Redefining the human touch with digital transformation

Source: Finance Derivative

Simon Kearsley, CEO of bluQube

It may not be a new phrase, but digital transformation is still inducing anxiety amongst 80% of employees. Reigniting the conversation around the future role of the human workforce, the COVID-19 pandemic caused 47% of business leaders to implement new technologies, and a further 29% to develop plans to do so in the near future.

Creating increased efficiencies, cost savings, and improved customer service, several new technologies are becoming ingrained within core business operations. For example, the capabilities of cloud computing have enhanced the customer experience, and many companies are also using this to digitise their supply chain. Likewise, the combination of artificial intelligence and big data can also be used to automate nearly 80% of physical work, and 70% of data-processing.

In the digital era with so many new channels for communication, the ability to receive valuable insights from customers has in practice never been greater, which can in turn be used to inform future planning. Leveraged properly, this means that technology can drive benefits and growth for not just businesses, but also their customers and even their workforce. As technology empowers staff to transition their roles from more onerous, repetitive tasks towards impactful decisions within their organisation, this encourages the workforce to better realise the value of their contributions.

A data-driven workforce

When businesses embrace data-driven digital technologies, process optimisation across various sectors of the organisation occurs. For example, digitally-led automation, such as the use of OCR software, has been able to take over many time-consuming manual tasks, including data-entry, re-keying, and core administration roles. Although tasks of this nature may have formed a large part of some employees’ roles, this doesn’t mean that anxieties around the purpose of their job must increase.

Optimisation across the business isn’t limited to processes and costs, it also extends throughout the workforce. Less monotonous roles mean that employees are free to take on strategic roles that form a more rewarding career. In practice, this access to enhanced data empowers employees to expand beyond the limited resources they have for decision-making, instead leveraging the insight collected by analytics to make more informed decisions.

By replacing repetitive tasks, staff are becoming increasingly involved in the ideation process for new products and how to improve the company’s existing services. Besides the clear benefits this has to daily productivity and efficiency, staff are equipped with the tools to more clearly demonstrate their contribution to the business and, in turn, provide greater scope for progression.

As investment in data-led solutions continues and traditional roles are reshaped around its impact, employees’ digital skillsets will act as a key driver within the talent market and generate career progression that staff may have previously felt was unattainable. However, this outcome for staff will only be achieved if managers and senior members of the company are open to change and flexible enough to evolve alongside digital transformation. Technology adaptations are inevitable, and as its organisational applications continue to expand, managers would be wise to support new digital initiatives to remain ahead of the competition.

Organisational impact

The business value provided by enhanced insights into customer preferences and behaviours cannot be overstated. With a clear overview of key behaviours, business leaders can accurately determine which areas of their processes need to be streamlined, where to focus their efforts, and how to attain the greatest possible value. On this basis, employees’ contributions will be vital for driving fundamental changes across the business, including roles in strategy development and operational management. Likewise, employees will be free to develop new product ideas and ways to improve the current service offering to benefit the business on a wider scale.

Amidst ongoing economic constraints, it has arguably never been more important for businesses to implement sustainable technologies that support their ability to respond to changing circumstances. Indeed, the insights discerned from employees’ data analysis and increased team collaboration are essential for reducing the risk of costly errors for the business.

In the coming years, AI-backed automation will become a key driver for technological change. As AI systems learn how to fit into the organisation and are programmed to improve over time, this encourages a greater focus on people on the long term. Not only should this reassure employees of their value, but it should also reassure managers that their investment was worthwhile.

Customer preferences

Further reinforcing the value of a data-led workforce is the customer preference for real, human customer service – the value of which remains remarkably high. This is recognised by the vast majority (90%) of business leaders, who believe that the human touch of customer service has become even more important amidst advancing technology, with 40% describing the continued human touch in customer service as a ‘100% mission critical focus.’

Experienced across virtually every industry, many companies may have temporarily seen customer service levels slip during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, technology is able to reverse this trend, supporting the human element of customer service with high-value data and insight. This enables teams to make decisions based on what they have learnt from evolving customer data and feedback, which can then be leveraged to improve the customer experience on an ongoing basis.

An additional benefit of digital transformation for customer service teams is that technology streamlining businesses’ operations in turn frees up organisations to provide the other crucial strand of the human touch, with dedicated customer service teams to personally connect with customers.

The bottom line

Simply enough, data-led technology significantly benefits business leaders, employees and customers alike. Achieving just base-level insights increases job satisfaction and security, encourages client retention, and instils confidence in customers that they are receiving a high-value service. For the four out of five workers that remain anxious about the implementation of digital technologies, it must be remembered that these advancements create an exciting opportunity for the human touch to grow alongside them.