We do an awful lot of work in a very short period of time when you stop and consider just how productive we are today versus two decades ago. That pre-computer age feels like a stone age to those old enough to have worked through it, and things have changed dramatically even in the past decade. Who would have thought of things like VMWare allowing you to run more than one operating system so terminals can work from a remote server?
Technology has shifted the corporate environment dramatically, and here are just a few of the benefits to be had:
Better Time Tracking
On a given day, your average freelancer is bound to work for more than one client. How do you bill for hours spent? Notepad uses a trick that will record a log (or timestamp) each time it is opened, but that’s not a very reliable way. Clients will only pay you for the time you report, and if you forget to hit that stopwatch, you’re out of luck. Fortunately, business management software enables freelancers to basically put billing and timekeeping on autopilot. Activated usually when one “clocks in” for work for the day, this software is fairly smart. It can help you determine which clients you’re spending the most time on, how often you’re productive, and special rules allow your software to stop tracking work for that period of time.
Looking for a way to stop browsing Facebook and get more productive? Time management software is for you.
Better Response
Agile is a development philosophy that emphasizes rapid testing and deployment in order to resolve common software problems. That can be adapted to the corporate world too and has been on a few occasions. Agile is a method of removing roadblocks, keeping open communication between departments, and getting more done faster. You start thinking in a very decision-oriented mindset when your next deployment is tomorrow.
Don’t worry, there’s still room for long-term debate in agile thinking. Agile allows you to put down what you want to have happened, and slowly build towards that with sensible steps that help you along the way. Think of it as conceiving a goal, and breaking that down into the most actionable steps possible. That’s agile thinking in a nutshell.
Better Support
One thing every business needs is support. Many businesses outsource talent, technology and even aspects of infrastructure (anyone ever works for a company that pays a payroll company?). One thing keeping these organizations afloat is better support. If you’ve ever worked in customer service, you know that the tide of negativity can feel stifling. The fact is that those customer complaints result in better knowledge base documentation, better FAQs, more efficient phone operators who can solve problems faster, and ultimately better product documentation to explain everything well in the first place.
More Options
Throughout the 90s, it felt like certain companies just got heaps of market share: Dell, Gateway, IBM and HP being some of the bigger names from that era. Today, there are more options for consumers looking for useful gadgets, and more ways for companies to find them. Maintaining iPhone and Android apps have now become staples for major software companies, making support, services and a host of other features accessible at your fingertips.
Final Thoughts
There’s been a lot of controversies lately about automation, and workers losing jobs to robots. Some of that reality is very harsh, but changes in technology have important and far-reaching impacts on every workplace. From making employees more efficient at their jobs to making sure everyone gets paid fairly, technology plays an important role in the corporate environment.
