Sometimes it can seem as though companies often look for solutions to their IT problems too quickly – being technology, rather than problem-led. Other times, those tasked with finding a solution to a business problem are not the right people.

However, the real problem most businesses have is that the systems, processes, and methodologies they have in place stop their people from adding value or giving customers the value they want.

That’s the bottom line – systems are getting in the way. Even though we’re a tech company, we always think about people first. Fix their problems and you’ll be way ahead of your competitors.

Back in My Day

Remember a time before mobile phones? Perhaps, if you’re of a certain age. Back in the day, if you needed to contact someone there were many steps that had to be taken, from finding a landline, remembering your friend’s number, getting past the gatekeeper (i.e. a parent), and then discovering they were out somewhere.

Now, you simply take your phone out of your pocket, make some hand gestures across its screen and voila, you’re in contact with the person – anytime, anywhere.

The thing to take away here is that the mobile phone makes our lives easier. We achieve the same thing but with far fewer steps – far less effort is required. The mobile phone was designed to give us what we needed without taking away something else – our time.

On The Go Slow

Taking that example, think about some of the ways you complete tasks in your job now. Chances are you interact with a CRM or ERP system and we’re pretty confident at least some of that interaction is laboured. By that we mean it’s more effort than it really should be.

Maybe your company bought an off-the-shelf product which doesn’t suit your business? Or perhaps it’s bespoke… but not enough thought was given to its users when designing it. Either way, the chances are there is an App in your life which slows you down.

In business, your staff want to be able to do their job without wrestling with their own systems and processes. So why do businesses adopt technology that doesn’t best serve their people and in turn their business?

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

If assumption is the mother of all F-ups, then presumption is its father. Businesses often presume that there is a technology that will solve all their problems. In 2021 we have already been inundated with requests from businesses for AI. Just that. Just “AI”. This shows that companies are leading with a solution they don’t necessarily understand – and not the problem that they want to solve.

Like we said at the beginning, the problem businesses have is that they often close themselves off from the real problem – which is that the tech they have in place is inhibiting their people and their customers.

To find out precisely what those problems are we always ask why a few times over. This helps us dive into the real problem and get our customers to look up from their initial idea of a solution. If you understand something you have a fair better chance of solving it.

1s and 0s?

One of the benefits of the current age is companies can look for true problems and solutions in their data. Data often cuts through the preconceptions that business leaders have. This could be customer interaction data or call monitoring data from staff. Just having reliable information to hand is key to putting people before technology because you can often change a businesses’ mindset by showing them cold, hard data.

Looping in our love of RPA, we don’t believe that robots are there to remove people. They should be there to empower them. Taking away menial tasks frees up an individual to focus on value adding jobs. It helps to focus their sense of purpose and gives them a role which taps into their talent. If the big problem companies face is that systems are holding back their people and their customers, then solving that is going to make for better work and happier customers.

Take attendant automation in a call centre, it’s a prime example of where tech unshackles a staff member and benefits the customer. An automated attendant, if built right, can instantly provide a call agent with all the information relevant to the caller without the need to search a database. This means the agent can focus on the caller themselves and in turn that will mean the customer is going to get a more focused response, improving customer satisfaction.

In other areas of business we all implement flexible solutions by understanding problems. Even simple examples like small meeting rooms that can house quick catch ups between a few people. These rooms can be repurposed if needed without much trouble but they are a great way of having a space you don’t have to book or set up in any way. We should all think about technology in the same way, how it can be used now as well as when business needs change.

Why Us?

Bringing this together we want to talk about what makes us, PAteam, different from other RPA and tech providers. We believe in putting people first and we come armed with a healthy distrust of the buzzword solutions that are often put in front of us. We take the time to understand you, your people, and your customers. With that understanding we can then start to look at the processes a bot can tackle. Asking why isn’t always comfortable but it is essential.

We really dislike the trend in tech of slapping features on software that a user base never actually asked for just because it’ll look good on a product data sheet. We want to give you and your business material benefit, offering tailored advice and technology which improve how you work and what you can give your customers.

If that sounds like something you’re interested in then get in touch for a chat, just expect us to find out what you really need.