New marketing and employee demands – not to mention a global pandemic – have changed the very definition of the workplace and the workday. Some of this change is client driven – as the pace of business increases, the traditional weekday 9-to-5 and the traditional physical office doesn’t always accommodate their needs. Some of it is also spurred by shifting employee expectations, as a recent survey published by Statista showed that most employees across 17 countries now consider flexible work to be “the new normal.”
Whatever the impacting factors may be, companies that embrace flexible working options are poised to thrive and stay ahead of competitors in the future, as the state of the workplace continues to evolve. The right technology enablers can play an important role in supporting flexible work initiatives and positively impacting any organization – here we explore three of the most noteworthy benefits:
Mobility is a must
One of the first pillars of workplace flexibility is creating the “anytime, anywhere” office, and that means utilizing tech solutions that offer the same robust capabilities at home or on the go as they do at a desk. Advanced speech-to-text solutions with enterprise-grade security features, used either with dedicated recording devices or on smartphone applications, are one example of how team members can stay productive – and keep data protected – no matter where or when they are working. The ability to integrate voice files (regardless of how they are recorded) into a common system makes tasks such as creating documents, uploading files for storage and routing notes for transcription seamless and convenient. With more and more work being performed via mobile, these voice innovations maintain continuity and efficiency with an organization’s workflows.
Any platform, any device
Closely related to mobility is the need for platform and device flexibility. Today’s busy professionals may use a combination of PCs, tablets, smartphones, or other devices, which may all have different operating systems, to conduct business, so the applications they use need to be equally as adaptable. Philips SpeechLive is a device- and platform-agnostic speech-to-text solution, allowing team members to seamlessly access the same functionalities and features whether they are using their laptops or phones. The web-based, cloud-enabled solution enables companies to get teams onboarded quickly and helps mitigate cumbersome software installation processes and maintenance disruptions that can impede the workday.
Championing cost savings
Lastly, but certainly not least, is the benefit of reducing operational spending when leveraging agile web-based solutions such as SpeechLive. The time and resources it takes IT departments to install, maintain and upgrade on-premise voice applications translates to budgets that could be better spent on higher-value initiatives. Further, as SpeechLive also features web-based transcription, support and administrative staff are able to maintain speed, accuracy and productivity even while working remotely. Alleviating the burden of manual administrative tasks by automating and accelerating such processes allows teams to streamline workflows irrespective of time or physical location, and gives them more time to devote to more impactful revenue-generating projects.
Meeting new needs for flexibility in the workplace doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult – there are easy ways to organically incorporate technologies that enable flexible work into current systems and workflows. Philips SpeechLive is one example of a tool that has enabled organizations of all types and sizes to become more nimble and agile, with the help of the right tech solution, improving collaboration, efficiency, and both employee and client satisfaction.