How Your Workplace Can Benefit From Modern Technology

Technology's role in the modern era cannot be overstated. It's simply impossible for a person to escape it, let alone live without it.

You can say the same about companies. To check every box in your organisation's vision and mission, you need to get with the programme – no pun intended – and realise the importance of modern technology in your workforce.

If you're still on the fence about upgrading your tools and systems, this article will discuss why adapting to new technology in the workplace benefits your company and how others found success with it.

Know the importance of modern technology in the workforce to understand how your organisation can benefit.

Better employee communication and collaboration Before hybrid or remote work became the norm, it was easy to communicate with fellow employees over lunch or by the water cooler. While some companies still prefer on-site work and in-person discussions, technology has made effective communication – and, in turn, collaboration – possible anywhere.

Employees can quickly update each other about their projects through instant messaging or track progress on productivity platforms for immediate action. Managers also get to keep in touch with their teams better.

Improved productivity and efficiency As technology offers better communication and collaboration and streamlines tasks and processes, company productivity and efficiency are enhanced. Activities that are repetitive, time-consuming, or prone to human error can be completed quickly and efficiently through tools, applications, and systems. They help employees focus on business functions that generate revenue.

Employees with the technology to do their jobs properly are also more engaged and happier. Thus, they are more likely to stay with your company, reducing turnover costs. 

Hire talent globally Global talent is more of an effect of the remote work trend, but in a way, leveraging technologies in the workplace can also help you break down employment barriers. As you are more open to employees working from anywhere – as long as they have the tools to complete their tasks on time – you get to hire talent from around the world and not limit the candidate pool to those in the area or willing to relocate. 

Save on costs When employees can optimise their time to profitable tasks thanks to automated systems or tools doing the tedious work, they waste less time while improving revenue. Some technologies may have high upfront costs, but they can minimise your expenses in the long run as long as you maximise their use.  

Robust cybersecurity As tech advances, so do the methods cyber-criminals use to infiltrate networks and systems. In terms of tools, there's always antivirus, multifactor authentication, and other security layers organisations can take advantage of. But in the era of hybrid work, when a wide range of devices and tools can become threat vectors, integrated workplace technology is vital.

However, the human factor should also be looked into since 88% of data breaches can be due to human error. More than knowing how to use tools, cybersecurity awareness training should educate workers on how attacks happen, what's on the line, and how to stop them.

A More Competitive Business Through Terrific Customer Experience Technology also caused a dramatic shift in consumer demand. For instance, in problem resolution, people now expect almost instantaneous responses and multiple channels for communication. 

Fortunately, there's now social media, live chat, self-help resources, email, and even chatbots operating through automation in addition to calls for a better overall customer experience. Meanwhile, targeted ads and social listening can uncover their pain points. When consumers are happy with your service, you profit off their loyalty as they patronise your offerings and bring in new customers.  

Regulation compliance   Meeting the standards of certain regulatory requirements is necessary for organisations in today's digital age. This is most apparent in storing and securing sensitive data, where applications can be valuable. Adapting to new technology in the workplace helps realise compliance risks and be up-to-date with changing regulations.  

Now that you better understand the importance of modern technology in your workforce, it's time to look into the kinds of technologies and tools you can bring into your organisation. Here are some of the more useful and prominent ones.

Cloud Computing The cloud has been around for years. Google Drive, one of the world's most prominent cloud services, was launched in 2012. But it saw newfound popularity due to hybrid or remote work that resulted from COVID-19. According to Gartner, cloud service spending was $257.5 billion in 2020.

Cloud services allow companies to store and update information over the internet instead of their local storage, like the hard drive in a computer. This way, organisations can streamline collaboration between employees or with their clients in a secure, mobile-friendly environment. It can also serve as backup storage.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Machine Learning (ML) AI refers to machines running on software that controls their behaviour to simulate human intelligence and capabilities. NLP (gives computers the capacity to understand written or spoken words like humans) and ML (uses data and algorithms to mimic how humans learn through experience) are the common programming techniques under AI. 

In the workplace, AI is apparent in the use of chatbots that provide information to queries through preloaded replies but can learn contextual patterns to give better responses over time. Other uses include sentiment analysis, wherein data is mined to determine if they are positive, negative, or neutral, and in recruitment, to eliminate hiring bias and foster a culture of diversity. 

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)  Although different in many ways, VR and AR are often used together, even at work. For instance, in video based-training, VR can put trainees in digital environments, while AR can visualise information with help from a device.

Workforce Mobility Workforce mobility is also in demand due to the prevalence of work-from-anywhere policies. Employees should have the devices they need to continue working, no matter where they are, including the office. It's why they prefer to use smartphones, laptops, and mobile internet. 

Other practices adapted to address workforce mobility are hot desking and communication software. Hot desking means having no permanent desk and instead transferring to different areas of the office depending on the task to complete. Communication channels also include video conferencing, project management software, and virtual whiteboards. 

Automation Automation means carrying out tasks by pre-programmed machines without much human intervention. It is vital in addressing repetitive and menial tasks that are a cog in your business machine but take time and effort away from core functions, such as sifting through resumes to find candidates with skills who match your job openings. Automated processes are also more accurate.

Adapting to new technology in the workplace can be challenging at the onset. However, these companies prove that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Salesforce Salesforce, a cloud software company, works with CRM solution Einstein, which runs on ML and uses data to build comprehensive customer profiles, identify crucial sales touch points, and find sales opportunities. When customer service reps better understand consumer needs and managers get insights into operations, they can drive more revenue.

Unilever Consumer goods company Unilever uses Microsoft 365, Teams, and Yammer to connect its teams of nearly 155,000 employees from all over the world. These tools allow remote employees to share information and ideas. 

Capital One The goal of Capital One in its digital transformation is to deliver personalised banking in real-time. It closed its eight on-premises data centres in exchange for Amazon Web Services, moving away from infrastructure management to focus on customer-centric innovation through big data and ML insights. It also adopted agile software development.

Tesla Electric car maker Tesla infuses technology into every possible facet of the driving experience. First, it takes control of purchasing by selling the cars direct to consumers through its website instead of dealerships. In-house production eliminates the need to source components from third parties, which also helps in innovation. Lastly, Tesla cars receive over-the-air software updates.

There are many other forms of technology that you can adapt for your business to achieve the most favourable benefit or even prepare for the changes that will inevitably happen. However, you can only succeed in digital transformation if your employees are on board. 

Everyone should do their part to understand the inner workings of machines and tools better by expanding their knowledge, training, developing skills, and fostering the cultural shift to digitalisation.

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