March 2018
Update & Innovate: How Technology Could Solve the UK's Productivity Problem
It’s no secret that the UK is in a little bit of a bind when it comes to productivity. Although we’ve seen a positive start to 2018 with the greatest increase in productivity since the recession, we’re still trailing behind other countries. Thanks to snow days and technical difficulties, the recent visit from the ‘Beast from the East’ is likely to have put its own dent in that progress as well.
So, what do we do about low productivity? How do we close the productivity gap between ourselves and our neighbouring nations, against whom we so often compare ourselves? Whilst the recent Spring Statement made it clear that improving productivity is in the government’s sights, it still falls to businesses and innovators to lead the way - with technology acting as the tool that will fix the problem.
Making Tech Work for Us
Thanks to advances in technology and data, there are productivity innovations springing up every day, with more faring better than others in the dog eat dog world of business. Amongst the most popular of these innovations – and a starting point for this article – is automation.
By nominating small tasks for automation, businesses can greatly reduce the amount of hours their staff spend working on admin or tasks which don’t make the most effective use of their time. In many cases, such as with manual reporting or menial data sorting, automation can also encourage employee happiness by taking the less interesting aspects of their job off their hands.
Meanwhile, cloud technology is enabling us to work from wherever we are, at whatever time suits us. That doesn’t mean working twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, however: instead, it means employers can look further afield when scouting talent, bringing in fresh new individuals to bolster productivity, rather than working within the limitations of hiring locally.
It’s not just remote working which the cloud can assist with, either: properly utilising cloud software can mean faster load times, a smaller focus on maintaining on-site servers, and access to new and exciting tools, all of which can help a business to move with more agility.
Building for Your Challenges
All of these technologies have one thing in common. At their heart, they are solutions which can be tailored to individual needs, addressing the individual challenges faced by businesses.
Automation, for example, is used for tasks which teams themselves have identified as being time-consuming, tedious, or low impact. Of course, it might be used on different tasks at a different company - no two have to be the same.
The cloud is similar in its ability to offer a unique, tailor-made approach to productivity, and users can choose tools based on the needs of their employees. This is especially true in bespoke CRM solutions which offer third party integration. Including this feature allows for users to create their own experience without limiting the options available to them – as well as enjoying all the other aspects which make for an effective bespoke CRM solution.
The flexibility of the cloud also means organisations can continue to build upon it and find new applications which empower their team to work with more flexibility, remove obstacles to effective working, and allow for a real-time view at the business’ progress.
In short, technological innovation is providing businesses with a tailor-made solution to the low productivity the UK is facing - they simply have to reach out and take it. Once the technology on offer is embraced, there’s no telling where the UK’s productivity could soar to!
Solve the productivity issues within your organisation by making the most of a bespoke CRM solution from Lunar CRM. To find out more, feel free to explore our website or get in touch to arrange a free demo.