The global pandemic accelerated business transformations and pushed many enterprises into investing in technology at a frenzied pace. It also led to a massive upsurge in homeworking, at a level that is unlikely to be completely reversed. However, whether you were an early adopter of digital working systems or a recent convert, that doesn’t mean you’ve ticked all the right boxes!

You may well have untapped potential and significant gaps in your ability to streamline your office, harnessing the power that comes from data and automation.

This article explores why automation of the office is the future for businesses. It also highlights some of the vital steps you need to take, to be more assured of profitable growth.

Office automation and data control
Let’s start with the central plank of your growth strategy. Modern businesses grow – and thrive – by harnessing the power of data. A fully automated digital workplace is one offering end-to-end transparency and control over all business information.

Unfortunately, many companies have not achieved this, as their transformation has been piecemeal and disjointed. For all the investment they have made in tech, they still have obstacles, overlaps and gaping holes in their data flow.

An example would be a purchasing department operating on one system, while the accounting and marketing teams use different software. This leads to duplicated efforts and a more laborious sharing of crucial business intelligence.

From transparency, comes control
Contrast that with a fully automated office using Spindle Document Management, for instance. Having the same suite of intelligent and flexible software tools company-wide provides an uninterrupted flow of data. As well as an ability to drill down on key business information at any point in your operations.

Imagine the improvements you could make, from having your different departments and personnel well-orchestrated. Also, a more integrated sharing of data is the platform you use to automate many repetitive tasks.

To use the same example as above. With the best automation software installed, inventory costs from your purchasing team are instantly accessible by the marketing department for price checking, and your accounts can bill clients easily. It will make document management more assured too, eradicating many of the errors that cost time and money!

Collaboration and remote working
We have already touched on the way an automated digital workplace creates integrated company-wide data management. This is especially pivotal for any company that relies on remote or mobile employees, or which project manages internationally. Any time-sensitive or cross-team working now hinges on being completely paperless.

The only way to support profitable and consistent collaboration and communication is by having automated office systems. This enables you to share documents and schematics in real-time, with sufficient control over who sees what, and when.

It makes your compliance with global data privacy legislation more watertight too.

Perhaps one of the most undervalued advantages of an automated office though is the social element it provides. Remote working can be a lonely and disjointed process. Having strong communication systems through your office software enables teams to chat more readily, breaking down isolation.

This, in turn, improves your innovation and problem-solving capabilities.

Business improvement and lean working
That latter point is a crucial reason why automation of the office is the future for businesses.

With greater control over data – and a more responsive and agile sharing of information – comes the ability to make substantial business improvements.

Automating some of the more mundane administrative tasks frees staff up to be more alert to opportunities of course. As well as giving them more time to spend problem-solving and making suggestions for change.
However, you are also better equipped to tap into the most important improvement asset ALL businesses have – Big Data!

Your automated digital workplace – with its wealth of data – enables you to do things quicker, better, cheaper and with less waste. You can assign resources more responsively and manage your staff’s time intuitively.

Eliminating errors and waste in modern office environments
From an automated office, you build a leaner business. This in turn makes it far easier to spot the errors, not just the ways to do things better!

For instance, having an automated data flow can potentially reveal uneconomic practices. Such as buying in and holding too much stock, billing incorrectly or wasting materials.

Do you realise how much costly rubbish comes from your office? The average office worker generates 2lbs of paper and paperboard products daily, and paper items account for around 70% of total office waste*.

Imagine finding a paperless system that cuts that cost down!

Increased staff potential
With fundamental, repetitive tasks taken care of by the best software for your digital workplace, your team can focus on other things.

This includes learning and training opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. You may also find that releasing staff from menial tasks – and giving them access to improved data and collaboration – inspires team building and improved customer relations.

This rests on you engaging your employees well in your fully automated digital workplace.

Marketing and competitor analysis
Automating and streamlining data management is also a vital component in building a successful brand. That includes growing your access to both internal business intelligence and deeper competitor analysis.

Your sales and marketing teams will find their increased data-riches particularly inspiring. They can price products and services better and build more fluid contract negotiations for example.

Your new level of data management will also make it easier for them to understand your customers, improve user experience (within digital marketing and physical customer service functions) and create brand loyalty.

Predictive analysis
Finally, we come to the icing on the cake, when it comes to ways that automation creates a stronger and more profitable business.

If you enjoy fully integrated and streamline data management – using software configured to match your digital workplace and your business aims – you can see the future!

Predictive analysis is growing more sophisticated all the time. If you have enough of the right kind of data automatically harvested and sorted, you can start to model future solutions, innovations, and improvements.

This ensures that your business planning decisions can be more confident, and you can move forward with a clear vision of how success can be achieved.

Find Out More about how we can help with Spindle Document Management by getting in touch with us at Draycir today.

* https://www.roadrunnerwm.com/blog/office-worker-waste-generation