The Role of Joget in Automating SMB Workflows

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often face a significant challenge: scaling operations with limited resources. Unlike large enterprises with big IT budgets, SMBs rely on smaller teams that juggle multiple tasks, approvals, customer onboarding, invoicing, compliance, and more.

This is where Joget DX, a low-code platform, comes in. By automating routine workflows, Joget enables SMBs to reduce costs, save time, and enhance service quality without the need for large IT teams or custom application development from scratch.

In this blog, we’ll explore how Joget supports SMB workflow automation, the problems it solves, and best practices for small businesses looking to embrace digital transformation.

Why SMBs Need Workflow Automation

Manual workflows slow down small businesses and affect growth. Common SMB challenges include:

• Time-consuming approvals that rely on emails or paper forms.
• Customer onboarding delays due to manual document collection and validation.
• Inconsistent compliance tracking leads to errors and risks.
• Disconnected systems that make employees switch between apps to complete a single process.
• Limited scalability as the business grows, but processes stay the same.

Workflow automation eliminates these inefficiencies, freeing up staff to focus on customer service, sales, and strategy rather than routine tasks.

What are the benefits of Joget for smb workflow automation?

Joget is a game-changer for SMBs, as it brings enterprise-level automation to smaller teams without requiring heavy coding or high costs.

Here’s what makes Joget ideal for SMBs:

• Low-Code Simplicity
  SMBs don’t need to hire full-scale development teams. Joget’s drag-and-drop builders let business managers design apps and workflows quickly.
• Affordability and Scalability
  Joget’s licensing and hosting options fit smaller budgets while supporting future growth. SMBs can start small and scale as needs evolve.
• Quick Deployment
  Workflows like expense approvals, onboarding, or invoice tracking can go live in weeks, not months.
• Compliance-Friendly Design
  Joget’s role-based permissions, SLA alerts, and audit trails help SMBs meet data privacy and industry-specific compliance requirements.
• System Integration
  SMBs often rely on CRM, ERP, or cloud-based applications. Joget’s API Connector seamlessly integrates these systems.

Common SMB Workflows Automated by Joget

For SMBs, the right workflows can save hours of manual effort every week. Joget helps automate a wide range of business processes that typically hold SMBs back.

1. Expense and Leave Approvals

Manual expense and leave approvals often require paper forms, emails, or chasing managers for signatures. This slows down reimbursement and frustrates staff.

Joget’s Advantage:

• Automates routing of requests to the right approvers.
• Tracks SLA deadlines to avoid delays.
• Keeps audit-ready digital records of all approvals.

Example:
A 50-person marketing agency cut reimbursement times by 65% after automating approvals in Joget.

2. Customer Onboarding

For SMBs in banking, fintech, or services, customer onboarding can be slow because of manual document collection, verification, and approvals.

Joget’s Advantage:

• Automates submission and validation of documents.
• Notifies all departments involved at each step.
• Gives customers a transparent view of progress.

Example:
A regional travel agency reduced onboarding from five days to just 48 hours.

3. Invoice and Payment Processing

Tracking invoices across emails and spreadsheets can result in late payments, missed discounts, or errors in records.

Joget’s Advantage:

• Routes invoices for approval automatically.
• Sends reminders for pending payments.
• Integrates with accounting tools like QuickBooks or Zoho Books.

4. Employee Onboarding and Offboarding

Manual HR processes often create a poor experience for new hires and can miss compliance steps when employees exit.

Joget’s Advantage:

• Centralizes all onboarding tasks, including document collection, asset allocation, and role approvals.
• Ensures every step is logged for compliance and accountability.

5. SLA Tracking for Service Delivery

Service-driven SMBs often fail to track turnaround times, leading to missed deadlines and dissatisfied customers.

Joget’s Advantage:

• SLA timers track deadlines for each step of a service workflow.
• Dashboards alert managers when deadlines are at risk.

6. Compliance Reporting

Industries such as healthcare or finance must demonstrate compliance during audits, a challenge for small businesses with limited teams.

Joget’s Advantage:

• Creates audit-ready records of every action.
• Simplifies compliance reporting with automated logs and dashboards.

7. Customer Support Ticketing

Handling support requests manually leads to delays and poor customer satisfaction.

