A practical guide for taking productivity to the next level.
Since our founding in 1996, we have helped many companies create custom digital solutions to improve their workforce efficiency as well as their bottom line. As we’ve learned a few things over the years, we decided to share our best insights and practices for implementing emerging tech in the workplace.
We’re excited to announce our first whitepaper, “The Digital Roadmap to a Frictionless Distributed Workforce,” which includes a plan of action for companies looking to take the leap toward a digitally-enabled workforce. Download the whitepaper here for free!
The following is the introduction to “The Digital Roadmap to a Frictionless Distributed Workforce.”
In recent years, organizations have made a concerted effort to improve the customer experience. A data-driven approach, customer journey mapping, and omnichannel experiences are all considered crucial steps to meeting customers’ needs and exceeding expectations. Meanwhile, less priority has been placed on elevating the experiences of the people behind those customer interactions—the employees. According to Gallup, only 32 percent of employees are engaged at work, yet companies with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers by 147 percent in earnings per share (Gallup, Employee Engagement in U.S. Stagnant in 2015, 2016).
As workplaces become more digitized and workforces become increasingly distributed, today’s business leaders must provide frictionless workflows to establish consistency, spark efficiency, and provide optimal customer service—their financial performance depends on it.
What do we mean by frictionless? Frictionless indicates an instinctual and appropriate interaction with technology. Broadly, a frictionless workflow supports micro-moments, described by Forrester Research as: “Simple triggers — messages, sounds, even tactile sensations — spur users to take action, both on devices and in the real world.” For employees, this means making sure that the digital tech they use in executing their duties is natural to the tasks or decisions of their micro-moments.
In addition to mobile and SaaS solutions, leading companies are looking at newer technologies as they transform the manner in which their workforce engages. Voice-activated interfaces, the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), wearable devices, and artificial intelligence/machine learning all have significant potential to optimize workers and upgrade efficiency, productivity, and safety. These technologies are becoming more commonplace in the enterprise as they represent more cost-effective digital transformation solutions than other highly touted tech such as robotics.
For business executives and IT leaders, managing the selection, integration, deployment, and on-going performance and maintenance of new technology is a daunting prospect. They will have to develop a change management program to help employees grow comfortable with new hardware and software platforms. Yet, the time for companies to take the leap is imminent. Organizations that fail to forge a frictionless path for their workforce may risk loss of key growth opportunities.
Not sure where to begin? Mission Data is passionate about helping clients navigate the future of work by finding practical solutions that create real business value. Whether your organization is developing a proof of concept or considering a major system-wide implementation, Mission Data can guide you toward greater efficiencies for years to come.
Download the full whitepaper here.
