Digitization has created opportunities for streamlining organizations internal processes, and its IT services for several years, yet few have so far utilized the full potential of automation.The longer you wait to automate processes and digitize your business the more the risk of missing out on your full potential overall in your organization will increase. It is not difficult to calculate that when employees spend most of their time on things that do not develop business or create business value long-term, positive economic effects are lost. Having digital, user-friendly and automated processes as an IT vendor enhances not only quality but also competitive advantages. What is it then that prevents or slows down automation? In this blog post we will talk about the first out of 2 great challenges facing a digitized and automated workplace.
Proper preparation with the right resources
Prior to an investment, it is necessary to allocate resources and time for strategic planning and work. You should do zero-state analyses and ROI calculations that answers to the question; which processes are suitable for automation and not where and how to start.
However, the strategic work does not end there, it is part of the organization’s ongoing digitization work, which continuously reviews and prioritises processes and tasks for automation. For the processes that are then decided to automate, dedicated resources are required, not only from IT but also from other the parts of the business that is concerned about the real value delivered to the end user.
Do not invest in a self-service solution – without your automation
The heart and of an IT service is to offer good service to its customers and employees. They want to be able to get help or get something exactly when they need it. Only this issue will be solved by a good self-service portal. Thus, the Service Desk automation journey starts off in a user-friendly self-service solution, based on end users thinking and experiencing as a consumer.
But it is important to realize that a good self-service solution, does not solve the problems or creates the values you are looking for. You must work with the processes behind so that the services you build have a real value for those who use it. You will want to improve, replace or remove existing processes. Then in order, not to be disappointed or fail, you need to include both tools, technical implementation and strategic processes work in your resource calculation. Simply invest in your journey towards automation.
Automated self-service – were to start?
Customer stories: Södra skogsägarna – The HR transformation with a self-service portal!
Motivate investment – expecting actual operating values
It’s easy to justify why just your business should focus on automation because the risk of getting crushed is imminent if you do not, but decision makers want numbers. Therefore, make a proper zero-score analysis and show the actual operational values of efficiency. The simplest form of a zero-state analysis with the formula the result = (What we do) x (How we do it) illustrates the routine that exists today and measures the time spent in each step, both for the ordering and execution organization. The result gives an indication of what tidings you have today.
In this way, we can establish a prioritization system for efficiency, which most likely contributes to the greatest benefit in relation to the goals of the organization. To clarify the costs available today and when an investment is expected to be retrieved using an ROI (return of investment calculations) for soft values can help the business to motivate the cost of a change.
Although time savings and showing return on investment numbers is crucial, it is just a small part of the motivation to automate. One of the most popular automated services that one of our customers who has invested in business automation, Perstorp Group’s IT has created, key cards and time registration for consultants, was completely initiated by soft values such as reducing the dissatisfaction of inadequate information, increasing quality, standardizing the process and raising security.
Insert the right resources at the right time
Everyone’s time is valuable and it is therefore important that the right people are in the right stages of the preparation. To create an overall plan, success stories and KPIs: for the values you achieve for the investment, IT managers, business leaders and investment managers are required. At this stage, the overall conditions for continuous work are set. The task of moving from priorities and plans to action – the creation of automated self-service services, requires completely different skills. Representatives from different part of the business such as HR managers, IT technicians or other operational recourses from different departments with insight on how the process or workflow looks.
Summary
So, it all sums up to invest in your recourses and use them at the right moment for the best possible output to achieve much in less time. In a fast-paced world where automation will happen and is already part of our working environment, look at the automation development in work-life as an assistant to you and your peers, rather than a heavy project with a lot of cost connected to it. Divide the investment and the time into smaller components, to deliver in increments to your organization and you will most likely succeed in the competitive game towards a better business automated organization.
Good Luck!
//The Zervicepoint Team.
