We are frequently told that the age of automation is here, and that it brings with it serious implications for the human workforce. Simultaneously, we hear that automation is not all it’s cracked up to be, and that there is no substitute for human ingenuity and endeavor in the modern workplace. The truth, as is so often the case, lies somewhere in between – so in a modern business, how do you find that perfect blend of innovation and experience?
The key, no doubt, lies in how automated services and autonomous employees complement each other. If you can work out how best to deploy your workforce in a more automated business, then you can get the best of both worlds and support a thriving workforce while seeing the benefits in your bottom line.
Use technology to streamline the business
Processes within a business make a huge impact on how well time is used – they govern how many people are assigned to a task, and how much time is spent on various aspects of the job. Increasingly, it is possible to use automated technology to streamline these processes, using management software to assign people with the right skillset to the right job, and saving a lot of unnecessary chopping and changing into the bargain. If used correctly, this form of tech can free you up from time-consuming admin and give you more time to focus on more productive work.
Focus the human effort on delivering service
There are some things that technology will never be able to do, no matter how developed it becomes. While automation can spot a flaw in a process and correct it, it will never be able to mollify a frustrated customer or identify when it would be sensible to really push to boat out on delivering an order ahead of schedule. People can react to human situations in an authentic way, and when a member of your workforce goes above and beyond to deliver, that’s worth more than any automated process can deliver.
Smart people working with smart technology can really boost business
Technology is now more powerful and smarter than it has ever been, but this of course comes with the caveat that it needs to be managed and directed by smart individuals. Your business will be improved by using the best software packages but, more than this, it will really flourish when you work with the best managed services professionals to ensure that your network, software and phone systems are not only integrated in the most effective way, but problems are identified and fixed with a minimum of fuss. If you need to outsource your IT systems, rest assured that the money spent on doing this will be saved in your business by not having half as much downtime or dead time as a result of system redundancy.
The future for business is not about automation replacing members of your workforce. It is, more than anything, about using people and technology together in the best ways to achieve the optimum results for your business.