabidoo may not be the best fit if you’re looking for:

• A dedicated accounting or payroll system
• A ready-made HR platform with fixed functionality
• A tool for managing only one very simple standalone process
• Software with no need for customization or workflow flexibility

In these situations, a specialized solution may be a better choice.

Business process automation is a journey, not a one-time project

The companies that see the greatest success don’t begin with the largest or most complicated initiatives.

They start by automating the repetitive work employees perform every day:

• Invoice approvals
• Employee onboarding
• Help desk requests
• CRM workflows
• Asset management

These are the processes where small delays, manual data entry, and fragmented communication quietly consume hours of productive work every week. Once automated workflows take over these repetitive tasks, employees can focus on higher-value work instead of administration.

If you’re looking for a platform that lets you build applications around your own business processes, gradually digitize different workflows, and connect everything within a single system, Tabidoo is a great place to start.

You don’t have to automate everything at once. Start with one process. Describe it in your own words. Tabidoo AI Partner will help you design the application and automate the workflow – without complex programming.

Frequently asked questions

Which business processes should you automate first?

Start with processes that are repetitive, involve multiple people, and require significant manual administration. Common examples include invoice approvals, employee onboarding, help desk requests, CRM workflows, and leave approvals.

How do I know if a process is suitable for automation?

A good candidate is a process that happens frequently, involves several departments, relies on emails or spreadsheets, requires manual data entry, and follows a predictable workflow with a clear beginning and end.

Is business process automation worthwhile for small businesses?

Absolutely. Small and growing businesses often see results even faster because eliminating repetitive administrative work can save dozens of hours every month.

Do I need developers to automate business processes?

Not necessarily. Modern low-code platforms allow business users to build and modify applications without traditional software development, making automation faster and more accessible.

How long does it take to automate a business process?

It depends on the complexity of the workflow. Simple processes can often be implemented within days, while more complex workflows may require additional analysis and gradual deployment.

Which business processes can be automated with AI?

AI can assist with document processing, invoice data extraction, request classification, workflow design, content generation, and form completion.

Tabidoo AI Partner goes a step further by helping users create business applications and workflows simply by describing their process in natural language. It can suggest automation logic, work with business data, and help organizations digitize processes faster – without complex programming.