2020 vision: Eight digital resolutions to make for the coming year

Posted on: February 11, 2020 by

Agility, innovation, simplicity, engagement, efficiency, effectiveness, privacy, security, compliance, sustainability, and ethics. With so many imperatives tied to Digital Transformation, it is no wonder that making tactical choices and strategic investment decisions are more challenging than ever. But complacency with "what works now" is not going to carry you forward in our rapidly evolving digital world.

Most organizations are working hard to prioritize for the year ahead. Here are eight resolutions to consider for 2020 to stay human, engaged, innovative and productive:

1. RECOGNIZE and act on the reality that we have collectively arrived in the new digital world. The impact of new technology is no longer hidden within the infrastructure or within the data center. The pursuant changes and outcomes are becoming more overt and direct – impacting employees, customers, and stakeholders every day. Now is the time to ask the questions.

How will artificial intelligence, machine learning and augmented or virtual reality fit into your plans?
Explore how the Internet of things, software or hardware bots and automation can elevate your business model.
Understand the opportunities to innovate brought by 5G wireless and Edge computing.

2. REDUCE the complexity of your infrastructure, wherever you can. Simplify your infrastructure.

Managing complexity costs money, time and energy. Sometimes complexity accumulates incrementally or comes along with new system implementations. Now that cloud solutions and services are mainstream, we have a new opportunity to discard complexity and adopt simplicity.

Can your infrastructure be consolidated and centralized?
Can you leverage Public Cloud or Managed Services to lessen the IT burden?
Can simplify with enterprise or subscription licensing instead of user-based licensing?

3. UNDERSTAND that your past technology decisions need not dictate your future. Take control of your digital future. You don’t have to feel like your organization is painted into a corner when it comes to adopting the best customer service, communication, and collaboration tools.

You can overlay software-based or cloud-based solutions on virtually any existing network.
You can preserve and tie together what you have with plug-in connectors and packaged integrations.
You can engage managed service providers that can span “hybrid” premise and cloud models.

4. AVOID the hidden and latent costs of fragmentation – in support, lost productivity and frustration. Overcome fragmentation in your business. Disparate and fragmented systems or applications create an increased support and training burden for your enterprise, not to mention the cost and resources needed to manage and maintain

Has your organization accumulated a collection of disjointed communications applications?
Do your collaboration applications work seamlessly with your contact center and telephony?
Have you evaluated the value of integrated communications and collaboration application suites?

5. FOCUS on the human experience in everything you do in this increasingly digital world. Tap into the heart of the digital experience. Communication and collaboration are a human experience. How people work (or don’t work) with the available tools makes all the difference.

Can your users access all media without awkward flipping between applications?
Do team members encourage engagement, trust, and personal rapport when they interact?
Are your technology tools truly intuitive and widely adopted?

6. EMBRACE what flexible working means to your organization and adopt the right tools. There is no doubt that a new way of working is upon us, no matter what industry or part of the world we operate in. With the change that the digital workplace brings, there are new opportunities to make your business more agile, responsive, efficient, happier and productive.

Define and adapt your own strategy for enabling virtual teams, "anywhere working", mobility and social collaboration. You can’t afford to ignore these topics.
Enable your enterprise to attract and retain the best talent – our own global research shows:

Only 14% of knowledge workers in enterprise companies (those with more than 5000+ employees) believe they have the right technology at work to build trust and make effective team decisions without the need for face-to-face.

Knowledge workers say the biggest barriers to effectively using the technology in their workplace are poor integration with other tools or applications (26%), overly complicated features and function (25%) and bad user experience /don’t work in the way I work (23%).

The majority of Millenial workers would prefer more flexible terms (to work where and when they want, and with right tools) over a 10% raise in salary.

Understand how your enterprise’s broader Digital Transformation strategy will impact your employees and the teams they work within.

7. BREAK DOWN the organization silos and "virtual" barriers that are holding you back. Leave barriers behind and collaborate. Whether it is within your campus, across locations or spanning geographies, bringing your people together to communicate, collaborate and share information amplifies collective effort and dramatically improves business performance.

Tap into the potential of team productivity and creativity, while managing down cost and complexity even if your employees and team members may be located remotely, mobile or home-based.

Have you consciously evaluated the ideal mix of centralized, distributed and/or mobile workers to meet the needs of your business, your customers and your employees?
Would more flexible working terms enable your organization to more effectively attract and retain top talent?
Have precedential working models and management practices prevented your organization from achieving next-level results in the new digital world?

8. ENGAGE a specialist technology partner you can trust and rely on. Partner with people you trust and have internalized your outcomes and metrics as their own. To survive and thrive, work with a trusted partner who is committed to your goals and can help you get from where you are today to where your business ought to be tomorrow.

Does your vendor listen to and deliver against your business goals (rather than just sell your products)?
Does your provider offer in-depth specialized expertise, skills, and resources?
Are you getting innovation delivered first to give you a competitive edge in your industry?

There you have it – eight resolutions for the coming year to stimulate discussion, challenge assumptions and help your organization toward a more successful and prosperous year in 2020!