It’s been said by many that 80 percent of technology users will use only 20 percent of that technology’s features. While at first, this might seem hard to believe - after all, most of us consider ourselves to be fairly tech-savvy, at least when it comes to things like tablets and smartphones - if you were to think about it, you’d probably come up with similar percentages.
This doesn’t necessarily have negative consequences when it comes to recreational technology, or the tech that we use in our daily lives. Maybe it means you spend a few more minutes uploading a video to Google Drive because you switch to your laptop, for example, instead of realizing you could do the same thing on your phone.
But when it comes to technology for the workplace, using just 20 percent of the available features can mean a whole lot of wasted time and effort.
Take workforce optimization software. If you’re spending time working outside the program to update your planning sheets, which is something the software already offers, then the tech that’s supposed to make your workload more streamlined is actually doing the opposite.
Workforce optimization software is an investment in your company, which is why it’s so important to make sure you’re getting everything you can out of the program. Here are a few tips on how to make sure you’re optimizing your workforce technology.
Technology on its own is useless - it takes a well-informed user to unlock the benefits it can offer. In fact, a well-informed user can even compound those benefits, as the better she gets at using the software, the better and more efficiently she can do her job.
That’s why one of the most important elements of making any software work for your company is to make sure you and your employees know how to use it. Any software provider worth their salt will also offer, or be able to connect you to, solid training options for you and your team (at KOVA, we offer on-site training plus Help Desk support for all the systems we provide).
Because the effects of training can be hard to quantify, it’s often one of the things that companies aren’t too enthusiastic about. However, consider this data from a study that the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) did to evaluate the value of their training.
BGCA needed to develop a new generation of leaders, and developed a training program that was targeted at specific areas of personal development, After conducting a thorough analysis of attendees performance before and after the training, the organization found that it had gained a fourfold return on the cost of the training.
Now, not every organization will attain these results, but it does go to prove that good training does, in fact, have a substantial - and measureable - effect on employee performance.
Now that developers of workforce optimization and other workforce technology systems are prioritizing mobile capabilities, managers and supervisors can get out of the offices where they’ve traditionally had to spend much of their time.
Instead, they can access the programs they need while being out among their employees. This increased visibility has two major benefits.
First, managers gain a clearer picture of what’s going on with their teams. Instead of being sequestered in an office for most of the day, managers who can go mobile are able to spot issues as well as notice high performers firsthand.
Mobile capabilities can also be helpful for other back-office employees, giving them more freedom to complete their tasks without being tethered to a desk all day.
Today’s workforce optimization programs offer a wealth of data that companies can draw upon. The Verint Media Recorder Workforce Optimization suite, for example, offers voice of the customer analytics as well as desktop and process analytics. These all can provide an extensive array of data that can help greatly improve your decision-making capacity.
When you spend the time and money to invest in new workforce management or workforce optimization software, you want to make sure you’re putting it to the best possible use. To learn about how one company made the most out of the Verint Media Recorder Workforce Optimization software, read this case study.
