Anyone would think such "labor saving using IT", nowadays.
A Web site which is totally automated by connecting a 'Web form' and a 'Payment system' can be created easily, If limited to a particular method of payment to "PayPal" or "Google Wallet".
However in fact, for an event of about 50 or 100 people, you would like to correspond on the phone and by e-mail. Why?
In short, it is because there will be various demands (exceptions) such as "invoicing for corporation name" or "Cash payment of day of the event". If humans response, they could handle anything flexibly. (Though mistakes would occur, of course ...)
The Business process below is a Workflow that humans make the payment confirmation operations.
Taking over the participation application data received in the Google Spreadsheet, humans do the subsequent processing. Specifically speaking, humans confirm the settlement completion by "Invoicing + Bank Transfer" or "PayPal Credit Card" or "Handing Cash on the Day".
Excellent point of it is that an "Invoice PDF" will be sent automatically when the participation applicant designate "invoicing + bank transfer".
[Invoicing flow]
[Invoicing flow '1. Prepayment confirmation']
[Auto-generated PDF image]
[Setting of Thanks email]
It is quite as a matter of course though, the major theme of operational efficiency (Labor-saving) is replacing "Human Processing" by "Machine (computer) processing".
It is called 'Automation' in Business Process Management Activity (BPM activity). In this workflow, "submission of Thanks email" and "generating PDF file" are automated, and it is wonderful.
However when promoting the automation actually, sometimes you would do something reverse to automation. It is humanization such as "insert the phone confirmation step for the entry of under twenty years of age, for example. 'Humanization' is wonderful as well, if it was an improvement. When I think about that, I realize the importance of 'continuous improvement', instead of 'one-time -only reform'.
Well anyway, operational efficiency (business improvement) begins by describing current status flow (As-Is) into a Business Process Diagram. Without doing so, you cannot discuss on business flow should be (To-Be). Improvement everyday! Work hard on it!
Reference site - How to Improve the Process?
[Download]
- Business Template: Invoicing flow
- Age of Cloud-based Workflow Capable of Running Even a Core System of 1 Million Dollar Worth (2013-04-08)
- Payment Confirmation Requires Human Processing (2012-03-19)
- Handling 1000 Payment Confirmation Tasks on a Free Cloud Workflow System (2011-04-16)