How Mike company streamlined their document workflow with Typeflow

Learn how Mike company automated their document generation process with Typeflow, after using Documint.

Mike had a problem. Every month, his team needed to generate over 1,000 PDF documents from Airtable data. They had been using Documint, but the setup was becoming increasingly complex and unreliable.

During a weekend of searching for alternatives, Mike created an account with Typeflow. He began exploring on his own, then reached out through the chat with specific challenges he was facing.

The Documint Dilemma

Mike's frustration with Documint centered around three main issues:

• Deep linked record access was overly complex
• The newer version wasn't reliable for his needs
• The solution was expensive

The most significant pain point was accessing deep linked records. Mike's Airtable base contained numerous tables with complex relationships.

To generate PDFs that pulled data from multiple linked tables, he had implemented several workarounds:

• Creating formula fields that referenced specific table IDs
• Adding numerous rollup and lookup fields to access data from linked tables
• Maintaining a large number of fields solely for document generation purposes

The result was an overcomplicated system where Mike had created dozens of fields that served no business purpose other than making Documint work properly.

Building a Direct Solution

After understanding Mike's challenges, I began working on a new feature for Typeflow: native deep linked record access.

The goal was simple - eliminate the need for workarounds when accessing data across related tables.

Two days after our initial conversation, I released the first version of this feature. Following Mike's feedback, we refined it further, and within four days, it was fully functional.

This convinced Mike to give Typeflow a serious trial.

Automating the Workflow

Mike explained his complete use case: he had set up an interface with a portal solution connected to Airtable.

When triggered, this portal would initiate an automation through a third-party tool, which would then need to call Typeflow to generate PDFs.

The system would then automatically email these documents to the appropriate recipients.

He had more than 10 similar workflows requiring this level of automation.

The problem? Typeflow didn't have an API yet. To meet Mike's needs, we prioritized building one.

Within days, Mike was able to integrate Typeflow into his automation pipeline, enabling fully automated generation of all 1,000+ monthly PDFs without human intervention.

During implementation, Mike noted how straightforward it was to set up the automation workflow, though he did mention some limitations with Google Docs when creating highly customized templates.

Evolving Based on User Needs

A few weeks into using Typeflow, Mike needed another capability: nested line items for complex documents.

Once again, we built this feature within two days, ensuring it didn't add complexity to the user experience.

After an additional day of testing and refinement with Mike and other users, we released the feature to all Typeflow customers.

What Made the Difference

Mike highlighted several aspects of Typeflow that solved his problems:

• Rapid feature development in response to real user needs
• Native access to data across related tables without workarounds
• Significant cost savings compared to previous solutions
• Robust performance despite being newer software, consistently handling high document volumes

The Bigger Picture

Mike's experience highlights a fundamental truth about business tools: they should adapt to your workflow, not force you to adapt to theirs. By eliminating the need for hacky workarounds and providing direct solutions to real problems, Typeflow helped Mike turn a frustrating process into a streamlined operation.

Most importantly, Mike could focus on his actual business instead of maintaining complex systems just to generate documents.