thought leadership

“Technology is no longer just one vehicle for success – it’s the vehicle all possible success depends on.”

Strong words for business leaders. So why are so many still not championing the use of technology in their business?

Why is it too often seen as the job of the ‘IT manager’ or the ‘Operations person’? The disruptors of the past year have brutally exposed to small start-ups and big business alike the limitations of the longstanding norms of doing business. The “if it ain’t broke why fix it?” attitude has to change.

Every leader should now be aiming to be a technology pioneer and show a hands-on approach to adopting new technology to fill these limitations. Clearly if technology innovation is not on the priority agenda of the CEO there’s a low chance it will succeed – the new times we operate in now call for leaders to upend convention and take a more proactive approach to tech.

However, understandably many business leaders struggle to see where to begin – research suggests 45% do not even know where to start with digital transformation[i]. But the good news is with the tools that are available today, leaders don’t need the knowledge of an IT consultant.

New low or no-code platforms like AUTTO puts the technology directly into the hands of people who run the everyday business without the need for specialist programming skills. Leaders win on all fronts – technology transforms business efficiency whilst valued staff are empowered to identify their own pain points to fix.

Powerful automation platforms like AUTTO allow employees to:

1. Think for themselves on the best way to streamline their key business processes, documents, and everyday tasks.
2. No-code automation means they can then easily, without any programming skills, develop their own applications in response.
3. Important but laborious daily tasks, such as cutting and pasting into a spreadsheet or sending out endless emails are automated freeing up valuable time.

Our customers tell us they save about 75% of their time using AUTTO. Staff hours are redirected to doing far more valuable and creative tasks.

This “democratisation” of technology creates an enormous opportunity to drive businesses forward but whether it succeeds or not is up to the leaders– they must take an active role to embrace and champion tech to thrive in the new tech World.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the world this year, in particular businesses and their staff. This disruption has made businesses re-evaluate their processes and investigate technology that facilitates remote working. While some companies have struggled, others have quickly adapted to this new style of working.

Now more than ever, we’re more connected to our colleagues, prospects, customers and suppliers via cloud phone systems and communications. As cloud communication experts, we’ve been implementing software and tools to help our staff work efficiently. We’ve also helped advise businesses and supported them with our services to help them stay connected and better equipped in these scenarios. Here’s a few thoughts on what’s worked and what hasn’t.

The power of the phone

While today’s digital age has given us more options for how to communicate, the phone still remains the preferred method of communication for businesses. Often overlooked for video and live chat, being available by phone is crucial for business operations – whether you’re in the office or not.

This is where cloud phone systems have really come into their own during lockdown. Having access to systems like 3CX (a modern, software-based PBX) and Microsoft Teams helped make the transition to remote working easier and less disruptive. Having the ability to run audio meetings, make phone calls with a click of a button and send instant messages to one another has ensured that businesses are functioning normally, even when staff are working from their kitchen tables, bedrooms and living rooms.

Unifying communications

Regularly communicating with colleagues is vital to keep a business up and running. We’ve found that combining strong unified communications platforms has helped both our staff and customers stay productive and connected with one another.

Platforms like Microsoft Teams, Skype, Slack and Zoom have seen a significant rise this year but its Microsoft Teams which has seen the biggest growth, having hit 75 million global daily active users this year. It occupies a prominent space on the desktop and good integrations with other Microsoft products. Users also appreciate its familiar look and feel.

It hasn’t quite got the full feature set of a PBX but coupled with 3CX it’s a force to be reckoned with. Of course, if you’re happy with the built-in features and don’t need reporting or call recording then you should consider Direct Routing as an alternative to Microsoft’s restrictive call plans.

Managing productivity

Task management software like Trello and Jira have helped many organisations – including ours – stay on track and productive while working away from the office environment. These types of platforms allow teams to see upcoming tasks and deadlines, keeping them on track, organised and accountable. We’ve found that our colleagues feel more connected as they can see what everyone is working on and dive into the detail whenever they need to.

There’s still no substitute for getting teams together and working collaboratively but if you can’t be there in person then these tools definitely help keep projects on track.

