TALKING
business
‘‘
different points on the development and
supply chains, organisations will be better
equipped to address potential risk and
make informed plans to handle all likely
outcomes. Better still, insights generated
by data analytics teams can be shared
across departments and with the company
as a whole to ensure everyone knows
the warning signs to look for, and the
best courses of action to help the
company succeed.”
The cloud is a silver lining
“
THOSE THAT DECIDE TO
MOVE TO CLOUD-BASED TECHNOLOGY
PLATFORMS MAY DISCOVER THAT,
SINCE OPERATIONS CAN CONTINUE TO
RUN JUST AS SMOOTHLY WITH HOME-
BASED AGENTS, FLEXIBLE WORKING
MAY BE A VIABLE OPTION FOR
THEIR STAFF.
Cloud solutions have proved invaluable,
particularly for the finance industry,
according to Simon Bull, Sales Operations
and Business Development Manager at
Aqilla. “The biggest problem for the finance
department, particularly if it’s traditional,
is that it will likely be stored on a hardware
server on-premises, due to the sensitivity
of the data. With the repercussions of
the pandemic still very much present, the
complications that go hand-in-hand with onpremises
hardware have been noticeable.
“Post-pandemic, organisations are going
to have to seriously review their finance
software and begin to opt for cloud-based
finance platforms. CEOs will turn to the
finance department first for support with
this, so accounting systems need to be
able to support this business need. Every
organisation needs finance software, and
so having a cloud-based accounting and
finance solution will mean that the
finance department can work fully from
home, if necessary, while being able to
support increased agility with the latest
company data.”
Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO at Content Guru,
reveals how the cloud also supports remote
working for contact centres. “I expect we
will see most contact centres looking at how
they can adopt a cloud-first approach that
allows agents to work from wherever they
are based, so they can future-proof their
business models against situations like this
in the future.
“Those that decide to move to cloud-based
technology platforms may discover that,
since operations can continue to run just as
smoothly with home-based agents, flexible
working may be a viable option for their
staff. We may see more and more contact
centres allowing agents to work flexibly,
taking some shifts from home to fit around
family and domestic commitments, for
example by logging in while the children are
at school. Flexibility and agility will be key,
and a true cloud solution ensures that the
location of an agent no longer matters.”
The rise of online retail
The retail industry has particularly suffered
from social distancing, said Bob Potter, CEO
at SentryOne. “The IT systems of these
paused businesses will suffer first, because
with limited staff or many on furlough,
customers are experiencing 'error' or 'try
again later' messages on their websites
because of system overloads.
“However, what we are already seeing, and
will continue to see, is that those retailers
with online services will emerge from this
as the strongest in the competition. People
are buying products online more than ever
before, meaning that those businesses are
making more profits. Therefore, it is crucial
that businesses such as retailers prioritise
their database management. Impatient
customers shopping online will happily
choose a different site if their first choice
isn't loading, and with physical stores
bringing in very little, if any, profits during
this time, when the pandemic starts to
recede it will be those with the most
efficient online service which come
out on top.”
Rob Shaw, Managing Director EMEA at
Fluent Commerce, considers how retailers
can prepare for two types of in-person
shoppers. “The first will jump straight back
in as if nothing has happened – they may
even be shopping more enthusiastically
than before – and a second, who will be
more cautious. Focusing on the cautious
shopper, in practice, means following
government guidance and creating a safe
instore environment.
“Savvy retailers should add store stock to
their distribution network, with services
like ship from store or kerbside collections
to draw down excess instore stock. This
also means they can fully stock their stores
without the risk of losing the value of the
stock. That way they are prepared for
the opposite scenario as well: customers
suddenly ready to go in and shop and
‘make up for what they didn't have’ as we
have seen in some markets that are
now reopening."
As everyone watches carefully to see how
the lockdown measures start to ease,
businesses need to start thinking now – if
they haven’t already – what changes will
best help them survive. •
Rob Shaw, Managing Director EMEA at
Fluent Commerce
40 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com