By Harry Scola, Sales Executive, SmartStream
Meeting with the attendees at InvestOps in London last week, it’s still very apparent that in today’s fast-paced business environment, many firms are still relying on paper-based processes. This is like trying to run a marathon in flip-flops – inefficient, outdated, and ultimately unsustainable. To scale effectively, organisations must embrace new technologies as the back-bone of their strategies.
One of the most common barriers to transformation is cost. But in reality you often have to spend money to save money. Investing in automation, cloud services, and intelligent tools has been proven to significantly reduce operational overheads and free up valuable human resources for higher-value tasks.
New tools are revolutionising how businesses approach automation. By enabling ‘resident developers’ – non-technical staff with a knack for problem-solving – to build workflows, organisations can rapidly prototype and deploy solutions without waiting on IT backlogs! In addition, with the new hybrid working approach is proving to be an effective cost-saving strategy. But to make it work, businesses need enhanced communication, streamlined workflows, and robust oversight. Digital tools that support collaboration and visibility are essential to ensure productivity doesn’t slip through the cracks.
Workloads aren’t always predictable. Managed services offer a flexible way to handle demand fluctuations, ensuring you have the right support during peak periods without carrying unnecessary overhead during quieter times. Sometimes, the best solution can be ‘quick and dirty’ one. This allows internal development teams to rapidly build and deploy tools tailored to immediate needs, providing fast relief while longer-term solutions are in the pipeline.
A few years back, blockchain was the buzz word, however with few use cases to mention, it is clear that AI is having more of an impact and has already transforming business operations. From automating routine tasks to enhancing decision-making, AI is proving its value across industries. Plus you don’t need a massive overhaul to benefit from AI. Incremental improvements – like automating 80% of a task and leaving the final 20% to human analysts – can deliver significant efficiency gains without disrupting existing workflows.
It’s important to mention that AI is only as good as the data it’s fed. Poor data quality leads to poor outcomes. That’s why data governance is critical. Human oversight is essential to prevent AI ‘hallucinations’ and ensure outputs are accurate and trustworthy.
Finally, no transformation effort succeeds without change management. Cultural change requires clear communication, leadership buy-in, and a willingness to adapt. Technology is only part of the equation – people make the real difference, and showing up to event like these really does help to move the discussion forward.
