Digital Workflow Automation

Design digital, no-code workflows to transform, simplify, and enforce key business processes with Etrieve Flow from Softdocs.

Etrieve Flow, part of the complete Etrieve platform from Softdocs, empowers you to design, deploy, and revise the digital workflow that works specifically for your department.

Build processes with our simple drag-and-drop designer. No complex configuration. No coding. Establish rules, set timing, enforce requirements, and build "if then" conditionals when things go awry. Regain control over the processes you know best.

Etrieve Flow also combines content and forms with existing ERP or SIS data. Set ultra-precise routing rules, stop redundant data entry, and eliminate swiveling between screens to compare information.

Build in Minutes Scale Effortlessly

An example of how to easily create a basic financial aid workflow in Etrieve.

Fast, Simple Workflows

For teams who need results quickly, Etrieve Flow gets you from idea to live in minutes. No technical setup, no learning curve, no waiting on IT. Take advantage of:

  • Drag-and-drop design without coding
  • Fast to launch, simple to iterate
  • Scalable to more complexity

Create short, focused workflows that eliminate tedious back-and-forth email and messaging chains.

Demonstration of automated, conditional routing based on information from form submission.

Deep, Complex Workflows

Bring order and control to your most demanding processes. Etrieve Flow empowers you with full control of complex, cross-departmental operations with the automation and logic to match how your organization actually works.

  • Conditional routing that moves work to the right person using role-based logic
  • Parallel approvals for simultaneous decisions
  • Integrations with the apps you already use

Enforce crucial business rules while removing bottlenecks and risk.

See how to monitor, manage, and fix workflow actions behind the scenes.

Monitor (and Resolve) Workflow Performance

Workflow Monitor analyzes performance, identifies bottlenecks, moves stuck packages, and provides compliance-ready audit trails.

  • Oversee Performance: Dashboards monitor cycle time, volume, and completion rates.
  • Provide Audit Trails: Get a full record to review approvers and approval dates.
  • Move Packages: Reassign stuck packages to another workflow step.
  • Reassign Actors: Change the responsible party without losing the package's place.

Example Processes

A list of some common processes that our 1,000+ customers have digitized and automated.

Student Services

  • Admissions Application
  • Residency Application
  • Tuition Exemption Request
  • Change of Dependency Request
  • Federal Direct Loan Cancellation
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals
  • Scholarship Application
  • Tuition Reciprocity Request
  • Work Study Job Application
  • Academic Withdrawal Form
  • Course Add/Drop
  • Internship Course Registration
  • Medical Leave Request
  • Accessibility/Disability Services Request
  • Meal Plan Request
  • Request to Start a New Campus Organization
  • Room Assignment Change Request
  • Study Abroad Request
  • Tutoring Request

Business Office

  • AP Approval Form
  • New GL Account Request
  • Petty Cash Voucher
  • Purchase Request
  • Travel Reimbursement Request

Human Resources

  • Address Change
  • Benefit Enrollment
  • Direct Deposit Authorization
  • Employment Application
  • Employment Verification Request
  • Leave Request
  • Sabbatical Request
  • Tenure/Promotion Request
  • Travel Request
  • Work Study Job Application

… and many more

The real value is the ability to easily access information, instead of having to route a student to 4-5 different places. We can provide a better flow of engagement for everyone and speed up the process of helping everyone, both students and staff.

Donald Beck, Director of IT Services Davidson-Davie Community College

Transformational Benefits of Workflow Automation

process heirarchy

Enforce Processes

Remove gaps, ambiguity, and deviations from processes with clear, enforceable rules for information flow, approval sequences, and more.

clock

Expedite Approvals

Combine unlimited e-signatures in the Etrieve platform to automate every step in approval processes and get rid of frustrating wait times.

ux

Control Your World

With a drag-and-drop interface and no reliance on scripting, users of all technical levels can implement critical process improvements.

workflow

Stay Integrated

Use Etrieve Workflow to integrate information from form submissions and stored documents with external sources to ensure constant, consistent data exchange.

Clear Assignments
Better Execution

Within Etrieve Flow, every step is owned by the right person in the right context. This is the secret to efficient workflows.

Approvers might be an individual person, or anyone within a specific team or group, or even anyone categorized as a certain role. Assignments come from conditional logic based on data already in your system, or following other key steps, such as signing a form.

Etrieve gives you the flexibility to design ideal processes for your team.

Assign to a Person

A named individual receives the task directly. Best for approvals with a fixed, known approver.

Example: The CFO must approve all capital requests

Assign to a Group

Any member of a defined group can act. Complete the step when one or all members respond.

Example: Any member of the HR team can approve a leave request

Assign to a Role

Role-based routing with dynamic resolution automatically assigns tasks using real-time data from your SIS or ERP.

Example: Route to the student's assigned academic advisor

Conditional Assignments

Dynamically route using logic. Assign actors based on field values, conditions, or any data within the record.

Example: Requests over $10,000 route to the VP of Finance, while all others go to the department manager

Broadcast

Route the same assignment to multiple recipients simultaneously, each dispersed with data unique to the receiving actor.

Example: Release all adjunct faculty contracts for the semester

E-Signatures

Require a legally binding electronic signature before moving the workflow forward.

Example: A parent or guardian must sign field trip consent forms before student participation is approved

Design Every Step With Precision

Split

Split

Divide flow into parallel branches that run simultaneously.

Merge

Join

Merge parallel branches back into a single flow once all or any are complete.

Accumulate

Accumulate

Hold and gather multiple documents or submissions before advancing the workflow.

Email

Notifications

Keep every stage moving with step alerts, notifications, reminders, and completion confirmations.
out of the box

ERP/SIS exports

Push approved data into your integrated ERP or SIS at completion, with no re-entry, no errors, and no added processing time.
process

Automated Actions

Trigger actions automatically to create records, update statuses, generate documents, or initiate chained workflow execution.

Dive Deeper Into Workflow Automation

Case Study
How College of DuPage Built a Process Automation Engine with Softdocs Dashboards

Discover how College of DuPage scaled process automation to improve visibility, reduce friction, and integrate with Ellucian Colleague.

Higher Education Electronic Forms Financial Aid Document Management Ellucian Colleague Perceptive Content
Webinar
How Richland One Cut Approval Times and Gained Real Workflow Visibility with Digital Processes

In this live, panel-style conversation (no slides), the Richland One team will share how they made approvals faster, improved cross-department collaboration, and built a more transparent, reliable process for staff across the district. You’ll hear directly from the IT leaders and system administrators who support these workflows every day and see the impact firsthand.

K-12 Education
Blog Post
Utilizing Automated Workflows in Higher Education

How universities and colleges are using workflow automation and e-forms tools to automate key student services and departments like HR.

Higher Education Electronic Forms Workflow Business Office

See Etrieve Workflow Automation

With workflow automation integrated into your document management and digital transformation strategy, you can simplify and automate document routing and review cycles for basic and complex business processes, including e-forms and unlimited electronic signatures.

Book a demo today!