Mariah RineyThought LeadershipLeave a Comment

The COVID-19 pandemic (Coronavirus), has brought a variety of changes to our day to day lives, most notably in our workplaces. More and more people are finding themselves working from home, with new technology, or leveraging solutions in a more widespread manner.  

While many organizations were already moving towards technologies that support remote workers as part of their Digital Transformation strategy, the current environment has only expedited the need. The reality is that remote workforces are likely to be much more common in the post-pandemic world. 

So how can we take the lessons that COVID-19 is currently teaching us, and leverage them with our Digital Transformation strategies in the ‘New Normal World’? Here are some ideas… 

A Centralized Dashboard 

Many companies have communication methods and working hours that are flexible but lack a centralized storage area for company-wide data. By utilizing a dashboard that creates one area for all users to access data, a company can stop ‘swivel chairing’ as well as making the transition to working remotely easier. Users will know where the information they need is, without having to ask many people, and without taking up valuable time. Tools such as our Unity platform offer this plus a variety of other uses.  

Many companies chose applications that solved a problem for them quickly during the transition. Now that we are all settling into a new work method, it is the time to improve on this quick decision and make it work for your company structure.   

Unity acts as a bridge for applications such as MS SharePoint, Box, Salesforce, etc. and puts everything together for easy access. Instead of ‘swivel chairing’ between systems to access content, digital business process, and application data, Our Unity platform provides this single point of access via a low-code/no-code integration platform. Unity takes this cohesive model and takes it one step further by creating a low to no code customizable solution, making it work even better for your company’s individual needs.    

Adjusted Working Hours 

On the bright side, the shift in technology and working conditions is universal, and a good chunk of the workforce is likely to stay remote after this pandemic is over. Because of this, it would be wise for companies to shift their working hours to a more fluid manner, allowing for a better work-life balance amongst team members and better communication with business partners. By keeping working hours open, business partners can keep the conversations going continuously, thus mitigating any issues that may have happened during the pandemic. Gone are the days where the East Coast EOD puts a damper on West Coast productivity.   

Focusing on Inner Department Communication  

With so many tools available on the marketplace today, it’s hard to think that maybe your workforce isn’t communicating as well as it should be. Companies like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and a variety of others have existed for years but received extra attention once the world’s workforce went remote. Leverage this technology, plus custom solutions like our previously mentioned Unity platforms, to give your team what it needs. Perhaps your company needs more video calls and open-ended business hours, whereas your neighboring company may need a solution that allows them to search easier and share with other teammates seamlessly. These different situations may require a different combination of technology. Take a survey of what your company is currently lacking, by implementing it now, you’re only setting up your company for success in the long run.   

Finalize Automation Processes 

Many companies have utilized automation in a fringe capacity for many years now, but with the tides changing, it is time to put more stocks into things like RPA and ML. By utilizing technology to keep specific tasks running, we can leverage human capabilities in other places. Thus, displacing the need for humans to touch every single aspect of our day to day tasks. If your company hasn’t started to push towards more robotic process automation, our post on what to do beforehand is a great place to start.   

While Automation, specifically Robotic Process Automation (RPA), can replace repeatable tasks that may take up a large chunk of human team member’s time. This allows them to place more manpower towards more complicated tasks and propel the company forward as a whole.  It’s likely your company already has the beginning functions of a process like this in place, by pairing technology from our partners at IBM with automation software you can create an efficient workflow that allows the entire workforce to be more productive.  

Scaling Cloud Abilities 

In the past, we’ve talked about the Pros and Cons of moving to the Cloud, but the current most important aspect of using Cloud storage is the availability of variable cost models. By moving much of your infrastructure to the Cloud, you not only keep applications available for workers and customers, but it can cut down on costs for your company based on usage fluctuation. Cloud technologies and Containerization is the next logical step for most businesses.  Whether it be a private (on-premises) Cloud, hybrid Cloud, or a public Cloud, most organizations have or are in progress to move their applications into the Cloud. While much of the world is uncertain right now, we can assess that business will keep going during this time, and come out stronger on the other side, so it only makes sense to put in processes that set your company up for success and profits.   

Moving Forward 

We are fortunate enough to live in a world where technology is always evolving, giving us opportunities to adapt and evolve with it. Most, probably like your company, have the beginning stages of many of these processes in place, but now is the time to finalize and customize those solutions to best fit your needs. Intellective can help you decide what improvements are most important, give us a call and let us guide you through this time of adaption and expansion. 

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