Joget’s Advantage:

• Routes tickets to the right team based on priority and type.
• Adds escalation rules for overdue issues.
• Tracks SLA compliance for each request.

Suggested Reading: Build External Service Workflows with Joget API Builder

How Joget Solves Key SMB Pain Points

Small and medium-sized businesses face unique challenges: they need to remain lean while delivering at the speed and quality of their larger competitors.
Joget DX addresses these challenges by simplifying complex processes, automating routine tasks, and connecting siloed systems.

1. Reduces Operational Costs

For many SMBs, manual processes mean hiring extra staff or paying overtime to keep up with routine work like approvals, reporting, and document management.

How Joget Helps:

• Automates repetitive processes such as invoice routing, expense approvals, and data entry.
• Minimizes human error, reducing the cost of rework.
• Cuts dependency on expensive custom-coded solutions by using low-code builders.

Example:
A regional retail chain automated purchase request approvals with Joget, reducing labor hours by 35% and saving thousands annually on manual processing costs.

2. Improves Productivity Across Teams

Inefficient workflows often lead to delays, miscommunication, and wasted employee time. SMB teams are already stretched thin, so productivity loss hits harder.

How Joget Helps:

• Provides drag-and-drop app builders to speed up workflow deployment.
• Reduces the back-and-forth between teams with automated routing and notifications.
• Integrates with CRMs, ERPs, and accounting systems to eliminate duplicate data entry.

Example:
An HR team reduced onboarding paperwork by 60% after automating employee forms and approvals, allowing HR staff to focus on talent development instead of admin work.

3. Enhances Customer Experience

Customer-facing delays, whether in onboarding, support ticket resolution, or service delivery, can harm brand perception and revenue.

How Joget Helps:

• Speeds up onboarding by automating document submission and verification.
• Tracks SLAs to ensure faster response times for customer support requests.
• Sends real-time updates to customers about progress, creating transparency.

Example:
A fintech SMB reduced client onboarding time from 7 days to just 48 hours with Joget workflows, boosting customer satisfaction and retention.

4. Enables Faster Scaling Without Heavy IT Investments

As SMBs grow, they often find that scaling manual workflows requires hiring more IT staff or buying expensive software.

How Joget Helps:

• Allows businesses to replicate existing workflows for new locations or services with minimal configuration.
• Offers modular workflows that can be adapted quickly as the business grows.
• Reduces reliance on costly custom development teams by using a low-code approach.

Example:
A logistics startup expanded from two to eight branches while keeping processes consistent and compliant without increasing IT headcount, thanks to Joget’s reusable workflows.

5. Strengthens Compliance and Security

Meeting compliance requirements is a challenge for SMBs that lack dedicated compliance officers or large IT teams. Manual processes often result in gaps and last-minute rushes before audits.

How Joget Helps:

• Offers role-based permissions to secure sensitive customer and financial data.
• Maintains automated audit trails to document every action for regulatory reporting.
• Ensures SLA tracking to maintain commitments for regulated industries like healthcare, insurance, and finance.

Example:
A healthcare SMB automated approval logs for patient record handling, reducing audit preparation time from two weeks to just two days.

6. Improves Decision-Making with Real-Time Insights

Many SMBs struggle with delayed or incomplete reporting, making it harder for managers to respond to bottlenecks quickly.

How Joget Helps:

• Provides real-time dashboards that track performance metrics, SLAs, and bottlenecks.
• Enables managers to instantly reassign tasks or escalate issues.
• Offers customizable datalists to give each department the insights they need.

Example:
An operations manager at a small manufacturing firm utilized Joget dashboards to pinpoint production bottlenecks and reduce delays by 20% within a month.

7. Creates a Future-Proof Foundation for Growth

A common pain point for SMBs is investing in technology that becomes obsolete or difficult to maintain as they expand.

How Joget Helps:

• Uses open-source, low-code architecture that grows with your business needs.
• Allows for easy customization without high technical barriers.
• Provides integration-ready workflows to adapt to evolving tools and regulations.

Impact:
SMBs get a sustainable automation platform that continues to deliver value as they scale, without recurring redevelopment costs.

Why This Matters

By addressing these pain points, Joget enables SMBs to work smarter, save resources, and compete effectively with larger enterprises.
The platform’s combination of low-code flexibility, automation, and compliance-ready tools enables SMBs to focus on growth rather than operational firefighting.
 

