5 Manual Business Processes You Should Have Automated by Now

Manual processes are costing businesses more than many organisations realise. Studies show that 60% to 70% of work activities could be automated using current technology, yet many businesses still rely on manual processes that consume valuable time, increase costs and pull resources away from higher-value work.

Automation doesn't have to mean a complete operational overhaul. Simple workflow and document automation tools can streamline repetitive tasks, reduce errors and help teams work more efficiently. In this blog, we'll explore five business processes that are often ready for automation: invoice processing, employee onboarding, document data entry, internal approvals and information retrieval.

1. Approving and processing invoices

Invoice processing is often one of the most resource-intensive activities within finance teams, not only because of the admin involved, but because it exposes how much visibility the business has over its own workflows.

Where approvals are handled through email, spreadsheets or paper-based circulation, the process quickly becomes fragmented. Invoices may be waiting with approvers, held up by missing information, or delayed by queries that are difficult to track. Without a clear view of what is in progress, who owns the next action, and how long each stage is taking, finance teams are left chasing updates rather than managing the process proactively.

For organisations processing high volumes of invoices, this lack of visibility can be just as damaging as the manual work itself. It makes it harder to spot recurring issues, understand supplier performance, keep approvals moving, and stay in control as month-end deadlines approach.

A more effective approach combines automated invoice workflows with reporting dashboards that show what is happening in real time. Invoice information can be captured, stored securely, and routed to the right people for approval, while dashboards provide a clear window into the status and performance of the end-to-end accounts payable process. Instead of relying on manual updates, teams can see which invoices are outstanding, where delays are forming, and which issues need attention before they affect wider finance operations.

• Automated invoice workflows: Capture and route invoice information through the right approval paths, reducing repeated manual handling while keeping the process moving.
• Workflow status and approval tracking: Shows which invoices are in progress, who they are assigned to, and how long they have been waiting, making it easier to keep approvals moving.
• Dashboard reporting: Provides real-time visual updates on workflow performance, helping teams monitor approval times, identify discrepancies, review supplier or staff trends, and spot potential bottlenecks before they slow the process down.

Together, these tools reduce repeated manual handling while giving finance teams a much clearer view of the invoice process. Toshiba worked with Hercules Site Services to reduce admin time by 75% - in other cases, this can be as much as 85% - but the effect goes beyond efficiency gains alone. Automation can reduce costs by 65% and errors by as much as 95% in some cases, while added visibility allows organisations such as Charlie’s Stores to monitor progress and stay on track to meet their monthly closing schedule.

By bringing reporting into the workflow, automation gives finance teams more than a faster process. It gives them the control, consistency, and insight needed to manage invoices proactively, rather than reacting when delays or errors have already taken hold.

2. Onboarding new employees

Onboarding is a process that exposes how well an organisation connects its internal functions.

In a manual environment, each step is handled independently - forms are shared via email, data is entered multiple times, and requests for IT setup or facilities access are triggered separately. The process works, but only with a high degree of coordination and oversight.

Over time, this creates delays and inconsistencies, particularly as hiring volumes increase. Digital forms provide a more structured foundation by introducing validation rules and mandatory fields at the point of entry. This helps ensure data is captured accurately from the start, reducing the need for correction or rework later. More importantly, it makes information available in real time, so the systems and teams that need it can access it without waiting for a manual handover.

When integrated into workflow automation, onboarding becomes a coordinated process. Data captured once can trigger subsequent actions automatically, from account creation to access provisioning. The shift is subtle but significant: rather than managing individual tasks, organisations are managing a connected process - one that is measurable, visible and repeatable.

• Digital forms with validation: Capture complete, accurate employee information at the point of entry.
• Workflow automation: Triggers follow-on actions such as IT setup, facilities access, and internal notifications without manual chasing.
• Real-time information sharing: Gives the relevant teams access to the same data as soon as it is submitted.

3. Manually entering information from documents

Manual data entry is often accepted as a necessary part of working with documents. In reality, it is one of the most avoidable sources of inefficiency.

Across finance, operations, and customer-facing teams, employees spend time re-keying data from invoices, delivery notes, forms, and receipts into business systems. This creates delays and introduces the risk of error at every point of input.

The scale of the issue becomes clear when viewed across the business.

