Getting Your Business Ready For The 'New Normal'
As seen on Forbes. June 1st, 2020.
The world has evolved rapidly over the past several months, with organizations in almost every industry feeling the brunt of what a global pandemic can do. Unemployment has skyrocketed as businesses around the world are scrambling to stay afloat and weather this unfortunate storm. And with experts not anticipating full recovery for at least another year, or possibly even longer, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is barely but a flicker in the distance.
One thing business leaders have learned as a result of this global crisis is what their organizations are capable of and, perhaps more importantly, what they are not capable of. They are starting to identify the various ways that they will be able to move forward once the world gets back up and running again. But while we’re all looking forward to things returning to normal once again, the reality is that “normal” may never be quite the same.
Think about it: We now have to consider things like social distancing, new precautions and additional restrictions. These inevitable changes are forcing business leaders to find ways to do more with less, yet simultaneously, they need to come up with solutions that are more agile and equally as effective. This will likely be the “new normal” for businesses across the globe, and the time to prepare is now.
Digital Solutions Will Move To The Forefront
As we’ve all learned over the past several months, change doesn’t always come in slow and steady. Just look at all the businesses that were propelled abruptly into the world of remote work. Suddenly, almost overnight, decision-makers found themselves clamoring to facilitate work-from-home arrangements in an effort to limit disruption and keep operations going.
What many discovered is that with the right technologies and security policies in place, remote work is not only possible, but may actually be a viable long-term strategy.
Technology will do much of the heavy lifting here, enabling businesses to adhere to social distancing rules and operate with limited staff as we all work to curb the spread of the virus. This includes sectors such as remote medicine, online shopping and delivery, and even virtual physical fitness. It’s also permeating functional business areas such as marketing, sales and IT operations.
Furthermore, many organizations have come to realize that artificial intelligence is capable of handling far more of the workload than they previously may have thought. Tasks that were once viewed as the exclusive domain of humans are now successfully being carried out by AI — at a faster rate and without risk of error.
The Role of IT Process Automation And Key Steps To Implementation
Automation will be the catalyst to accelerate the digital transformation so many organizations are being thrust into. Technologies such as chatbots, machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) will enable businesses to retain knowledge, even when human workers are unavailable. In particular, IT operations can leverage IT process automation to “keep the lights on” while maximizing efficiency by allowing AI to either augment the human workforce or carry out entire workflows completely autonomously.
With the right automation strategy, organizations will be able to navigate through this current situation and emerge even stronger on the other side. For those organizations looking to jump on the automation bandwagon, here are four key steps to keep in mind:
1. Start small: The current health crisis seems to have put businesses into overdrive, with the urgency to adapt quickly at an all-time high. But jumping into something too big, too quickly will actually impede progress. The better approach is to focus on automating smaller tasks first — ideally those that will produce the fastest ROI. This will enable you to gain experience and confidence while simultaneously establishing a foundation of automation that can be built upon over time.
2. Learn from others: When it comes to adopting automation, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. If you are unfamiliar with how the technology works and what it is capable of, learning from other industry peers can help accelerate your progress. Take a look at various online resources and analyst reports to see what processes and workflows are being automated most frequently and how. Better yet, look for an automation solution that is powered by AI that can provide data-driven guidance and decision support.
3. Seek out a user-friendly solution: The ideal way to get started with automation — especially in a critical crunch for time — is to narrow down your selection to platforms that are as easy to use and deploy as possible. Specifically, no-code or low-code solutions are best. After all, even if you have the capability to code, chances are you don’t have the time, resources or capacity. No-code/low-code automation is much easier to implement and maintain over time.
4. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box: Today’s IT process automation solutions are capable of supporting far more tasks, processes and workflows than many even realize. For instance, automation can be used to configure network devices, onboard new employees, strengthen network security and so much more. As you begin to work automation into the mix, be careful not to pigeon-hole and shortchange yourself in the process.
The current crisis serves as a sobering reminder that things can change on a dime. Being prepared for anything, be it a pandemic or some other type of unexpected emergency, is the key to survival. As we slowly make our way to the so-called new normal, the organizations that will emerge victoriously are those that are willing to quickly adapt and evolve accordingly, and technology will continue to lead that charge.
I would love to get your thoughts on this.
Stay Safe!,
Gabby