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Read more →Workflow Automation Case Studies:
Results from real implementations
Reducing processing time, cutting administrative overhead, saving hundreds of hours annually: these are not projections. They are outcomes achieved by companies that worked with SMC Consulting to redesign and automate core business processes.
Below are three detailed workflow automation case studies in Belgium and across Europe, based on real implementations completed for Engie, Vinci Construction, and Veolia. Each example shows how workflow management and business process automation improve visibility, accountability, compliance, and operational efficiency.
They Trust Us
400+ workflow implementations | Certified Make partner and platform-agnostic approach |
Clients include Proximus, KBC, ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, AXA, Brussels Airport and more
Clients include Proximus, KBC, ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, AXA, Brussels Airport and more
Organisations that take performance seriously
trust SMC Consulting
Across Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, SMC Consulting helps mid-to-large companies in financial services, energy, construction, transport, insurance, and the public sector redesign the way teams operate. Our business process management consulting supports workflow automation projects across virtually every functional area, including procurement, HR, IT operations, finance coordination, and customer service.
The organizations below have trusted SMC Consulting to map, redesign, and automate critical workflows. Three of their stories are detailed on this page, with concrete examples of process optimization, platform configuration, and adoption support.
If you want to understand how SMC Consulting runs workflow programs, see workflow management consulting and the full workflow management offering.
Why business process automation is a
competitive requirement
Companies that rely on manual workflows, such as email-based approvals, spreadsheet tracking, and informal handoffs between departments, operate with a structural efficiency gap. Every manual step introduces delay, error risk, and reduced visibility that compounds over time. In high-volume processes like procurement, recruitment, or cross-divisional operations, the cost of unautomated workflows becomes measurable in hours lost, errors made, and decisions delayed.
Business process automation in Belgium using a workflow management platform selected to fit the client environment removes inefficiency at the source. When process logic is defined clearly, task routing and notifications are automated, and activity is centralized in a single platform, organizations typically see improvements in:
- Processing time and cycle time
- Administrative overhead and coordination work
- Compliance and auditability
- Data quality and reporting consistency
- Cross-team collaboration and accountability
The case studies below illustrate what workflow automation looks like in practice, not as a proof of concept, but as a scalable operational system.
SMC Consulting applies a consistent workflow optimization approach that combines three layers:
Business process
analysis
Process redesign
and optimization
Platform implementation plus intelligent
automation and integrations
This approach is embedded in our workflow management consulting methodology and executed with best-fit platforms, including monday.com consulting and Make automation when cross-tool orchestration is required.
Workflow automation case study:
Engie and Public Procurement Management
Context and Challenges
Public procurement is one of the most process-intensive functions in any large organization. For Engie, strict regulatory requirements, multi-stakeholder tender processes, and the volume of bids, contracts, and approvals create complexity that manual coordination cannot handle reliably.
Before working with SMC Consulting, Engie’s public procurement management relied on a fragmented combination of email communication, manual document tracking, and disconnected approval chains. The process was slow, difficult to audit, and exposed to compliance gaps, particularly around tender documentation requirements.
Each tender involved sequential approvals across multiple departments and external stakeholders without a shared system of record. The challenge was not a lack of expertise in the procurement team. The challenge was the absence of a structured workflow that enforces process logic, captures documentation systematically, and provides real-time visibility to all stakeholders.
Solution Implemented
SMC Consulting designed and configured a workflow automation solution using monday.com tailored to the regulatory and operational constraints of public procurement management. The platform centralized the tender lifecycle stages from opportunity identification and proposal preparation to submission, evaluation, negotiation, and contract signature.
Key automation elements included:
- Approval rules enforcing the correct sequence and responsible roles
- Notifications and reminders triggered at every stage change
- Escalation logic to reduce approval latency
- Compliance checkpoints that flag missing documentation before submission
- A centralized audit trail capturing actions, decisions, and supporting documents
Where required, integrations were configured to align documents and records with existing systems and reduce manual file handling. The engagement followed SMC’s workflow consulting approach: process mapping workshops with procurement and legal stakeholders, iterative configuration, user acceptance testing, and training to support adoption from day one.
Key Results
-
Automated and streamlined tendering workflows
The end-to-end tender workflow was standardized and automated, reducing processing time and preventing common handoff errors. Approval latency dropped through automated routing, escalation rules, and clear stage ownership. -
Stronger regulatory compliance
Compliance checkpoints and systematic documentation requirements improved audit readiness and reduced the time spent on manual checks and corrections. -
Complete transparency and traceability
Procurement managers gained real-time visibility on tender status, pending approvals, and bottlenecks. Instead of reactive follow-up, teams could intervene early based on live workflow signals. -
Time and cost reduction through operational efficiency
Freed from repetitive coordination, procurement staff could manage higher throughput without adding operational overhead. The cost per tender decreased as the process became more predictable. -
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Client Testimonial
“The use of this tool in the management of our public procurement has marked a turning point. We are now more efficient, compliant, and transparent in our processes, which has a positive impact on our reputation and operational efficiency.”
– Head of Public Procurement, Engie
Workflow automation case study:
Vinci Construction and recruitment process management
Context and Challenges
Vinci Construction operates across multiple countries with high recruitment volume and many hiring stakeholders. Managing recruitment at this scale creates a coordination problem when HR teams and hiring managers lack a unified workflow system.
