Use Cases

ChronoFlow excels at managing business processes that involve multiple steps, different people, and structured data collection. Here are real-world examples of how organizations use ChronoFlow to automate task handoff and streamline their operations.

Student Forms Processing

The Challenge

Educational institutions need to process various student requests (diploma name changes, transcript requests, enrollment forms, etc.) that require multiple departments to review, approve, and take action. Students need an easy way to submit requests, and administrators need a clear process to handle them.

The ChronoFlow Solution

Student Access as Visitors

Students can sign into ChronoFlow as visitors, which gives them limited access to start public workflows. They can see available workflows like “Request Diploma Name Change” and initiate the process.

Automated Task Handoff

1. Student Submission: When a student starts the “Request Diploma Name Change” workflow, a task is created in the “Diploma Name Change Request” list. The task collects all required information (student ID, current name, requested name, reason, etc.) through fields defined at the organization and list levels.

2. Administrative Review: The workflow automatically creates a “Diploma Name Change Department Processing” task and assigns it to the appropriate administrator. The administrator reviews the request, verifies the information, and may request additional documentation.

3. Data Update: Once approved, the workflow creates a “Diploma Name Change Update Data in System” task, assigned to the records department. This task includes all the verified information needed to update the student’s records.

4. Document Generation and Delivery: When the data update task is completed, the workflow automatically:

   • Generates a PDF version of the completed form with all collected data
   • Sends the PDF to the records department via email or mail
   • Creates a notification task to confirm delivery

Benefits

• Students can submit requests without needing full system access
• All data is collected in a structured, validated format
• Tasks automatically flow to the right people at the right time
• No manual handoffs or lost paperwork
• Complete audit trail of the process
• Automatic document generation and delivery

Employee Onboarding

The Challenge

When a new employee joins, multiple departments need to take action: HR processes paperwork, IT sets up accounts and equipment, Facilities arranges workspace, Security issues badges, and Payroll sets up compensation. Coordinating these handoffs manually is error-prone and time-consuming.

The ChronoFlow Solution

Conditional Workflow Based on Role

1. Initial Request: HR creates a new employee onboarding task with fields for employee name, role, department, start date, and employment type (full-time, part-time, contractor).

2. Conditional Routing: The workflow examines the employment type field:

   • If full-time: Creates tasks for IT (full account setup), Facilities (desk assignment), Security (badge creation), and Payroll (benefits enrollment)
   • If contractor: Creates only IT (limited account) and Security (temporary badge) tasks
   • If part-time: Creates IT and Payroll tasks with modified requirements

3. Sequential Dependencies: Some tasks must complete before others:

   • IT account creation must complete before Security can create a badge (needs email address)
   • Facilities desk assignment must complete before IT can configure equipment location
   • All tasks must complete before the “Welcome Package” task is created

4. Data Collection: Each department collects specific information:

   • IT: Software licenses, hardware requirements, access levels
   • Facilities: Desk number, parking assignment, key requests
   • Security: Badge photo, access card number, building access levels
   • Payroll: Bank details, tax forms, direct deposit information

5. Completion Notification: When all tasks are complete, HR receives a notification with all collected information, and a welcome email is automatically sent to the new employee.

Benefits

• Different onboarding paths for different employee types
• Automatic task creation and assignment
• No manual coordination between departments
• All information collected in one place
• Clear visibility into onboarding progress
• Reduced time-to-productivity for new employees

Invoice Processing and Approval

The Challenge

Organizations need to process invoices through multiple approval levels based on amount, department, and vendor. Small invoices might only need department manager approval, while large invoices require CFO approval. The process must ensure proper authorization while maintaining audit trails.

The ChronoFlow Solution

Multi-Level Approval with Conditional Routing

1. Invoice Submission: A team member submits an invoice by creating a task in the “Invoice Processing” list. The task collects: invoice number, vendor, amount, department, expense category, and invoice PDF.

2. Automatic Routing Based on Amount: The workflow examines the amount field:

   • If amount < $500: Route to department manager only
   • If amount $500-$5,000: Route to department manager, then finance manager
   • If amount > $5,000: Route to department manager, finance manager, then CFO

3. Department-Specific Rules: Additional conditional logic:

   • If department is “IT” and amount > $1,000: Also require IT director approval
   • If vendor is “New Vendor”: Require procurement department review before approval
   • If expense category is “Travel”: Require travel policy compliance check

4. Approval Tasks: Each approver receives a task with:

   • Invoice details and PDF
   • Previous approver comments
   • Approval/rejection decision field
   • Comments field for any concerns

5. Payment Processing: Once all approvals are obtained:

   • Create “Payment Processing” task in Accounts Payable
   • Automatically extract approved amount, vendor, and invoice number
   • Generate payment request with all collected data
   • Send notification to requester when payment is scheduled

6. Rejection Handling: If any approver rejects:

   • Create “Invoice Rejection Review” task
   • Notify the original requester with rejection reason
   • Allow requester to submit revised invoice or appeal

Benefits

• Automatic routing based on business rules
• Different approval paths for different scenarios
• Complete audit trail of all approvals
• Reduced processing time
• Compliance with financial policies
• Clear visibility into invoice status

Customer Support Ticket Escalation

The Challenge

Support teams need to handle customer issues that may require escalation to different tiers or departments. Level 1 support handles basic issues, but complex technical problems need Level 2, billing issues need the finance team, and feature requests need product management. Manual escalation is slow and issues can get lost.

The ChronoFlow Solution

Intelligent Escalation Based on Issue Type

1. Initial Ticket Creation: A customer support ticket is created with fields for: customer ID, issue category, priority, description, and customer contact information.

2. Automatic Categorization and Routing: The workflow examines the issue category:

   • Technical Issue: Create “Level 1 Technical Support” task
   • Billing Question: Create “Billing Support” task in Finance space
   • Feature Request: Create “Product Review” task in Product space
   • Account Issue: Create “Account Management” task

3. Priority-Based Assignment: Within each category, tasks are assigned based on priority:

   • High Priority: Assigned to senior support staff
   • Normal Priority: Assigned to available support staff
   • Low Priority: Queued for next available agent

4. Escalation Logic: If Level 1 support cannot resolve:

   • After 2 hours without resolution: Automatically create “Level 2 Escalation” task
   • If issue involves system outage: Create “Engineering Alert” task immediately
   • If customer requests escalation: Create “Manager Review” task

5. Resolution and Follow-up: When a task is marked resolved:

   • Create “Customer Follow-up” task to confirm satisfaction
   • If follow-up indicates unresolved: Reopen original task with escalation
   • Generate resolution report with all collected data

Benefits

• Issues automatically routed to the right team
• Escalation happens automatically based on time or complexity
• No lost tickets or manual handoff errors
• Clear visibility into support queue and resolution times
• Consistent customer experience
• Data collected for analytics and improvement

Key Patterns Across Use Cases

These use cases demonstrate common patterns that ChronoFlow handles well:

• Conditional Routing: Different paths based on data (amount, type, category)
• Sequential Dependencies: Some tasks must complete before others start
• Multi-Department Coordination: Tasks flow between different spaces and teams
• Data Collection: Rich information gathered at each step
• Automatic Notifications: Stakeholders informed at key milestones
• Audit Trails: Complete history of who did what and when

ChronoFlow’s combination of task management, structured data collection, and intelligent workflow automation makes it ideal for any business process that involves multiple steps, people, and decisions.