This post was updated on July 1, 2020.
It’s not easy out there, for professional services firms, these days. Constraints on staff capacity, labor outputs, and new investment mean that firms like yours are always looking for new, creative solutions to run a more efficient operation.
Across industries and business sizes, many management teams have turned to new technology to improve their production efficiency, ROIs, overall profitability, and day-to-day workflows.
Businesses usually talk about the benefits of digital workflows for workers, including the automation of repetitive tasks and reduced human error, but they don’t consider those benefits in the context of leadership roles.
Let’s look at how a firm’s leadership will benefit from better digital workflows. When management workflows are integrated with digital tools, businesses reap several rewards, such as greater leadership agility and powerful change management.
Here are six tools to check out as your team looks at new professional service project management software to streamline your workflows.
Strategy #1: Move to the Cloud
Successful management and leadership teams know that creating effective connections with their team members is essential to perform as a single unit.
The cloud simply allows users in your firm to access company information and software through the Internet. So cloud-capable software provides the ultimate opportunity for managers to connect with their colleagues digitally.
Your firm can begin by looking at your daily workflows and at the software tools you already use. There are plenty of widely available equivalents of your business tools, so take a look at all of the cloud-friendly apps for workflow management, like:
Shared calendars. Convert your team to an Internet-based calendar that allows you to quickly view each team member’s schedule. Arranging meeting times and booking office rooms are no longer a hassle since you’ll be able to quickly view and monitor your team’s availability.
Cloud-migrated data storage. Private cloud systems, or Internet networks that belong to a single business, offer an even more secure and customizable interface. A private cloud ensures you’re sharing information with only the most relevant individuals. This is especially pertinent for leaders in document-intensive disciplines like HR or sales.
Time-tracking software. Not only is this technology valuable for keeping track of time and expenses, and for allocating your employees, but it can also give you actionable, real-time insights into firm performance. When your time-tracking system works on the cloud, your team can enter time through their mobile devices, and access employee info wherever you have an Internet connection.
Strategy #2: Upload Your Communication
Effective communication is the cornerstone of any excellent leader, and we know it’s important for managers to have regular, transparent dialogue with those under their guidance.
Despite that, few leaders see the value that cloud-based communication tools and strategies can add to their firm’s workflows until their firm moves to the cloud. You know it’s important for everyone to have equal access to your communication platform.
If your team collaborates with remote colleagues, off-site vendors, and coworkers in offices where face-to-face conversation isn’t possible, then you should consider updating your workflow with the following tools:
Unified Communications packages. Designed to provide a central digital hub for all your communications needs, Unified Communications as a Service powers your phones, call center, virtual meetings, and other channels, in real-time, through an online connection. Each platform integrates with the next, so leaders can easily switch between them, and find the best fit for their current workflows.
Company Intranet. The umbrella of products and software that fall beneath the term Intranet is vast, but all of them seek to accomplish a few core goals, including clearer internal communication, higher engagement levels, and a more organized structure for sharing information.
Project management software. Management in every discipline will benefit from having access to these kinds of project management tools. PM software lets you see the entire lifecycle of all your firm’s projects. Cloud-hosted PM software gives your teams the ability to update and clearly assign tasks, so you can more accurately track and communicate the work that needs to be done, and bring the job to completion.
Guest Author Bio:
Leana Stevenson is a writer for business and technology blogs across the Internet. When she isn’t writing, Leana dedicates her time to researching emerging trends and trajectories for the future of business operations.
