As I write this article, the reality of the impact of the Corona Virus on the North American economy isn’t yet fully known. To business owners who are paying attention to what government officials of different levels are saying, it could mean that large gatherings of people (like our workplace or public transit systems) could certainly be discouraged, or possibly banned for a period of time. Of course the purpose of these ideas is for our collective well being, to limit the transmission of a pesky and dangerous virus. You could say, well how could this Corona Virus scare possibly help us use our key business systems better? Here are some points for you to consider.

• Well built modern ERP and CRM platforms use some kind of “Role Center” interface. Role center has been sold to us as a way to increase user productivity – by removing things from the screens that don’t pertain to our “roles” in the company. It’s true, but it’s also a well defined “process flow” to run your company effectively. If the “sales role” takes an order, it automatically can be routed to the “sales manager role” for price approval (if required) and then onto the “purchasing role” for action steps to fulfill the inventory request. “Role Center” interfaces when set up properly – can give you confidence that many of your employee “roles” can happen remotely – like from home very efficiently. Imagine, if employees could fill orders, handle client calls, check inventory, negotiate deals, gain managers price approvals and purchasing fulfill the demand with transfers or PO’s – and not one of these people are in the office. A modern “role centered” ERP can do all of this securely from people’s homes, and the system will help every process step to be fulfilled in an efficient and timely manner.

• A company named SurePayroll surveyed 2060 professionals about working from home, distractions and productivity – here are the highlights of their findings:
  • 86% of these professionals say that their maximum productivity is done when they can work alone
  • 61% say that loud colleagues are a distraction and 40% consider impromptu meetings another major source of distraction, working against maximum productivity
  • 82% say that telecommuting significantly lowers their stress – stress not only impacts job performance but all of life.
• We all know that finding great employees is key to our business success. The Millennial pool of job seekers indicates a 68% increased interest in firms who offer remote connectivity as an option for doing the work.

I wonder how many people, if given the option of working from home on days that they weren’t feeling their best would still “work” if they could on those days, at home? Corona Virus fears aside, if companies can be more efficient, hire better people, lower stress for their employees by letting people work on their modern business systems from home (yes and the includes alerts to make sure that transactions are being handled in a time sensitive way) why wouldn’t companies do it? I suspect, the real answer isn’t going to be a mass exodus to working from home if given the chance, I think rather letting people work from home 2 or 3 days a week will become the norm. A mix of productivity, collaboration, community and personal flexibility will meet everyone’s needs best. Yes, this Pandora’s box will be pushed “too far” by a few, but that isn’t any different than what we are dealing with now with some employees. This option is a “privilege” that some may lose from time to time – but the benefits far outweigh the negatives to our business.

If the Corona Virus scare we are currently facing gets us thinking about how to best lower our risk, and we can see the benefits for the future this might move North American business to re-look at how we work for the better, that’s good!

If you have an older version of your current ERP or CRM system, you might be lacking the “role center” visibility to ensure your employees are managing their “role” most efficiently. Now might be the time to upgrade – receive all the benefits of that role-based ERP computing offers, and lower stress and risk to your business, all in one step. At Mibusoft, we have helped many companies quickly and efficiently move to platforms that could lower your risks and increase your productivity. You might be closer than you think! We can help.