Digitization and Automation: Evolution of a modern workplace

Technology has been accepted in even the simplest of processes in today's digital-driven world, with digitization and automation at the heart of technology used in daily lives and work. This fast-paced acceptance can be attributed to the fact that digitization and automation come packed with benefits to the brim. From cutting costs and efforts to reducing the frequency of mistakes, the shift to technology has proved to be immensely beneficial.

As the world has accepted technology in all phases of life, workplaces are not exempted either. Recent times have seen rapid digitization of workspaces and their processes worldwide. The frenzy of digitization has only further spread with the Covid pandemic. As the world was forced into the confines of their houses, the pandemic necessitated and accelerated the growth of digitization across the world. This accelerated transformation can be understood and managed by viewing it through multiple dimensions.

Impact of Covid era on digitization

The business and professional world was caught by surprise when the pandemic first hit. Since most workplaces relied still on paperwork, in-person conferences and meetings, direct visual supervision, and manual day-to-day processes, the newly necessitated virtual workplace created quite some challenges for them.

In this scenario, organizations that were already making efforts to digitize their operations benefited with lesser stability issues, thus getting a head start. However, almost two years into the game, most organizations have made up for the lost momentum and entered the world of digitization.

The digital revolution of the modern workplace

The Covid era workplace is undeniably different from the old normal but, the differences are not restricted to masked faces and frequent sanitization. A principal way in which the industry has transformed is the adoption of automation in most operations. From employee conversations to marketing, all the key segments of office operations have been digitized.

Automation paving the way for seamless internal communication

The primarily prerequisite for the smooth flow of work in an organization is proper and feasible communication channels. Employee experience and conversation, with both internal and external parts of an organization's work process, is critical to the overall results of work. In recent times, digital tools have been relied upon for forming strong and interruption-free channels of communication throughout organizations.

Since digitization enables the free flow of information, facilitates task and work allocation, and prevents miscommunication despite location and devices, it has proved to be transformational for workplaces.

Automation, in this context, can help to build an autonomous and agile work culture that allows everyone to be highly productive and goal-oriented with minimal structures, hierarchies, or intrusions. Thus, the influx of automation has evolved the landscape of communication in workspaces.

Automation enhancing B2B communication

Another segment of business communication where automation has been fast spreading is communication between businesses and their partners. Digital innovations have allowed multiple organizations to connect feasibly and talk through APIs, evolved security models, or trusted mechanisms like block chains. Process and data consolidation due to automation have allowed lean operations and high responsiveness. All this has contributed to enhancing communication experience and preciseness between the businesses and their partners.

Automation facilitating communication between businesses and society

A similar transformation can be observed in the way regulators, investors, and society interact with a business. In today’s time, society is connected intrinsically and deeply via social media and digital activism.

Thus, people are actively holding companies accountable for their social and environmental responsibilities due to the increased ease of doing so. However, these technologies have also been added to ease the process followed by businesses to connect to society and give back better.

Quick and precise production due to automation

Yet another area where automation and digitization have made their mark is the production process. Digitization does away with the need for human control and oversight to be pervasive and detailed, thus liberating them for more creative and valuable endeavors, at the same time enhancing safety and efficiency.

Some key technology interventions that have enabled this are process automation, integrated and comprehensive business management systems, intelligent sensors, and monitoring, IoT, etc.

Infusion of automation in marketing processes

Lastly, Automation has also worked to improve the marketing processes. By enabling frictionless interactions, unified experience, and contextually responsive communication between customers and businesses, automation has made it easier for both parties to satisfy their needs without compromising on comfort. Automated channels between the two have made communication consistent and seamless through the aid of analytics and digital interactions.

Summing up

The change that has overcome the way workplaces work has been drastic but eventual and is here to stay. The changes in terms of automation that have been accommodated in the business processes in recent times may have been necessitated or quickened due to the pandemic but have evidently led to increased growth and resource savings for most organizations. Undoubtedly, the world of workspaces will continue to evolve in this direction of advanced technology and automation in the future as well.

As the world was forced into restrictions and the economy suffered, a majority of the masses switched to digital means to salvage the economy.

Author: Manish Godha, Founder & CEO, Advaiya