Workflows vs New Business

Both the Advisors Assistant Workflow feature and the New Business feature track processes.  However they are both different and complementary.

The Workflow Concept

Workflows are step-by-step events that are both fixed and predictable.  They tend not to vary in both the steps taken and the order of those steps.

For example, during the sales order processing it would be rare for a new requirement to emerge in the middle of the processing that could not be predicted.  If you have the product, you package then ship.  If you don't have the product, you order it, put it on back order, contact the customer,  then package when it comes in, and ship.  The packaging is not going to change based on some non-controllable outside requirement that will force an entire new, unpredictable set of steps.

The New Business Concept

With New Business, the steps and events are not so predictable.  They can be controlled by outside influences that are unknown at the time the goal is established.

For example, the task of getting the approval of a life insurance policy between the time the application is sent to underwriting and the issued policy is placed or delivered to the client.  You have no idea of the complete health history, and cannot predict which and how many doctors' statements will be required, what additional tests will be required, the time between each task, or even what those tasks will entail.  One day the underwriter may ask to have the blood pressure checked on 3 separate days, and a week later they may ask for a doctor's report from a doctor which was not on the application.

The New Business process must be both flexible and fluid.  The time frames are usually rushed and "as soon as possible" and there is no predictability of the steps.  This requires a different process.

Complementary Concepts

Often a Workflow will be followed by a New Business process.  The workflow may take client up to the point of sale as various fixed processes were performed to set up meetings and generate proposals.

At that point, the process may become fluid when a product is sold and it must be tracked through an additional process, such as underwriting a policy which is not predictable.

The New Business process may then be followed by a Workflow that will deliver the product and set up the next client meeting.

See Also

View Client With New Business