Before workflow automation, Vinci’s recruitment process relied on email chains, local spreadsheets, and informal coordination. There was no standardized pipeline view for open positions, no consistent stage progression, and no automated mechanism to capture interview feedback and approvals across teams. The result was predictable:
- Longer time-to-hire
- Inconsistent candidate experience across divisions and geographies
- HR teams spending time on coordination rather than evaluation and relationship-building
Solution Implemented
SMC Consulting configured monday.com as a centralized recruitment workflow management platform covering the full lifecycle:
- Job requisition and approval
- Job posting coordination
- CV screening and qualification
- Interview scheduling and feedback capture
- Offer approvals and documentation
- Onboarding coordination steps
Workflow rules automated stage transitions, notifications, and escalation when steps stalled. Stakeholders gained a real-time view of positions, candidate status, and ownership. Standard evaluation templates and feedback forms were embedded into the workflow to improve consistency and comparability.
Training was tailored by role across HR coordinators, hiring managers, and HR leadership, with clear onboarding guidance and process documentation.
Key Results
-
Faster time-to-hire
Automation reduced manual follow-ups and improved stakeholder responsiveness, helping candidates move from application to offer more quickly. -
Improved candidate experience and employer brand
A more structured and responsive process improved communication consistency and reduced uncertainty for candidates. -
Reduced administrative overhead
Repeated coordination tasks were minimized through automated routing and clear ownership, freeing HR capacity for higher-value work. -
More consistent hiring decisions
Standardized evaluation steps and embedded criteria improved the quality and consistency of hiring across divisions. -
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Client Testimonial
“The integration of this tool into our recruitment process has revolutionized the way we work. We are now able to recruit faster and more efficiently, while providing a better experience for our candidates.”
– Chief Human Resources Officer, Vinci Construction
Workflow automation case study:
Veolia and operational process optimization at scale
Context and Challenges
Veolia operates across multiple divisions and countries with large volumes of operational activities. When workflows are fragmented across email, local tools, and informal coordination, cross-division work becomes slow and visibility becomes limited. Reporting takes time, often reflecting the past instead of supporting real-time decisions.
The challenge was scale. Even small inefficiencies per task compound into substantial lost capacity across thousands of activities. Without a unified workflow management platform, teams cannot see bottlenecks early or optimize resource allocation dynamically.
Solution Implemented
SMC Consulting configured monday.com as a centralized workflow management platform across operational teams. The solution included:
- Standardized operational workflows with clear ownership
- Cross-team collaboration and status visibility
- KPI dashboards and automated reporting for management
- Shared process views to reduce coordination overhead
To connect systems and remove manual data transfers, SMC added a no-code automation layer using Make. Automation scenarios synchronized workflow data with existing operational systems, improving data consistency and reducing repetitive entry. This approach supported integration without heavy custom development.
The rollout was phased across teams to support change management, with training and early optimization based on usage data in the first 90 days.
Key Results
-
Hundreds of hours saved annually
Reduced coordination work and automated administrative tasks recovered significant capacity across operational teams without increasing headcount. -
Operational efficiency improvement across participating divisions
Streamlined workflows reduced cycle times for recurring operational activities and improved throughput. -
Stronger cross-division collaboration
A shared platform and standard communication rules replaced fragmented coordination with visible, accountable workflows. -
Real-time monitoring and data-driven optimization
Dashboards updated continuously enabled proactive performance management rather than retrospective reporting. -
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Client Testimonial
“With this workflow management tool, we have not only saved hundreds of hours of work, but have also improved our overall efficiency. This has had a significant positive impact on our productivity and operational costs.”
– Chief Operating Officer, Veolia
Frequently Asked Questions About Workflow
Automation Projects
How long does a workflow automation implementation typically take?
For a focused engagement targeting a single process, such as procurement automation or recruitment workflow automation, implementation typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from process mapping to go-live. Larger multi-division programs may run 3 to 5 months depending on team count and integration complexity. Each engagement starts with a scoping session and a realistic timeline before configuration begins.
Which platforms does SMC Consulting use for workflow automation?
Platform selection is driven by client context and process requirements. For workflow management platforms, monday.com is frequently used for cross-team operational workflows. For cross-system orchestration and no-code integrations, we use Make as a certified partner. In IT service management contexts, workflow automation can also be implemented inside ITSM platforms such as HaloITSM and ServiceNow.
Do you work with organizations outside Belgium?
Yes. Workflow management and business process automation engagements cover Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Consultants work in French, Dutch, and English.
Can you automate workflows in existing tools without replacing them?
In many cases, yes. Make can connect workflow platforms to ERP, CRM, HRIS, and ITSM tools through no-code automation scenarios, reducing manual work while keeping familiar systems in place.
What makes SMC Consulting’s workflow automation approach different?
We start with process analysis, not tool demos. Before any configuration, we map current workflows, identify the highest-cost friction points, and design a future-state process that fits teams and governance. Implementation follows process design, which improves adoption and supports measurable workflow automation ROI.
Ready to see what workflow automation can
do for your company?
The results above, from procurement automation to recruitment workflow automation and operational process optimization, were built on the same foundation: rigorous process analysis, tailored workflow design, and implementation expertise backed by 30 years of business process consulting.
If teams are losing time to manual coordination, approval bottlenecks, or disconnected tools, SMC Consulting can identify where the biggest gains are and map a clear automation path.
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