There’s a lot that contributes to your business’s success: partnerships, marketing strategy, teams, and analytics. But behind all of these, is an aspect of operations that’s even more foundational: your company’s internal processes. 

With effective internal processes, you can achieve new levels of collaboration and efficiency that help your company meet and exceed business goals. In this guide, we delve into the importance of establishing internal workflows, strategies to set you up for success, and tools you can use to improve your team’s internal processes. But first, let’s start by defining what internal processes are. 

What is an internal process?

An internal process is a set of steps that takes place entirely within your organization, without external involvement. Some examples include how orders are processed, how shipments are delivered, how new employees are onboarded, and how teams collaborate to develop great work for clients. These activities don’t require any input or interaction from external stakeholders, customers, or clients. 

The importance of internal workflow processes 

Businesses deal frequently with external entities, but the operations that remain within your organization are essential. Internal processes determine how effectively you meet client needs. 

When internal processes are working well, you’ll experience benefits such as:

• Greater efficiency: Save time and let teams focus on the task at hand without needing to ask questions or look for direction. Well-established processes help employees understand the specific steps they need to follow, carrying out tasks in the most efficient way.
   
• Improved productivity: Staff can get more work done with increased efficiency and a strong understanding of how best to complete their tasks. Your company can gain a competitive edge when teams delight clients by increasing their output. 
   
• Better collaboration: Your teams can collaborate with ease when they’re aligned with internal processes. It promotes a culture of teamwork when each staff member knows how their duties relate to the responsibilities of others. 
   
• Increased client satisfaction: Clients experience the effects of effective internal processes, even though these occur behind-the-scenes. Increase client satisfaction by producing high-quality work with greater productivity and collaboration.  
   
• Ability to scale: As companies expand, internal policies play a part in navigating the expansion of roles and abilities. It’s easier to navigate changes and keep delivering the best results when teams have internal processes that are adaptable to expansion.   

Strategies for improving internal business processes

Ready to start improving your internal processes? Read on for some strategies to help achieve the benefits listed above. 

Identifying and documenting current processes

In order to change your internal processes for the better, you need to understand what is currently in place. Make time to audit your processes and document internal controls to make data-informed decisions. 

Ask yourself: 

• Who is involved in maintaining specific processes? 
• What was the reason for putting those processes in place originally? 
• Are these processes still serving a purpose?
• Are there new needs or purposes an existing process can be used to serve? 

Focus on operations related to specific areas of your business that you’re looking to improve such as customer service or marketing analytics. 

Analyzing processes for efficiency 

Once you have a good grasp of what your company’s internal processes are, it’s time to analyze and determine how to make each one more efficient. 

For example:

• Are there any steps you could cut out of an internal process?
• Do new steps need to be added? 
• What tools could you adopt to save time and resources? 

Work with your team and collect their feedback to help improve workflows. 

Standardizing processes

Sometimes, individual employees are the ones maintaining internal processes — which becomes an issue if they decide to leave. Companies should always establish best practices for workflows that clearly explain internal processes. This documentation can be referenced continually as team members come and go to ensure consistency.

If your company has internal processes that are working well, standardize and establish a practice around it. This way, you can continue to use those processes effectively as your business changes and expands.

Automating tasks

Automation is key for maximizing company efficiency. Repetitive and tedious tasks, such as sending meeting reminders or entering data in a spreadsheet, can lower employee morale and take time away from more strategic initiatives. 

This also bogs down your processes, making things more time consuming than necessary. With automation handling repetitive tasks, your company can optimize internal processes. Automation can also improve retention because of the benefits it brings to employees like more time back in their day, improved work quality, and less stress over repetitive tasks. 

Continuous monitoring and improvement

Technology and market conditions are constantly evolving. To increase efficiency, productivity, and quality, regularly review internal policies and implement new practices. Schedule time to review internal processes to stay on top of industry changes. 

By identifying and implementing new strategies and technologies, companies can stay ahead of the competition. 

Related Read: How to quickly find weak points in your workflow

Tools for process optimization

Let’s take a look at some of the tools companies can leverage to improve internal processes, along with some examples.

Process mapping tools 

This category includes diagramming tools such as Microsoft Visio and Lucid chart. Tools such as Bizagi Modeler, which create models with Business Process Model and Notation standards, are also included. These solutions allow businesses to create flowcharts and maps that assist with developing internal processes.   

Workflow automation software 

Automation improves internal process efficiency. When organizations implement automation tools such as Zapier, Kissflow, and ShareFile for document workflows, it saves employees time on manual, repetitive tasks. Staff can then be empowered to use their time in constructive, meaningful ways that make a difference for their organizations. 

Collaboration tools 

Collaboration tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams allow team members to communicate more effectively to work together seamlessly on projects. Secure file sharing software is also vital for collaborating on important documents. It improves internal processes by streamlining document-related tasks.  

Project management software 

Solutions such as Trello, Asana, or Monday.com can support the efficacy of internal processes, providing a platform where roles and deadlines are clearly established. With automations for reminders and notifications, it’s easier for employees to stay on top of internal processes.  

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems 

ERPs like SAP ERP and Oracle ERP Cloud can integrate a vast range of business processes into a single system. These tools contribute to the efficacy of internal processes by managing elements of operations such as HR, finance, and supply chain all in one place.   

Optimize your internal processes for better business results

Internal processes are a large part of what defines how your business operates. Optimizing these can boost efficiency and productivity for better client satisfaction. 

With strategies to improve how your team manages processes internally and tools to help them succeed, you can establish and maintain workflows that give you a competitive advantage within your industry.