Workflow Automation & Operations Glossary

Software that uses artificial intelligence to perform tasks autonomously. Unlike simple automations, AI agents can make decisions, handle variations, and adapt to different scenarios. They often use large language models (LLMs) to understand context and take appropriate actions.

A set of protocols and tools that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. APIs enable integrations by providing standardized ways for systems to request and exchange data.

Software that manages all of a company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. CRMs typically track contact information, communication history, sales pipeline, and customer data.

The process of combining data from different sources into a unified view. This includes extracting data from source systems, transforming it to a consistent format, and loading it into a destination system (ETL), or keeping systems continuously synchronized.

A situation where data is isolated in one department or system and not easily accessible to other parts of the organization. Silos lead to duplicate data entry, inconsistencies, and difficulty getting a complete picture of business performance.

A data integration process that extracts data from source systems, transforms it into a consistent format, and loads it into a destination system like a data warehouse. Modern alternatives include ELT where transformation happens after loading.

Cloud-based platforms that enable organizations to connect different applications, data, and processes across cloud and on-premises environments. Examples include Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), Workato, and Tray.io.

Development approaches that allow building applications and automations with minimal or no traditional programming. No-code platforms use visual interfaces and pre-built components. Low-code platforms require some coding but significantly less than traditional development.

A business function that aligns marketing, sales, and customer success operations around the entire revenue cycle. RevOps focuses on operational efficiency, data integration, and creating unified processes across revenue-generating teams.

An architecture principle where every piece of data is stored exactly once, with all other systems referencing or syncing from that authoritative source. This eliminates data silos, version conflicts, and manual reconciliation.

An enterprise work management and collaboration platform that combines spreadsheet-like interfaces with project management, automation, and reporting capabilities. Often used as a central hub for operational workflows.

The fundamental building blocks of automation. A trigger is an event that starts an automation (e.g., "when a form is submitted"). Actions are the tasks performed in response (e.g., "create a contact," "send an email," "update a spreadsheet").

A situation where a customer becomes dependent on a vendor for products and services, making it difficult to switch to another vendor without substantial switching costs. Common with all-in-one platforms that own your data and workflows.

A method for one application to send real-time data to another application when a specific event occurs. Unlike APIs where you request data, webhooks push data automatically when triggered by events like form submissions, purchases, or status changes.

The use of software to automatically execute recurring tasks or processes in a business where manual effort can be replaced. This includes triggering actions based on events, moving data between systems, and orchestrating multi-step processes without human intervention.