Digitise Administrative Processes
How to effectively digitise administrative processes in a company: method, tools, pitfalls.
Certyneo Team
Writer — Certyneo · About Certyneo
Why digitise administrative processes
Administrative processes (invoicing, expense reports, leave, internal orders) are often the last to be digitised even though they consume a lot of time. Digitising them frees up teams for higher-value tasks.
Processes to prioritise
By decreasing ROI:
- Contract signature: immediate gain, friction eliminated
- Expense reports: OCR + hierarchical validation
- Leave management: validation workflow + automatic balance
- Customer invoicing: generation, sending, tracking
- Purchasing and orders: quote → PO → invoice
- Onboarding / offboarding: HR documents + IT access
- Reporting: real-time dashboards vs spreadsheets
Method in 5 Steps
1. Map the processes
List each process, its actors, its steps, its volume, its current duration.
2. Identify friction points
Time wasted, errors, dissatisfaction. This is where digital will have the most impact.
3. Choose the right tools
- HR/expense report tools (Spendesk, Jenji)
- validation tools (Zapier, Make, custom workflows)
- CRM, ERP, document management as needed
4. Integrate tools with each other
True productivity comes from integration: avoid re-entry, propagate automatically.
5. Train and measure
Train users, measure gains, adjust.
Example workflow
A typical administrative process: leave request
- Before: paper form → manager's office → HR → re-entry in the HRIS
- After: entry via Lucca/PayFit → manager validation in 1 click → balance updated automatically → HR notification
Gain: from 3 days to 10 minutes.
Quantitative Benefits
- Administrative time: -40 to -60%
- Data entry errors: -90%
- Employee satisfaction: +30% typically
- Cycle time (onboarding, ordering, invoicing): divided by 3 to 5
Common Mistakes
- Digitise the paper process as is (miss the opportunity to optimise)
- Stack tools without integrating them
- Failure to train → resistance to change
- Ignore GDPR compliance and legal archiving
- Underestimate integration costs
How Certyneo helps you
Certyneo covers the "electronic signature" component of any administrative digitalisation project. Integrates with HR tools (PayFit, Lucca), expense reports (Spendesk), CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive), document management (SharePoint, Drive).
Discover Certyneo's electronic signature solution
FAQ
How much does digitisation cost?
Highly variable. A scope of "signature + expense reports + leave" runs around €3-10/user/month.
What ROI should I expect?
6 to 18 months typically, shorter for high-volume flows.
Do you need an IT director to manage it?
Recommended for mid-market companies, not necessary for SMEs that can rely on an external consultant.
Are all tools GDPR compliant?
Favour EU solutions to simplify compliance.
How do you convince teams?
Start with the most painful process. Visible ROI unlocks the rest.
Conclusion
Administrative digitalisation is a trajectory, not a "big bang" project. Start with the highest ROI flows, measure, expand. In 18 months, the company is transformed.
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