Understanding the workflow revolution

“Suddenly, we can automate specific aspects of work, thereby increasing efficiency,” Swift said. “However, if you only automate certain steps, rather than the entire workflow, it will cause bottlenecks and delays. When a request or service slows down due to rigid processes and disconnected teams and systems, we all have orders A frustrating experience. Therefore, if we are to create a seamless and superior experience, automation and integrated workflows must continue to evolve.”

Research shows that automation is a huge opportunity. A study by Forrester Consulting surveyed an organization of 100 people and found that the lack of automation cost the company US$2.7 million each year.

Swift said: “If the lost opportunity for an organization of 100 people is so great, it’s hard to imagine what will happen to an organization with tens of thousands of employees,” Swift pointed out that the pandemic has already I found an opportunity to improve the way we handle our workflow.

“This is a key problem that business leaders are trying to solve. When you are in the office, you can talk to your colleagues in the cubicle. But when you work remotely, it is much more difficult. We found that employees are being bombarded by emails, And the work is piling up.

“The solution is to create a connected, digital experience across tasks and organizations. This means inside the department, inside the organization, and outside the organization. When you do this, work flows.”

KiwiBank is an example. Employees working for New Zealand’s state-owned financial institutions find it difficult to respond to customer needs in a timely manner. Therefore, the bank introduced technology to automate the workflow, reducing the time to process customer requests from four days to one day. Accuracy has also improved, and the percentage of tasks requiring rework has dropped by 83%.

“Employee engagement and satisfaction have also increased because they are now doing related work and helping customers. This is much more interesting than trying to work around broken processes and systems,” Swift explained.

The dream world is another example. The company hopes to improve its food safety methods, which used to be a manual process in which staff personally check whether each refrigerator in the park is at the correct temperature and other food safety requirements. The automation of these processes saves employees more than 2,500 hours each year, which means that employees can spend more time creating a great customer experience.

As for the future, the next stage of the workflow revolution will be to create a superior customer experience.

“If Australia is to participate in global competition, we need to support our employees to use their creativity, their understanding of the business, and their understanding of customer needs. This is how we create an excellent working environment for our employees, which will translate into customers Loved the excellent experience,” Swift added.

Ultimately, the best practice methods of workflow enable employees to reach their full potential because they can innovate and increase work efficiency. All of this provides a better experience for employees, customers, suppliers, and anyone dealing with the organization.

From the new era of mixed work to the biggest trend worth paying attention to in 2021 and beyond, where will the future of workflow take you? learn more From the well-known social critic Bernard Salt, he analyzed key moments in the history of the Australian workplace and how companies are moving forward.Join the conversation Leader Lounge Content Center Access the insights, real-world examples, and speeches of some of the most prolific thinkers in the world.