Low Code/No Code Platforms Are Capable of Supporting Complex Workflows
Prasanna Rajendran, the Vice President for EMEA at Kissflow, says LCNC platforms now offer extensive integration capabilities with various software systems such as CRM, ERP, and databases
How do low code/no code (LC/NC) break down barriers and democratise the software creation process?
The technicalities and syntax of coding are some of the greatest barriers to entry. Low-Code/No-Code (LCNC) platforms address this by eliminating the need for coding instead of visual interfaces with drag-and-drop functionality. Combine this with prebuilt components and templates, and now, AI assistance and it is business logic thus take precedence over syntax.
This expands the pool of people who can create and modify applications and reduces the dependencies on the IT teams. And it also helps the IT team to manage their backlog effectively. To understand the impact this could have, consider the example of a Finance & HR department that wants to seamlessly track the leave request process and thus reduce issues with leave balance and deduction. As business users, they know the processes better, understand the data better, and therefore know how this application should work.
If however, they were to go to IT to have it implemented, they could be faced with delays, unnecessary back and forth, and potential for miscommunication. If instead, IT could empower these business users to create the application themselves – while still maintaining proper governance – these issues could be eliminated. This is what LCNC does – it empowers business users, frees up IT resources while keeping IT teams in charge, and supercharges app development.
How have LC/NC platforms evolved from niche tools into essential components of modern IT strategies?
Today’s LC/NC platforms are capable of supporting complex workflows, integrating seamlessly with enterprise systems, and incorporating AI capabilities for process creation and predictive analytics. This evolution enables them to address sophisticated business requirements far beyond their original scope.
Over time, the security controls on these platforms have also matured significantly, incorporating advanced security features, robust governance controls, and comprehensive compliance management. These enhancements make them well-suited for enterprise environments where data security and regulatory compliance are critical. With better governance and control it enabled and empowered process owners and business users to create and manage applications, which otherwise would have not been possible.
Additionally, LCNC platforms now offer extensive integration capabilities with various software systems such as CRM, ERP, and databases. This allows organisations to maximise their existing IT investments and achieve seamless integration across disparate systems.
What sort of impact is being felt across various sectors, from finance to healthcare to manufacturing when it comes to LC/NC platforms?
LCNC platforms at the core are customisable and can improve business of any nature. Sectors like finance, healthcare, and manufacturing all deal with lots of processes and approvals. Be it automating a purchase request, travel reimbursement, appointment booking, or vendor portal, LCNC platforms can be a great help to businesses to streamline their everyday operations and improve efficiency.
Consider this example from the healthcare sector – using the Kissflow platform, Quest Nutra Pharma, a manufacturer of nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and food supplements, was able to digitalise over 30 processes. This not only enabled them to move towards paperless operations but has also automated large portions of its operations, yielding efficiencies and accuracies and translating to enhanced quality assurance, market compliance, deviation and change control and more.
Similarly, in the insurance sector, Royal Exchange General Insurance Company Limited (REGIC), Nigeria’s oldest and largest insurance provider, has embarked on extensive digitalisation of its internal business operations using the Kissflow Low-Code Platform. To date, REGIC has successfully digitalised eight core operations including policy booking and claims which translates to more rapid and responsive customer service and enhanced productivity for our employees. Moreover, the automation ensures that customers are kept up-to-date via email or SMS at every stage in the claims process. As a result, this insurance provider was able to bring down claims processing time from three days down to two hours and reduce customer churn by 80 per cent.
How according to you can issues with security, compliance, and integration, be properly managed in an LC/NC ecosystem?
On top of regulatory compliances like GDPR, HIPAA, and others, leading LCNC platforms today offer a strong layer of governance. In the case of Kissflow, the primary distinguishing factor of our governance layer is its pre-configured reports and dashboards which eliminate the need for manual setup by users.
These reports and dashboards are comprehensive, providing consumers of the data with a thorough understanding and monitoring of various aspects such as security, usage, and access control. Moreover, the reports also include essential data source references, potential data breaches, comprehensive event audits, ownership and access information, data relationships, and the latest deployment and creation details.
How are technologies such as AI and ML further enhancing the capabilities of low-code platforms?
AI makes the LCNC paradigm even more powerful and accessible. For instance, AI-driven tools can now automate significant portions of the development process, suggesting code snippets, auto-generating components, or even building entire applications from just a set of high-level requirements.
AI can also enhance the experiences of individuals as they use LCNC platforms by incorporating advanced features like chatbots, recommendation engines, and personalised content delivery. This leads to richer, more engaging user interactions and ultimately, more successful applications.
