The Guardian published a thought provoking article recently with the attention grabbing headline “Computer Says you’re fired.” The premise of the article being that software is replacing people in the workplace. This is not always the case and there are great advantages of using software to aid business growth.
There is no doubt that the use of technology in business has in the past replaced people in the workforce. You only have to look at the automation of the manufacturing processes in the motor trade. Blue collar workers being replaced by robots. In those industries it has meant wide scale job losses, loss of skilled workers and little opportunity for them to develop in their industry. However, it has also meant that those industries have become more effective and profitable.
The Guardian article hinted that the use of software in the service industries has lead to a similar fate for white collar workers, especially middle management. Lets take a look at some of the benefits of this automation which will give you ideas on what to do with the time you free up for you and your staff.
Software is less risky than a human
Often small businesses rely on one or two key people to manage and run
the business. This can?be risky to the business as the valuable business knowledge is often stuck in their heads. The business could suffer when they are ill or go on holiday (often these key people don’t take holidays that in turn leads to illness)! Relying on one or two people also hinders growth as they become irreplaceable. If you do get someone in to ease the workload the key member of staff will have to take time out of their busy day to train the new recruit on the often complex workarounds that they have created to be able to manage their workload. Even then the new staff member will only be effective as the processes allow. If there are no integrated systems in place the new member of staff could be just as bogged down as the existing staff member.
Using the appropriate software to help run your business means that you have more control over processes, finances, customers without relying on humans to stay fit and healthy.
Software can make your business more efficient and cost effective.
Processes Don’t Do Work, People Do ” John Seely Brown
Often businesses use a mixture of manual processes, combined with a number of different non linked software systems. This set-up often leads to more work as the human element tries to make up for the fact that the processes are not joined up. John Seely Brown could be right in this sense but without software people can work too much! By implementing software systems that match your business processes a business can save a lot of time and effort that was previously being wasted on the manual workarounds for moving data from one system to another.
A company mentioned in the Guardian article claimed their software boost productivity by 30%. A grand claim one would think but certainly not unachievable. If you work out how much time you actually take doing basic administration and manual processes it can add up to a considerable amount. We spoke to a company recently where senior staff worked a 12 hour day 7 days a week. The majority of this time was taken up by basic administration and manual processes that arose because their systems were not integrated. By implementing a joined up system they will gain at least 50% of that time back, enabling them to focus on their clients and business strategy (which is what their role should be now).
Software provides you with a base for growth
By using joined up software systems a company won’t have to think about their processes. They can be confident that the time and money they invest in appropriate business software can recouped quickly and be spent on growing the business safe in the knowledge that they can deal with the increased workload. Another outcome of the investment in appropriate software could be the valuable business intelligence from the systems that will enable a business to target new markets more effectively. The implementation of software need not be at the expense of staff. You can grow the business by using the staff you have got already as they will have more time. When the business gets to the stage where any new staff that are taken on board they can be integrated into the business easily as they will be able to learn the systems quickly.
Software can give you Freedom
Proper implementation of software can give a business a lot of freedoms.?Freedom to grow and run the business strategically, rather than working in the business on menial tasks. Freedom to go on holiday safe in the knowledge that the business will continue effectively because it is not relying on key individuals. It will give you the freedom to retrain staff who were previously employed on more menial data entry / processing tasks into roles that are more attune to growing the business such as customer service or sales and account management.
Conclusion
We have come across many businesses over the years whose growth had been hampered because they have been bogged down with manual and disjointed systems. The ability for software to be able to help small and medium businesses has come of age as more complex business processes are now able to be harnessed in software. This is something?that previously had only been affordable for corporates. Business and middle managers need not be afraid of progress that technology brings. They just need to think of how to capitalise on the opportunities it creates.
“Software does processes. People work more effectively”
Resources
Guardian Article “Computer says you?re fired“