The digital transformation process is essential today. In the current digital era, almost all companies need digital technology to facilitate the work process. Companies get so many benefits from using technology, from better organization of corporate data to increased employee productivity. In the long term, implementing technology in the company's workflow will help the company be ahead of the competition and always find innovations in business.
Digital technology has become an essential requirement in the company's management process. However, the survey from The Modern Marketplace in 2019 stated that 70 percent of companies still view digital transformation as a challenge. Therefore, companies need a "change management strategy" to overcome this problem, namely a transformation strategy that focuses on users. Users here are members of the company itself, from company leaders, divisions, and employees; this is done so that the digital transformation process is right on target, considering that teaching new technology is not easy. On the one hand, there is someone who is always enthusiastic about technology, but on the other hand, there is also someone who is 'reluctant' to explore new technology.
Therefore, there are several things that need to be done by the company, in this case, the leadership and management in the company in helping employees in the digital transformation process on target. Here are some of them.
The first way is to convince employees that technology will not replace them. Employees will refuse to use technology if they think the presence of technology will make them lose their jobs. You need to explain that technology is used to help with their repetitive and time-consuming tasks to focus on other, more critical work.
For example, if you use a digital checklist application, explain to your employees that by using the application, the team at each outlet no longer needs to fill in the logbook to report problems at the outlet. The team also no longer needs to type the data on the inspection results one by one from paper to spreadsheets because those things are already handled by technology. By reducing the time spent inputting data, teams in the field can immediately focus on dealing with problems at outlets or helping other teams serve customers.
The second way that can be done is by explaining to employees why the company uses digital technology. By knowing why the company uses digital technology and how it will implement it, employees will be better able to understand and be motivated to use it. In addition, you can also explain the results that the company wants to achieve by using digital technology.
Some examples of using an operational checklist application are as follows.
For example, the company decided to use an operational checklist application to speed up handling times when problems arise in the field. For example, when using a paper form, the company takes 5 days to repair a broken oven in a restaurant branch, counting from filling out the form, sending the form to the head office, until the service personnel comes to the restaurant. With the operational checklist application, companies can send service personnel one day after the issue is received or even the same day if the report is received in the morning. The result to be achieved is that outlets can serve customers on time because problems can be fixed quickly.
Also Read: Grow Your Business with Digital Operations Management
Changes that occur within the company will undoubtedly cause inconvenience to employees. Therefore, companies need to prepare their employees for the changes that will occur so that employees will be able to prepare themselves to face the changes that occur.
You can also emphasize the advantages employees will gain by implementing this new technology. For example, with the digital checklist application, employees no longer need to look for reports among piles of other reports in the cabinet when there is the required information from several months ago. Instead, employees simply open the application and view the history of reports stored in the application.
Another example, with the digital checklist application, employees no longer need to carry piles of paper, pens, clipboards, then send photos of field conditions via Whatsapp. All of them are combined in one application. So, employees only need to bring one cellphone when conducting operational checks. Managers also don't have to bother reading the handwriting on reports and matching photos sent via email or Whatsapp with written reports collected from outlets.
The company's management needs to master the digitalization policy and process well, and understand the benefits of digitalization that the company will carry out. That way, each boss can answer questions from their team and help them when they have difficulty learning how to use the new technology.
The management in this case also needs to set an example for their team by also using the application that the company has chosen. That way, your team will see the urgency of implementing the digitization process. It is different when employees only carry out the digitization process while the management does not use the application.
For example, when several members of your department's team have reported operational inspection results via the app, but you still request the report to be sent in spreadsheet form. Employees will see their efforts to learn the new application in vain, and the application will begin to be abandoned. It's different if you as a boss are also actively using the selected application and take advantage of the features in the application to carry out team assignments, data management, and use graphics in the application during meetings. Then, employees will feel they need to learn and regularly use the applications used by the company.
Not all employees are fluent in technology. Sometimes even employees who are fluent in technology need a little time to get to know the application they have just used. Therefore, the company should facilitate training for all divisions and existing employees. Especially if the digital technology used is still new.
As a leader and manager of the company, you must schedule when the training should be carried out and know what the company must prepare to facilitate the training. Please communicate with the application provider company whether they provide training for your employees.
During the digital transition process in the company, the company needs to carry out monitoring. This monitoring is carried out to determine how the digitization process is running within the company, whether the initial goal of digitization was achieved, and what could be improved from the digitization process. Don't be surprised; productivity drops may occur early in the transition period as employees are still adjusting to the new application. In those days, listen to questions and input from employees often. Then, consult with the application provider company about optimizing the use of the application.
Also read: How to Improve Company Operational Audit Performance
Finally, you need to record what results were obtained during and after the digitization carried out in the company. Determine the KPIs that will be used for evaluation before implementing the technology. These KPIs will be used to evaluate whether the results obtained are in accordance with the company's digitalization goals. In addition, the evaluation results can be used to find out what aspects need to be improved and what things should be maintained.
Communicate to management and the team if things need to be improved. For example, in using a digital checklist application, it was found that management needed to revise the questionnaire so as not to confuse the team that filled it out. Don't forget to underline the success achieved during the digitization period to motivate employees to use the application. For example, management found that task completion times at outlets were 2 days faster after using the app, and paper spending dropped by 85 percent.
Those are 7 tips to help employees in the digital transformation process. Has your company carried out digital transformation for more efficient company operations? If you're looking for a technology partner for your company's operations, we have the answer.
Consult the operational management of your business for free with the Nimbly team.
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