Johannesburg, 21 Jun 2018
The bane of the modern office environment is the spreadsheet. It's isolated, subjective and lives far too comfortably outside of business processes. Yet, it's also often a business saviour and champion. When there are problems that require speedy insight and resolution, people reach for spreadsheets. They understand these applications and can manipulate them with ease.
Why does this happen? People are paid to get the job done, ergo anything that impedes that action will become a barrier. Since the purpose of the person's role isn't to solve this new barrier, they will use whatever their wits and experience suggest to sidestep the issue. They will find workarounds and leave the official processes behind.
"People often circumvent systems and use other self-invented systems, things like spreadsheets, to support what they are doing," says Bernard Ford, CEO of One Channel. "This can create a resistance towards change and keep modernisation at bay. Ultimately, the business loses out because it can't maintain the best tools for any given job."
This is a challenge for companies wanting to adopt new platforms, such as postmodern cloud ERPs. Yet, not making the move to new platforms is even riskier: "The danger of not moving your system to more modern systems would be not that the cloud systems do things better, but that they connect with the technology of the modern world. Services such as document signatory services, blockchain, AI... these are rushing ahead and you'll be left behind on an island."
Modern cloud platforms are being punished for perceptions created by legacy systems. The inflexibility of the past, where it was laborious to change anything, has forced employees to seek out their own alternatives. ERPs, in particular, are notorious for this.
But a cloud ERP can match the process and customisation requirements of the business, while still giving the tools that employees prefer. Concepts such as low code and APIs are bringing workers closer to the technology coalface with less intervention from IT, providing the useful systems integration that can help aggregate data for key insights.
Getting culture to change
Thus it's essential that companies educate everyone on cloud's value. We all use cloud services every day: Gmail, Facebook, Dropbox, even banking apps rely on cloud systems to make their speed, scale and adaptive development possible. It's also worth demonstrating the incredible interface advances being made among cloud systems: "Most of the modern technologies require less skill as we utilise AI and machine learning to do things for you. For example, the app on your phone doesn't demand a training course. Most people take to it intuitively. Apps are getting smarter and more adaptive to human interfacing."
Natural language engines are becoming popular on cloud ERP platforms: users simply talk to the system. AI is also helping anticipate actions and even automate routine tasks through robotic process automation. Systems can bridge language barriers by integrating free translation services, something that would cost a lot on a traditional ERP.
Once users realise these new advantages, they can be swayed. Cloud ERP platforms also reduce demand on IT resources and ease conversations that motivate their adoption. Getting executive buy-in is simpler when the benefits can be articulated so clearly. Cloud ERP delivers on the promises of previous systems, but without draining resources as much, says Ford: "It's still the same principle. You're supporting a person and the technology they use. But a cloud deployment eliminates a lot of technical problems. There is more scale, thousands using the same tech, so it's focused purely on the user experience and user processes for the business."
A lack of user buy-in has been the slow death of many technology projects. But businesses really can't keep kicking the modernisation can down the road. Modern cloud platforms, such as cloud ERP, bring the best while leaving behind the worst. Implemented correctly, there is little incentive to reach for a spreadsheet or some other off-system quick-fix.
Since cloud platforms can be introduced in a small footprint and scaled, negating any big bang approach, deployment can be managed. Attitudes can be changed and the future can finally arrive in the company without all that resistance from the past.
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