Chalking out a plan to create an automated content workflow can be a daunting task.
Over the years, publishing firms have made use of the tried and tested pen and paper method to jot down plans. Though it has been moderately successful, yet not everyone is convinced about its efficacy in the modern publishing world. The dynamic nature of work done in this industry is completely different from the relatively static requirements of other businesses.
The rapid evolution of technology has become a breath of fresh air accompanied with a storm of choices in terms of workflow automation software available for publishing.
Publishing Workflow Software
The frequent use of workflow software in different industries is a clear indicator of its popularity amongst decision-makers.
Not only do these software channel resources in the desired direction, but also address issues that were unaccounted for when rudimentary software solutions were used. In the past, publishing companies had to rely on their management skills to streamline the workflow.
From the creation of content to editing to the content getting published, every action was performed manually. It was all well and good when communication between departments was efficient. But things generally used to fall apart when the information was not disseminated properly across all concerned departments.
The dynamic nature of operations and frequent updates to the soon-to-be-published content used to make the task a lot harder. Publishing workflow software solutions address this issue and do a lot more to make the planning and execution of tasks convenient.
Benefits of Publishing Workflow Software Solutions
A competent publishing workflow software can be a great acquisition for any media house. Below are some of the benefits of these software solutions that can change the way a publishing house operates:
- Provides functionalities for synchronization and collaboration of a single or multiple processes
- Cuts down on losses incurred due to the use of redundant information
- Allows the decision-maker to map the complete publishing schedule for each piece of content
- Serves as a central point for the whole operation by storing all the relevant files
- Provides timely notifications to teams and informs them when it is their turn to work on the content
How to Automate your Publishing Workflow?
Publishing Workflow Software solutions see media house operations in their modern avatar. Distribution of content is done through social media campaigns, printing and binding phase is replaced by CMS/Blogging tools, and the design is created in web templates instead of a piece of paper. All these pre-defined stages are connected with great precision to create a foolproof system.
Below are some ways in which Publishing Workflow Software solutions can be used for automation at various stages:
CMS Integration
Employment of an efficient workflow software makes it easy to reuse information without creating redundancy. By leveraging the use of XML, it is possible to build an automated system that uses a single source, which can be referenced at any time. Whenever there is a change in the source, it gets reflected in independent documents.
To make this transition and accomplish the shift to automation, below mentioned steps must be followed:
- Both enterprise and creative assets should ideally be stored in a single repository to prevent data redundancy and error-prone metadata synchronization.
- All users should be able to access assets and use functionality through the GUI they are familiar with. This helps save time and money on training.
- Only one login should be provided to each user to make the systems easy to access.
Automated Cross-Media Publishing
As corporate publishers need to make their content available on both print and electronic media, format conversion becomes an integral part of the process. This task is tedious; however, it can be automated with the help of XML, Microsoft Word, QuarkXPress and InDesign plugins. Using XML as a universally recognized media-independent format makes publishing a lot faster, easier and platform-independent.
Customization and Personalisation Made Easy with Workflow Automation Software
Transforming information into a customizable form to connect with the customer can be achieved with the use of workflow software. Doing the same thing with rudimentary methods is a painstaking task.
Automated software solutions allow you to structure information in a form that can be easily personalized with little effort. Structuring can be done with a combination of Componentisation with correct filtering.
Setting up processes by employing structured custom solutions that automatically integrate varied components in different ways to suit the requirements of a wide group of audiences. To accomplish this, using a custom solution built around XML could help achieve content automation greatness.
Concluding Thoughts:
Publishing Workflow Software is not just convenience, but an important need of the modern publishing world. At Clavis technologies, we build custom Publishing Workflow Software and Content Automation Software for media houses. These software solutions can be used for enhancing the workflow and creating a paperless work environment.