Reimagining the Future of Work: Digitalisation, Automation and Remote working

This article was written in partnership with HP Inc. Malaysia

While a lot has been talked and written about how technology advancements will reshape the future of work through more accessible and powerful computing power and internet connectivity, the focus has been on mechanical efficiency - from speedier processes through digitalisation, automation, enabling remote working and collaboration through communications tools.

I believe we’re still scratching the surface on the potential of how our work and workplace will be fundamentally transformed by technology, far beyond efficiency improvements and communications gains. As such when I was approached by HP Malaysia to be a part of the HP for Business to help support and drive the digitisation of Malaysian SMBs, I am thrilled for the opportunity to share some of my learnings with the SMB community on how we can embrace digitisation even faster and more efficiently.

Here are three Cs that I see, based on the behaviour change and mental health work that my team at Naluri are doing. I also want to acknowledge that our understanding of digitisation is still at an infant stage and there’s much more out there beyond what we are aware of today.

1.    Communication: Artificial intelligence algorithms that enrich communications with customers

Small and medium business (SMB) owners may not be exposed to the huge potential of artificial intelligence algorithms that can fundamentally transform the nature of business communications. For those that do use technology to communicate with customers, they may be  aware of the limitations of text-based, asynchronous communications where we can misinterpret the intent and meaning of the other person based on their text messages or emails, especially with nuanced sarcasm and irony, or misunderstanding from different cultural norms ('lost-in-translation').

Today, at Naluri, we are already applying natural language processing algorithms to help our psychologists and coaches detect the underlying emotion sentiment of messages sent by our clients, including quantifying sentiments along a spectrum of hope vs depression, security vs anxiety, calm vs stressed, and fear vs excitement. Even with live video communications with the proliferation of video conferencing tools like Zoom, many are also experiencing misunderstandings in communication. At Naluri, one of the ways that we enhance our business with digitization is to develop our own algorithms to help us better understand our customers intent and emotions, so that we can fulfil their needs and requirements precisely. This next generation technology providing real time emotional context information takes online communications to new heights and will undoubtedly transform every profession, from sales and customer service, teaching, law and politics, to design and engineering.

2.    Collaboration: Collaborative multi-disciplinary teaming

In many fields, from healthcare to engineering, marketing to finance, as new knowledge grows exponentially, individual professionals are developing deeper specialisations. However, real-life issues require collaboration not just from traditionally complementary services like finance+legal, operations+maintenance and product design+marketing, but a wider level of collaboration.

At Naluri, we realise that mental health is very complex, far beyond the abilities of the most trained psychologist or psychiatrist. This requires defining new communications protocols and knowledge sharing standards so that professionals across different disciplines can serve a single client at the centre, rather than having the client see individual specialists and then having to synthesize all the different perspectives into their own conclusion. Different protocols, including security and trust, billing and payment, and language and terminology, are required when we want to unlock collaboration across different companies and organisations, to ensure there is proper alignment of values and incentives that will truly benefit the client. Collaboration remains key in this day and age, and that is something we must all realise as business leaders.

3.    Customisation: Hyper-personalisation from real-time emotional insights and individual preferences

Most forms of communications at work today are done in a one-to-many format. But what if technology enables us to understand each individual target audience at a personal level, and customise our communications to better connect with each one individually?

Imagine if your CV or resume can be personalised to each prospective employer to match their corporate font and colours, to use phrases that connect with the company, and matching your skills and experiences to their corporate priorities. Or a sales presentation where the photo or video imagery and colours change to resonate with the emotional state of the audience. Some of our customers prefer a direct and formal style, while others appreciate a relaxed and approachable brand. Why should our brands be limited to only one style? What if it could shape shift to adapt to our customers, the way Mystique from X-men can be different things to different people? 

In a way, technology is making us more human because  Through technology’s key role in keeping us connected, we are able to usher in a new productive and efficient way of working, learning, playing, creating and sustaining what we love to do. As the future of work brings micro-mobility into perspective, as SMBs, we are responsible to put our best foot forward by being aware and understanding the power of using the right technology tools and devices to deliver the best experiences for customers. Beyond just using powerful and built-for-business devices, ensuring our people’s understanding of technology is vital as they work hand-in-hand with these tools.

The unknown can be scary. Or exciting. Biologically, the body’s chemical response to fear and excitement are virtually identical - which is why some people enjoy roller-coaster rides or skydiving and others are terrified of the exact same activity. It’s how we look at it.

I hope that this article has achieved its aim which is to help give you an insight of how technology can push your business to new limits. To aid SMBs towards digitisation, HP has launched the HP for Business Installment Plan, aimed at offering SMBs more financial flexibility to equip their businesses with business notebooks from as low at RM85.50 monthly. The plan also comes with a 1-year FREE subscription for Deskera (Essential Plan worth RM5,000), a business integrated software service catered specifically for SMBs to streamline management of your day-to-day business operations. To find out more about the instalment plan, visit: https://reinvent.hp.com/HP-for-Business-Installment-Plan