This is where intelligent capture changes how documents are handled. Using OCR, machine learning, and intelligent classification, information can be recognised and extracted accurately, even from unstructured or variable formats, before being validated against predefined rules.

• OCR, machine learning, and intelligent classification: Recognise and extract data accurately, even from unstructured or variable formats.
• Rule-based validation: Checks extracted information against predefined criteria before it enters business systems.
• Adaptive document learning: Improves accuracy over time as new document types are introduced.

What distinguishes more advanced approaches is their ability to adapt.

As new document types are introduced, systems can improve accuracy over time without requiring manual templating.

The outcome is a measurable shift in both speed and reliability. Processes that previously relied on manual input become automated data flows, reducing administrative effort while increasing confidence in the information being used.

For organisations handling large volumes of document-led activity, the value of this shift is clear. At Aico, Toshiba applied this approach to restructure document-heavy workflows, improving accessibility, reducing manual handling, and making information easier to work with across the business.

4. Chasing internal requests and approvals

Internal approvals rarely receive the same level of attention as customer-facing processes, yet they play a significant role in how efficiently an organisation operates.

In many businesses, these workflows still rely on informal methods - emails, shared inboxes or verbal confirmation. This creates variability in how requests are handled and makes it difficult to maintain oversight.

The result is familiar: delays, missed requests, and limited accountability.

Structured digital workflows introduce a different dynamic. Requests are standardised at the point of submission and routed through predefined approval paths, ensuring consistency while creating a clear audit trail of decisions and actions.

• Standardised digital request forms: Capture the right information upfront, reducing incomplete or inconsistent submissions.
• Predefined approval paths: Send requests to the right people automatically, helping decisions move forward without repeated chasing.
• Audit trails and status visibility: Make it easier to see what has been approved, what is waiting, and where action is needed.

As outlined in our eBook around business process automation, this type of visibility is critical - not only for efficiency, but for governance. It allows organisations to move from reactive management to a more proactive, controlled approach to decision-making.

5. Finding the documents and information you need

This process highlights a less visible but equally significant challenge: access to information.

For some organisations, document retrieval may already be partly automated. For others, it remains a daily source of friction. Even where documents are digitised, they are often spread across multiple locations - shared drives, inboxes, and legacy systems - making them difficult to locate and manage effectively.

The impact is quantifiable: employees can spend over nine hours each week searching for information, with additional time lost recreating documents that cannot be easily found. The annual cost of this inefficiency is estimated at over £20,000 per employee*.

A more structured approach to document management addresses both access and control. Centralised repositories with intelligent indexing make documents easier to search, while version control ensures teams are working from accurate, up-to-date information.

• Centralised document repositories: Bring files into one structured location, reducing reliance on scattered folders and inboxes.
• Intelligent indexing: Makes documents searchable by relevant data points, so teams can find what they need faster.
• Version control: Helps ensure people are working from accurate, current information rather than outdated copies.

Where document retrieval is still manual, this can transform document management from a reactive task into a reliable, integrated part of the workflow, supporting both productivity and compliance.

A more connected approach to automation

Across these five processes, the common thread is not simply inefficiency, but fragmentation.

Manual workflows tend to operate in isolation, requiring information to be transferred between people rather than moving smoothly through systems. This limits visibility, slows progress and increases the likelihood of error.

As explored in our eBook on business process automation, organisations that take a more integrated approach - connecting capture, workflows and document management - are better placed to improve both operational efficiency and decision-making.

Automation, in this context, is not about replacing processes, but about strengthening and connecting them so work can move with greater consistency and control.

Where to start...

For many organisations, these processes have become so familiar that they are rarely questioned. They sit quietly in the background of daily operations, absorbing time, creating avoidable delays, and making straightforward tasks more complicated than they need to be.

At Toshiba, we help organisations take a more connected approach to automation, bringing together intelligent capture, digital forms, workflow automation, and document management to create processes that reflect how work actually happens.

If invoice processing, onboarding, data entry, approvals or document retrieval still depend on manual effort, it may be time to ask a more direct question: why? These are not fringe processes or future priorities. They are everyday sources of friction that many organisations could already be simplifying, speeding up and controlling more effectively.

Explore our process automation solutions or speak to our team to understand where automation could make the biggest difference in your business - and which manual processes you should have moved on from already.