We spoke to Avanade's Graham Healy about the steps companies should be taking now
as they emerge from the Covid-19 situation.
So, Graham, what do you see as the kind of key challenges that are facing companies
emerging from the Covid-19 situation?
So I think depending on the industry the
challenges can be different but thematically there are probably, I
would say, five key challenges that I'm seeing across a number of
organisations or the organisations we deal with in Ireland
and also across Europe that we see as Avanade.
The first is change readiness, so the ability and the willingness
of an organisation to change and change quickly and bring its people
if you like its employees and even its customers on that journey.
The second is more around resilience and
flexibility of the organisational infrastructure,
to be able to deal with, as we move into the next phases of Covid etc,
that mixed working environment, part remote and part on site etc, which
looks to be the be the case in due course.
And then the last three really I guess are an
ability to collaborate effectively. You know, we're all I guess as humans
very much used to that in-person interaction. I know the
interactions are much like what we're having now
over video over calls etc and that blurred line,
if you like, between the the private and the professional life. So
the ability to collaborate effectively. Then the final two really i guess
are maintaining high levels of customer service. In the initial
reaction to Covid-19 I think customers
were okay with companies having, let's say, a poorer
or haphazard customer service. But as time goes on I think
patience will wear thin from that customer base.
So really it is about how do you maintain that high level of customer
service, whether it be a contact centre, when people are working remotely in
different locations and keeping those standards up,
avoiding whether it's queues or wait times
because that will affect the brand and and effectively the sales
of organisations as time goes by. And finally is an efficient supply chain
If you can't get your products, if you like, out the
door because you can't get the the core ingredients
for those products.
So what then do you think are the key
steps for companies that are emerging from the Covid-19 situation?
The key thing is for companies to rethink their business. How are
they responding to the crisis? How are they
resetting their organisation? And how are they going to renew in due
course? There's three macro thematic
steps that I would look for companies to undertake. One is keep your
foot on the pedal. Most companies have implemented more
change in weeks and months than they would normally do in years.
Really use this opportunity to to extend that change and to continue
with it. Secondly is to do it in a 'no regrets' manner, so make sure it's secure
and look at things like data compliance,
managing the perimeter of your security,
your secure online collaboration with both your customers and your employees.
So that is really critical. So you don't
have to do a two-step approach to security.
And thirdly then, as always and more persistently and with more focus,
prioritise your customer and employee experience. That's going to require
an omni-channel approach.
Are there any critical skills that will be important to workforces
coming out of Covid-19?
From an IT perspective it's really an acceleration
of the old world of on-premise technology and on-premise tech
employees to cloud and a mixed employee environment,
both virtual and physical. This really needs
an evergreen mindset, you know, so digital transformation skills
prior was you'd go through your digital transformation
and then move into business as usual whereas this is evergreen, this is going to be
constant sprints of transformation. From a more general perspective I would say
the skills that are needed relate to an ability to work with ambiguity
and an ability to adapt quickly to fluid situations. You know, change
happens, it will continue to happen so we need to anticipate it,
monitor it, adapt to it and, ultimately, enjoy it and be
willing to embrace the fact that it is ever constant.
So Graham for leaders that are a little bit nervous about the road ahead,
what kind of advice would you give to them?
Ultimately, it's about grabbing the nettle. Otherwise you're going to
leave everything to chance. Have a clear vision,
whether that be an IT vision or a more strategic business vision
and, most importantly, execute on that vision. You know, the technologies are
there; they exist and they are there to
enable that transformation, but it's primarily about the will of the
organisation to transform and to bring its people and its customers on that
change journey. So really it is as much people activity as it is a
technology activity.
Thanks a million Graham for your time today.
You're welcome, Lisa. It was a pleasure.