Stubborn problems impact morale and efficiency
Field and site operations often excel at using technology to transform business at speed, such as switching to cloud storage, supporting home-based working for admin staff, and tracking valuable assets.
But even in the age of AI, stubborn problems deep within businesses can get overlooked and drain resources.
Despite all the money spent on technology, there’s often a small army of people still tied down dealing with everyday exceptions, fixing anomalies and finding costly manual workarounds to inefficient processes. And that’s a massive drag on performance and profitability.
How to pinpoint root causes and fix problems
Put simply, each of the issues we’ve explored requires intense manual effort. This is because key systems are disconnected, reliable data isn’t easy to access and teams are forced to devote valuable time and talent to solving mundane issues themselves.
Manual processes can be extremely resourceintensive – whether it’s rekeying data, compiling reports, issuing approvals or attempting to co-ordinate disparate groups of people. These activities often lock up hours of time for employees or temporary staff, putting a strain on budgets.
We’re all prone to errors too.
Mistakes in data entry, calculations or approvals can have significant financial implications. Fixing these errors can be time-consuming and costly, slowing down operational efficiency.
What’s the cost overall?
It’s significant. For example, the average knowledge worker devotes 60% of their time to “work about work” – which includes various manual admin-type activities, according to research*. In fact, just 27% of time is dedicated to the skilled craft that employees have been trained and hired to do
But here’s some good news.
There’s an answer — it’s possible to improve outcomes and save money. You don’t need a huge budget, turn your business upside down, or wait months or years to see the benefits.