However what Trello and Jira don’t do is take the pressure off your teams by digitising and automating routine tasks and processes. You can free up your teams time and ease the pressures on communication by making sure your business operations are fully digitally enabled, important documents can be produced easily and faultlessly and even automate compliance and guidance.   As you digitise more of your business then you will see its overall cadence increase as routine work happens almost instantaneously.

How COVID-19 has changed us

We crave human contact and socialisation. Lockdown has made this more difficult than ever. Being away from the office has interrupted many business processes, including the simple act of speaking to work colleagues face to face.  Digitisation of those processes with platforms like AUTTO can help of course.

Companies where employees work together well and interact regularly are the ones that succeed. Having a good line of communication with colleagues helps organisations run as normal and ensures there isn’t a loss of productivity or business.

Software like 3CX and Microsoft Teams has helped us work together and stay connected. We’ve found that lockdown has made us more connected than ever because we (and our customers) are now really making the most of these tools.

Video calls have been a breakthrough for business communications. As regular users of Teams, we’ve taken full advantage of the video conferencing and virtual meeting capabilities of the platform. They’re easy to setup, manage, chat and share files seamlessly in one forum. With lockdown and the lack of human interaction, looking at the people you’re talking to makes everything easier and let’s face it, more normal and less boring during isolation.

So, you’ve decided to automate, congratulations! This is the first step towards changing your life and running your business. Yes, automation will literally change your life, for the better, of course. No more repetitive tasks that you don’t enjoy. Now you can focus on what really adds value to your business. The ultimate aim of automating is turning processes which take hours of your time into process which take minutes or seconds of your time, right?

But, how do you choose the right software for your business? Here’s a couple of things you need to consider before selecting the right fit.

What needs automating and why? 

It’s prudent to start by asking the following questions:

• Where are your businesses choke points – what is talking up the most of your teams time?
• What processes need performance enhancement – which processes need more accuracy and accountability?
• What problems need to be solved – this will determine what functionality you require and it will also test if your processes are working optimally even before you automate them.
• Which repetitive tasks need automating?

These questions may seem obvious but it’s a necessary exercise in order to understand exactly what functionality is required.

You can also ask your employees what they think, ask them what they need help with. User buy-in is a very important aspect to any change in processes.

Usability and integration 

You want to choose automation that’s easy and intuitive to use and ensure that it integrates smoothly with existing software applications you may be using. All systems need to work together to ensure that workflow is not disrupted or made more complicated.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) 

Be careful not to confuse Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Intelligent Process Automation (IPA). Intelligent Process Automation (IPA) is different to AI. IPA is software used for highly repetitive and predictable tasks and takes instructions from workflows set up by individuals using logical language.   It is rules-based, so IF THAT THEN THIS.

AI is how computer systems use data to imitate human intelligence and reasoning, making the system able to learn, predict and make recommendations.  This is done by using lots of data to train the system to recognise the pattern you are looking for.   For example, using lots of photos of cats that have been tagged as Cat to train the system to recognise cat pictures.  This is called a training set.  So AI is pattern-based, and you need the training data to set it up.    That’s a big commitment.

Customising your automation software 

A one-size-fits-all solution might not be adequate for your business, so it’s a good idea to select automation software that is highly customisable. What’s great about automation software providers is that most will allow you to trial the software solution before making a decision.

Some more things to think about before you sign on the dotted line:

• Make sure that when you choose a solution provider that they are available to guide you and offer you the best possible customer service once implemented.
• Make sure the software has an intuitive user interface and navigation, so that no special skills or training are necessary to run it.
• Make sure you choose a partner that helps you consider issues like security and quality control.
• A good solution provider will also guide you on how to scale your software solutions as your business grows.
• Does the software allow remote access, so that you’re online anywhere, anytime?
• Does the software offer cloud capabilities and remote cloud access?
• Does the software offer a mobile capability?
• How much money do you have to invest?

These are just a few of the many considerations before finding the right solution. AUTTO is here to help you discover the right fit for your business!

Contact us now to find out how to take your business to the next level.