COVID-19 required firms to embrace the remote work model. But without a firm digital workplace strategy in place, distributed work will not take off. Check out best practices and tips by Kissflow executive to thrive in the ‘new normal’ and ensure business goals are met with a robust strategy.
It’s sink or swim for businesses everywhere due to the COVID-19Opens a new window crisis: go remote or put operations on hold. Some companies are gliding elegantly through the water as expert swimmers, unhindered by the sudden transition to remote work. Others feel like beginner swimmers, clumsily keeping their head above water, making slow progress.
What is the difference between the expert and beginner “swimmers� The former already had a digital workplace strategy in place. Instilling remote collaboration takes more than cloud app subscriptions. Core applications must be intentionally selected and integrated into a unified platform where employees can effectively meet work goals together.
The divide between remote work with and without a digital workplace strategyOpens a new window may seem small at first glance, but the differences are significant. Take a look and consider how your organization compares.
Remote Work Without a Digital Workplace Strategy
Inefficient
“Digital†doesn’t always mean efficient. Take a purchase request, for example. A company formerly using paper forms in the office switches to emailing digital approval forms. The request passes through several cluttered inboxes, and eventually, the employeeOpens a new window receives a response in no specific timeframe. In other similar cases, transferring paper office processes to digital procedures can render little change in productivity.
Disconnected
Companies find stand-alone apps appealing as a quick, cheap fix, but running up subscriptions to design a digital office experience only fragments work and silos internal information, complicating daily tasks. Chat messaging enables real-time responses but leaves a gap between communication and the project or process at hand. Stringing together all the apps with limited integration options produces a disconnected environment where remote work is burdensome.
Learn More: Moving Unified Communication to the Cloud: Tips and Best PracticesOpens a new window
Confusing
A lack of standard policies and procedures for digital tools compounds chaos. Employees toggle between apps, unsure of their next task or where to complete it. Finding the right point of contact to pose questions is challenging since there are no clear communication channels. In the scramble to select apps for remote work, management didn’t address the overlapping features across apps.
Unknowns abound. Is it okay to send your boss a chat message at 10 pm? In working hours, two hours after posting a question, no one has replied. Do you move forward, message someone else, or keep waiting for a response? A chaotic remote setup obstructs progress for any team, remote or co-located.
Remote Work with a Digital Workplace StrategyFamiliarWhen a digital workplace strategy is in place, daily work looks very similar, whether employees are in the office or at home. Managers have already established central digital systems and laid out policies for their use.
A digital platform is constructed for digital collaboration from any location. Employees engage in an intuitive, positive experience with their colleagues, maintaining efficiency in a consistent digital workplace.
Dynamic
Since leadership selected digital applications with the end-user in mind, teams have precisely what they need—no more, no less—to plan, execute, and discuss multiple types of work within a single, integrated platform. Minimal overlapping features eliminates the guessing game of “Which app do I use?â€. Each tool and function is purposeful.
Users initiate workflow, present new ideas, and adjust to industry changes on a dime. Task assignments and progress are visible in a transparent digital workplace, bolstering accountability. KPIs and other metrics provide data to improve processes continually, despite separate locations of staff.
Organized
Automated workflows, project boards, case management, and communication channels provide structure in a variety of situations. Every team member can reference milestones and deadlines in the outlined workflows. Instead of interpreting ambiguous references to work in a separate chat app, communication takes place in the context of work. Comments are attached directly to documents, project boards, or automated processes. Centralized work and collaboration lead to more swiftly achieved goals.
Learn More: SDR Technology Helps WISPs Extend Connectivity in COVID-19 PandemicOpens a new window
Don’t Delay
A digital workplace is beneficial for more than just remote work. A well-integrated platform fuels a business’ productivity, enables higher-quality service, engages employees, and drives innovation. Less time spent maneuvering tools and smoothing miscommunications frees teams to apply their creative skills further.
It’s not too late to form a digital strategy and improve your remote workplace. “Building a successful digital workplace demands a fresh approach to business processes and removing the activities that get in the way of solving business challenges,†says GartnerOpens a new window . What core systems are necessary for operations? Are there any processes in single-function apps that could be transferred to a more comprehensive system? What business problems require new technology? How can your essential tools converge into a central, user-friendly platform?
Businesses facing the remote work challenge head-on with a digital workplace strategy will strengthen company culture and come out ahead of their peers. The alternative—lagging behind in digital chaos. What do you choose?
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