Suggested Reading: Custom Dashboard Development with Joget

Setting Up SMB Workflows in Joget: Step by Step

Step 1: Identify Critical Workflows

SMBs should start by analyzing existing processes to determine which ones are the biggest time-wasters or customer pain points.

Examples:

• Onboarding for new customers or employees
• Invoicing and payment approvals
• SLA-bound services like deliveries or claims

Prioritize workflows that directly affect revenue, compliance, or customer satisfaction.

Step 2: Map Processes Clearly

Before automating, document the process on paper or digitally:

• Define all tasks, decision points, data inputs, and deadlines.
• Identify inefficiencies such as unnecessary steps or duplicate approvals.

Tip: Involve frontline staff and managers to ensure every real-world detail is captured.

Step 3: Build Apps with Joget Builders

Joget’s low-code tools make app creation straightforward:

• Form Builder: Create user-friendly forms for data collection.
• Process Builder: Design the workflow diagram with drag-and-drop steps.
• Datalist Builder: Display information in live dashboards for reporting.

These tools allow SMBs to launch functional workflows without hiring a large IT team.

Step 4: Integrate with Existing Systems

Most SMBs already use software like Zoho CRM, QuickBooks, or Google Workspace. Joget’s API Connector integrates these tools, allowing data to flow automatically between systems and reducing manual input and errors.

Step 5: Configure Notifications and SLAs

Add automation to keep processes moving smoothly:

• Set reminders for pending approvals.
• Configure SLA timers to track deadlines.
• Create escalation alerts for overdue tasks.

Step 6: Test, Launch, and Train Teams

Run test cases to ensure workflows perform as expected. Once live:

• Conduct training sessions for employees.
• Provide FAQs and guides for smoother adoption.

Step 7: Monitor and Optimize

Utilize Joget’s dashboards to analyze key metrics, including turnaround times, SLA compliance, and user feedback.

Review workflows quarterly to optimize for growth or changing regulations.

Best Practices for SMB Workflow Automation

• Start with Quick Wins
  Automate one or two key workflows first to showcase immediate results and gain team buy-in.
• Keep Workflows Simple and Modular
  Avoid over-complicating processes. Build modular workflows so changes in one part don’t affect others.
• Prioritize Integration
  Ensure all workflows connect with your CRM, ERP, or accounting tools early to prevent silos.
• Train Staff Thoroughly
  Provide hands-on training to improve adoption and reduce resistance to change.
• Design for Compliance and Security
  Implement role-based permissions, audit trails, and automated logs from the start. 
• Review Regularly
  Monitor workflows quarterly to stay aligned with growth and regulatory changes.

Real-World Example: SMB Success with Joget

A regional logistics company struggled with manual approval processes for expense claims, resulting in delays and limited visibility.

Solution:
The company utilized Joget to automate approvals, integrate workflows with its accounting system, and establish SLA alerts.

Results:

• Approval times reduced by 60 percent
• Improved compliance reporting for audits
• Increased employee satisfaction due to transparency

This shows how SMBs can quickly gain productivity and compliance benefits from Joget.

Conclusion: Powering SMB Growth with Joget

For SMBs, workflow automation is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for staying competitive.

Joget enables small and medium businesses to achieve enterprise-grade efficiency without the complexity or cost of traditional software development. 

By automating critical workflows, SMBs can lower costs, scale faster, and deliver better customer experiences.

Partnering with certified Joget providers, such as Relinns Technologies, ensures that your workflows are designed for scalability, security, and long-term ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

How much does it cost to automate workflows with Joget for SMBs?

Costs vary by complexity, but Joget’s low-code approach makes it more affordable than traditional custom development.

Which SMB workflows should be automated first?

Start with high-impact processes, such as approvals, onboarding, and invoice management, to achieve a quick ROI.

Can Joget integrate with popular SMB tools like QuickBooks or Zoho CRM?

Yes, Joget’s API Connector supports integration with CRMs, ERPs, and popular SMB accounting software.

How long does it take to deploy SMB workflows with Joget?

Basic workflows can be deployed in a few days. Complex workflows with integrations typically take 2–4 weeks.

Do SMBs need dedicated IT teams to use Joget?

No. Joget’s low-code design allows business users to build and manage workflows with minimal IT support.