Technology can automate repetitive processes, increase employee productivity, and improve customer experiences – which can lead to surging profits. You can use different tech tools to streamline workflows in the office, monitor activities, manage time, and improve collaboration between team members or employees.
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In today’s guide, we’ll discuss the benefits of technologies in the workplace, the types of tools to implement, and strategies to overcome challenges when incorporating them.
The need for technology in the workplace
80% of companies plan to implement at least ten technologies or tools in their workplaces to streamline employee productivity and enhance operational quality by 2025. And this is what a research study from JJL has concluded. What about the remaining 20% of companies? Will they survive without technology? Well, time will tell.
A simple example to get things started. Let’s say you or an employee is looking for a file. If you don’t have a Document Management System (DMS) like Google Docs, you are bound to search for documents in physical files. You may look for files on your hard drive cluttered with unorganized folders. Don’t you think this wastes a lot of time? Of course it does! And these inefficiencies tend to add up quickly!
So, there is definitely a need for technology in the workplace, offering various benefits, such as:
- Efficiency and productivity
- Communication and collaboration
- Data management
- Employee satisfaction
- Competitive advantage
- Cost savings
Remember, the benefits of technology in the workplace depend on factors such as the type of technology, implementation, adoption by employees, business needs, and industry.
Practical technologies for the workplace
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While companies implement technologies based on their specific needs, the most common ones to leverage are:
- Data management systems
- Work management tools
- Collaboration tools
- Cybersecurity software
- Cloud services
Data management systems
Most companies need valuable insights from large datasets to make informed decisions and improve their operational efficiencies. However, this is not possible without implementing a tailored data management system. It allows you to collect, store, organize, manage, and analyze data.
Let’s say you have a retail company and need to identify trends and best-selling products. So, how would you do that? Well, you will have to analyze sales data, and you won’t be effective in doing so manually. So, you will need a data management system.
However, implementing a data management system is not easy. You must ensure data quality and train your employees and team members. Discuss everything with your IT department to choose the best data management system, such as Oracle, MySQL, or MongoDB.
Work and time management tools
Planning, tracking, and coordinating work is directly proportional to increased productivity and enhanced operational excellence. But this requires choosing the right tools for the tasks you want to carry out. Some of the well-known tools are:
- Trello
- Asana
- Monday
- Jira
- ClickUp
- Memtime
You probably have heard about most of these. The novel one that is gaining popularity is Memtime application. This is because it tracks your time automatically and keeps a detailed record of your daily activities. The big advantage is that this data is private to you, and not stored on external servers. This makes it also a team-friendly solution that helps to identify inefficiencies, without being abrupt.
Collaboration tools
Communication between managers, team members, and low-tier employees can improve project management, increase productivity, and streamline collective creation. You can leverage tools like Microsoft Teams, Google Workplace, or Slack to share files, manage projects, and communicate within teams.
While Microsoft Teams and Google Workplace are established tools for communication, it’s worth to consider Slack for real-time communication and easy file sharing. It also helps to reduce email clutter and allows the team to automate various tasks.
Cybersecurity software
You don’t want hackers to attack your company’s database or servers with malware, phishing, and pose other threats. Companies without a robust cybersecurity infrastructure may be prone to lawsuits. Without cybersecurity software, firms can experience data breaches, leading to financial and reputational losses.
That’s why installing cybersecurity software is mandatory because it detects vulnerabilities, prevents unauthorized access, and reduces the risk of online threats. However, choosing the best software is not easy and requires considering features like:
- Multi-tier security features
- Ease of use
- Compatibility with systems installed in your company
- Cost-effectiveness
Popular (and free one) is John the Ripper, a tool that protects systems against password cracking. Likewise, you can use Wireshark to monitor your company’s network and online activities. Use Kali Linux, an excellent tool for security auditing.
Cloud services
You can leverage cloud services to ensure flexibility, scalability, and innovation in your business operations. In addition to digital marketing and software companies, organizations of all sizes and within different industries use cloud services.
No matter what type of business you run, you can leverage cloud services by stabilizing your IT costs, implementing tighter IT security protocols, using powerful “Business Intelligence,” and ensuring seamless business continuity. Again, discussing these matters with your management and IT team is important.
One thing to be cautious about here is to not store sensitive data in-cloud unless you completely trust the safety measures of the tool you choose.
Overcoming technology implementation challenges in the workplace
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Once you have decided to implement technology or tools in the workplace, the next step is to develop a strategy to overcome implementation challenges. The most complicated part is involving employees in decision-making.
Whether a team leader or CEO, you must encourage employees/team members to adopt new technologies. You can do this by motivating your employees to learn how specific software can address problems and inefficiencies in their workflow.
Other critical factors to consider include:
- Training and supporting your employees on how to use the technology
- Planning for change management by anticipating resistance from team members
- Installing state-of-the-art infrastructure to get the most out of tech tools
- Maintaining optimal relationships with vendors for flawless implementation
Final words
Not a single company, whether small or large, can survive without implementing and leveraging modern technologies. If an organization fails to make use of the right technologies, it will experience a significant reduction in productivity, time management issues, and declining profitability.
Therefore, it’s wise to leverage the tips, tricks, tools, and strategies discussed in this post and stay on top of rapidly developing tech realities in the workplace, and actually benefit from them.
