Scaling SA Tech Ventures: Why You Need Workflow Automation Early on in South Africa

Want to give your tech venture the best chance of success?

Here in South Africa, we have to build a little differently than in Silicon Valley and Europe – SA tech ventures are under a lot of pressure to achieve extreme efficiency, viability and scalability much early on. 

Workflow automation offers a powerful solution: it can help startups operate efficiently with leaner teams, free up resources for growth, and maintain consistent quality as they scale.

For one Octoco client, it meant the difference between being able to do business or not.

Here’s why you need workflow automation for new tech products in South Africa…

First: What is Workflow Automation?

Workflow automation uses software to perform various business tasks and processes independently, with minimal human intervention. It follows a set of predefined business rules – like a series of “if-then” steps – that direct tasks and data through different stages, ensuring consistency and efficiency. 

In practical terms, this means that repetitive processes, such as updating dashboards or routing tasks, are completed automatically, saving valuable time and minimising errors.

Why You Need Workflow Automation: A Practical Example

LeaseSurance, a South African PropTech startup is a prime example of how workflow automation can help empower or even transform a business model. 

Having developed a revolutionary insurance-driven product that allows landlords to forego charging tenants rental deposits (thereby increasing their client pool) in lieu of a small monthly coverage instalment that better covers them for damages, LeaseSurance ran into scaling problems when it turned out that their original tech partner didn’t take scale into account, introducing inefficiencies into the system.

LeaseSurance needed to operate on high-volume and extremely low margins, which meant the key to success was reducing admin costs, yet the system could not deliver because it was set up to:

  • Extract monthly data exports

  • Using outdated Excel-based data extraction

This meant data wasn’t fresh, hindering risk profiling and premium calculation (vital for their business model). It also caused performance lag, data inconsistencies and reliability issues – if that single monthly extract failed, you can have severe data accuracy issues.

And, while such a simple system might work well for a pilot programme and validation, it literally couldn’t scale and thus, could threaten the entire business.

How Octoco Introduced Workflow Automation to LeaseSurance’s Product

The solution was for Octoco to rebuild the system, replacing, amongst others, Excel imports with an API pulling real-time data directly into LeaseSurance’s database using AWS Lambda and SQS serverless data processing to handle high volumes without bottlenecks.

It also required data mapping and endpoint-selecting, scheduling automated data retrieval and building an entirely separate and unique claims portal for LeaseSurance, all of which helped automate workflows securely and – most importantly – scalably.

All of this meant that LeaseSurance could continue to do (and sign up new) business with a robust, scalable product.

See the entire LeaseSurance case study here.

And get the Octoco team to do the same for your tech venture with next-level CTO support, hardware and software engineering.

The Benefits of Workflow Automation

1. Enhanced Customer Experience

Automated workflows enable companies to respond to customer needs faster and more consistently. By removing delays and reducing manual handoffs, startups can ensure clients receive timely responses and support, which is crucial in building loyalty and satisfaction.

2. Increased Efficiency

Automation allows startups to complete tasks faster and, in many cases, around the clock. Tasks once handled manually, such as processing requests or updating data, can be handled by software, reducing turnaround times and boosting productivity.

3. Error Reduction

Manual work is prone to errors, especially when handling large volumes of repetitive tasks. Workflow automation ensures consistent execution according to predefined rules, reducing the risk of mistakes and enhancing overall accuracy.

4. Cost Savings

By cutting down on the need for manual labour, automation reduces operational costs and allows startups to scale without a proportional increase in headcount. This resource efficiency is crucial for South African startups operating with lean budgets.

5. Enhanced Collaboration and Transparency

With real-time updates and shared access, automated workflows improve transparency and collaboration across teams. In hybrid or remote setups, these tools keep everyone aligned on task statuses and responsibilities, reducing misunderstandings and fostering team cohesion.

6. Scalability

As startups grow, workflow automation allows them to handle increased workloads without compromising quality. With automation, startups can scale operations smoothly, maintaining efficiency and consistency even as the business expands.

What Can Be Easily Automated?

It doesn’t always have to be complex or Earth-shattering, strategic workflow automation in a few specific places can have a massive impact. For example:

  • Customer support: Automated ticketing systems prioritise inquiries, providing faster response times and ensuring no request slips through the cracks.

  • Finance and accounting: Automate budget approvals and expense tracking to streamline financial management.

  • Marketing: Set up automated workflows to manage email campaigns, track metrics, and keep communication consistent.

  • IT management: Automate service requests, updates, and system checks for better operational oversight.

But Beware of the No 1 Automation Pitfall in SA

All that said, premature automation is one of the biggest pitfalls we’ve seen new South African tech ventures fall prey to – it can literally derail your entire growth strategy.

Before you can automate anything, there are 5 essential steps you need to implement first – see what they are and how to give your product/business the best possible chance of success in our guide to building better products in SA.

How to Get Started with Workflow Automation in SA

Once you’ve done the 4 essential steps (see about avoiding automation pitfalls above), automation starts with identifying the high-impact areas of your business to automate, planning out and optimising your workflows to the 10th degree, selecting the right tools and then conducting small-scale tests and automating iteratively and continuously.

Fortunately, we at Octoco live and breathe to help South African founders and ventures do exactly that – book a strategy session with our team of engineers today.