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What started as a temporary solution has become a new normal. The work-from-home trend began before the pandemic but was accelerated by the need for a quick fix for a remote workforce. Professionals now have the option to choose where they are working, causing an increase of competition in hiring and demands for employers.
Acquiring talent has become highly competitive, and technology has become a critical component of that. Employees want to work for progressive companies that use modern technology to run their businesses, providing them with a centralized information hub accessible anywhere, anytime.
Upgrading your business supply and furniture reseller business processes with powerful technology will not only help you attract new talent but also retain the employees you already have. Eliminating monotonous tasks with automation will leave employees feeling more appreciated, not to mention it will also give them the ability to make a more significant impact on the business.
As you investigate strategies to accommodate these new workforce changes, you will need to address some significant challenges that office solution dealers are facing:
Challenge: Attracting and Retaining Talent
As the next generation (Generation Z) fills the workforce, you must be ready with the latest technology to attract incoming talent. Growing up with instant information in the palm of their hands, this generation relies heavily on technology to get through their day If you still use pen-and-paper practices, many joining the workforce may feel overqualified in such an environment that is unwelcoming to modern technology.
Solution:
It is imperative that you stay on top of technology trends like automation, cloud, and centralized business management systems to spark excitement in future employees. Keeping up with Excel spreadsheets and online documents may be manageable for now, but no one wants to work for an unorganized company. Try using a centralized business management solution for your office and business supply or furniture dealership to create, store, and share important documents from one location and manage processes more efficiently.
Challenge: Inability to Access Information While Out of the Office
Before the pandemic, it was common for businesses to keep important documents in overflowing filing cabinets. When we were all forced to work from home, it was extremely difficult to access that information when needed, if it was even possible. Today, 74% of companies plan to permanently implement hybrid working where the need to digitize data and processes is not only more cost-effective, but essential to get business done.
Solution:
Updating information to a central source for all employees to view will allow your company to keep up with changes in the workplace and empower them with the right information when they need it.
A cloud-based solution will allow employees to access and upload information from anywhere at any time. This environment is crucial when multiple people are working on the same project in different locations, ensuring efficient project management and access to the same information. A solution that provides up-to-date business intelligence easily helps employees work together towards common goals without the hassle of morning meetings and whiteboard sessions.
Challenge: Wasting Time on Tedious Tasks
Employees look for purposeful jobs that leaves them feeling fulfilled at the end of the workday. Filling employees’ days with tedious, monotonous tasks that could be handled quickly through automation can lead to high turnover rates and the need for a more headcount. This dependency on manual intervention can also lead to costly mistakes. Copying data from one Excel sheet to another or entering information from a printed document into a report will make your company vulnerable to human errors, like misplaced decimal points or incorrect numbers. It is also frustrating for team members who spend hours on one report only to find their work both boring and incorrect.
Solution:
Take away the headaches and implement a fully integrated solution that relieves the pressure on employees and puts it into the hands of technology. There are many tools that, together with your business management system, can deliver optimal automated processes throughout your entire business. From centralized communication and business intelligence, to punchouts and proof of delivery, you can bring all aspects into a single environment to manage.
To keep up with a modern workforce, you need modern technology. Employees are attracted to companies that use modern resources to simplify business processes and your business can only thrive from it.
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