5 Ways to Bridge Your Operational Gaps with Technology as IT Needs Grow
It’s no surprise that in today’s age of business, the increase in remote work has resulted in companies having to invest greater amounts of time and money into digital communication solutions and technology due to the rise in digitally-driven workplaces.
Strategic alignment between your business and IT is crucial if you want to make sure the technology supports the company’s strategy as well as it possibly can. According to a report by Dynatrace, 49% of CIOs believe that a situation when business and IT teams work in separate “silos” is the biggest blocker for digital transformation. So, how are modern companies overcoming this issue today in order to unite teams, all while continuing to hit growth trajectories?
As your company continues to grow, ensuring that your technology infrastructure can keep up with your increasing IT needs is crucial to the long-term success of your business. Here are four innovative ways to bridge operational gaps with technology as your company grows:
5 Ways to Bridge Operational Gaps with Technology as IT Needs Grow
1. Adopt Cloud Computing
Due to continuing economic and staffing uncertainty, more organizations are now charting new courses for their journey toward cloud computing and digital transformation. This skyrocketing demand for cloud solutions and services has created an opportunity for companies to fill the gaps in their operations with technology instead of headcount. Cloud computing is an excellent solution for businesses that want to scale their IT infrastructure quickly and cost-effectively. By moving your IT operations to the cloud, you can easily scale your resources up or down based on demand. This can help you avoid the need for expensive hardware investments and reduce your IT costs in the long run.
2. Use Automation Tools
Automation has played a key role as companies begin to scale and grow. Without automated assistance, operations and departments can become siloed, resulting in limited efficiency, which means your employees will start to devise manual workarounds to ensure customer information stays updated across systems that can’t talk to each other. Automation tools can help you streamline your operations and reduce manual workloads. For example, you can use automation tools to automate your marketing campaigns, sales processes, or customer support interactions. This can help you save time and reduce errors, which can improve your overall operational efficiency.
3. Implement Artificial Intelligence
Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a key challenge for organizations looking to create a competitive advantage through their data. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help you gain insights into your business operations and automate repetitive tasks. For example, you can use AI to analyze the customer data you already have to identify key trends and patterns. This in turn can help you make informed decisions about your business strategy. You can also use AI to automate routine tasks, such as customer data entry or document processing, which then frees up your employees’ time for more important work.
4. Lean on Machine Learning and Predictive Analysis
The best indicator of future performance is past performance. Big data analytics can help businesses gain insights from large volumes of data to make better decisions. By using analytics tools like machine learning and predictive analytics, businesses can identify patterns, trends, and opportunities that would otherwise be missed. For instance, retailers can use big data analytics to predict demand for products, optimize pricing, and improve customer experiences.
5. Invest in Cybersecurity
As your business grows, cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated and harder to detect. Traditionally, IT and operation teams have been considered entirely separate functions complete with different goals, different tools, and different organizational structures. These silos unintentionally have also made it difficult, if not impossible, to quickly detect and respond to potential security threats. Investing in cybersecurity can help you protect your business from data breaches, cyber-attacks, and other threats. You can use cybersecurity tools such as firewalls, malware detection systems, and antivirus software to protect your IT infrastructure and data. You should also train your employees on cybersecurity best practices to reduce the risk of human error.
Navigating The Future By Filling In the Operational Blanks
As businesses expand and their IT requirements become more complex, it’s important to avoid relying solely on human resources and instead look toward technological solutions. In order for technology to be a bridge rather than a barrier, companies must incorporate appropriate technology to ensure the adoption of new systems, processes, and technologies.
CRM technology is one of the easiest ways to bridge operational gaps. This can be achieved by implementing automation tools that streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time for your team to focus on more strategic initiatives. By leveraging CRM technology in these innovative ways outlined above, you can effectively bridge operational gaps and stay ahead of the competition.
Want to learn more about how you can use CRM to help bridge IT and operational gaps? Watch our recent webinar, Dream Different: Get More For Less with SugarCRM.
