Best Practices for Effective Remote Working
As the world hunkers down to weather the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), work is shifting gears as well. In many industries, working from home (WFH) is going mainstream. It’s a smart way for companies to limit the potential exposure to the virus and keep employees safer while at the same time remaining productive. Working from home is not a new concept. Most of us, especially those in the tech industry, have worked from home occasionally, but it is uncharted territory when the entire company is working remotely. This poses several challenges and opportunities - and there is a lot to determine in setting up the right systems for company-wide WFH scenarios. A New Set of Challenges and Opportunities Working remotely has its benefits - it allows people to focus on individual deliverables and often provides the time and space for people to concentrate on difficult or intense tasks. Modern open-office layouts have stripped workers of quiet spaces, and WFH can be a refreshing break from the buzz of the workplace. However, WFH makes a lot of things more challenging, especially communications. Remote teams often miss out when it comes to the critical conversations and relationship building that are so important to team cohesion. While video conferencing and collaboration technology do bring teams together, remote work makes it harder to read body language, hear what people are saying, read in-room dynamics, ask follow up or side questions, or drop by and quickly sync with a coworker at their desk. It is even more difficult to conduct a brainstorming session when everyone is on a phone or logged in via video. The good news is that most people save a significant amount of time by not commuting. Some people now may use the time they would normally spend commuting to talk and message with their colleagues more, which could overcome communications challenges. Below are some of the best practices for remote working, segmented them into company-level, team-level and individual-level tips. These suggestions may work best for startups, but there should be some things that work for departments in a larger organization as well. To learn even more about managing remote teams and keeping employees working at home highly engaged, download our ebook now. Download now Best Practices for the Company Keep the same goals as you normally would, but provide more clarity. Customers must remain top priority - we don’t have the option to be less aggressive on achieving our business goals, just because we’re working remotely. Since remote workers have a harder time dropping in to clarify things, each level of leadership should take extra effort to make sure their teams have a clear understanding of expectations. Ensure you have critical coverage for the most important areas of business at all times. Working remotely gives people the flexibility to walk the dog or take lunch whenever they want. This can lead to gaps in coverage if people don’t coordinate schedules - this is especially important in mission-critical areas of the business. When working remotely is uncharted territory, managers need extra tools and training. For example, consider using bots to help monitor the level of communications across teams, review velocity, and help in other ways. Executive office hours are important - especially when there isn’t a physical office. Make sure executives and teams hold a time on their schedule when they’re available to answer questions from anyone in the company. Maintain transparency - establish a communications channel visible to the whole company where key initiative leaders can submit weekly status reports and get feedback from executives. This will help ensure everyone is up to speed. To learn more about giving access to vital HR and work information — even when they're not in the office. Download our ebook now. Download now Best Practices for Teams Continue to host meetings as if you were in the office. This is an important factor in maintaining a productive cadence. Schedule and budget your time around meetings. Delaying or canceling meetings will not only impact the way a team spends time but also deadlines and work back plans. Use team channels on Slack, Hangouts, WhatsApp or whatever tools your company uses as much as possible. Avoid small group chats and one-on-one threads unless it’s a confidential or personal conversation. This way everyone can benefit from the dialogue and have access to fuller context for their work. Don't worry too much about message overloading. In a remote working environment, making sure people are sharing enough information is more important than word economy. Establish standard routines. Start the day with a 9 am standup meeting over Slack or Zoom. Some have found the Slack standup app helpful for tracking progress. When people can’t make these “meetings,” have team members post their daily top three priorities in the team channel. Start a team-wide Zoom session throughout the day for those who are not bandwidth-constrained so that people can talk to each other easily. People should feel free to leave the session for other meetings. Do not forget about fun. Relationship building is such an important piece in our professional life. Since we cannot have happy hour or hallway jokes and laughter anymore, we need to be more creative. Try to find something suitable for your team, such as personal storytelling or watching funny YouTube clips together during lunch time. This guide was designed to help you navigate through those difficult tasks and help determine the right software for your organization, download our ebook now. Download now Best Practices for Individuals Effectiveness is tied to having the right tools and using them the right way. Install commonly used apps on both your laptop and phone so that you can join remote meetings from your phone when the NordVPN on your laptop slows down your video conferencing. Add phone numbers to Slack profiles or email footers so people can reach you for quick answers if needed. A short phone call is not an excessive interruption and can replace the quick in-person drop-by conversations you would normally have at someone’s desk. Strictly follow your normal daily routine. Avoid delaying meetings with the hope you will meet in person at a later time. Flag issues or slow-downs to your manager or function leader right away - not doing so may just compound delays for you and your team. When you flag an issue, you’re benefiting the entire team. At the end of the day, ask yourself two questions: "Am I as productive remotely as I am in the office?" If not, figure out why and explore ways to improve. "Are all critical communications done?" If not, finish up before you log off. Step away for 10 minutes: Find time throughout the day to step away from your desk - stretch, get some exercise in, or grab a cup of coffee. Taking short breaks every couple of hours will help improve your productivity and focus. By ensuring that efficiency and communications remain high at the company, team and individual levels, remote work forces can be as productive, if not more so, than traditional work forces. About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications & engagement, and rewards & recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk. This article originally appeared on Earnin.
Best Remote Work Security Practices Every Employee Has to Know
In many ways, remote working is the future. Remote work opens up a world of endless possibilities for flexible work, especially for people often excluded in the traditional workplace. However, it does open remote workers to risks that must be managed to protect yourself and your company's data. According to Gallup's 2017 State of the American Workplace report, 43% of American employees tried working remotely in 2016. Up from 39% in 2012, experts expect the remote working trend to continue, with more than half of all employees having a remote job by 2025. There are several reasons why companies are starting to focus more on hiring remote workers. With remote working, employees can save time, effort, and costs from traveling to and from the office. In addition, remote working makes working more accessible for those who typically struggle to work in traditional office environments, such as people with disabilities and single parents. However, while there are many benefits to working remotely, there are also security risks that employees should know and manage. Here's why it matters. Why good security practices matter for remote workers In 2017, Symantec reported that nearly a quarter of organizations had experienced increased attacks targeting remote workers. One of the reasons for this is that remote workers often use their own devices, which may not be as secure as devices issued specifically by companies. Additionally, they may not have the same level of access to security resources as on-site employees. According to the 2019 Cost of a Data Breach Report from Ponemon Institute, the average total cost of data breaches is $3.9 million. With this, it’s no wonder that companies are starting to realize how preventing security issues is always better than dealing with its poor aftermath, especially those which have embraced remote work. This article will discuss the best remote work security practices to protect your and your company's data. Invest in a virtual private network (VPN) One of the essential security practices for remote workers is to use a virtual private network (VPN), a secure connection that encrypts data and routes it through a secure server. Although VPN can't completely prevent hackers from accessing your device, it can help discourage anyone from intercepting your data. While some employers provide their employees with a VPN service, many free and paid options are also available. To learn even more about managing remote teams and keeping employees working at home highly engaged, download our ebook now. Download now Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) Another important security practice is to use two-factor authentication (also known as two-step verification). 2FA is an extra layer of security that requires you to enter a code in addition to your password when logging into accounts. With 2FA, codes are sent to your phone or email or generated by an app such as Google Authenticator. With two-factor authentication, you can protect your accounts even if your password is compromised. Avoid unsafe network connections Employees working remotely should also be aware of public Wi-Fi risks, often unsecured and unprotected. However, hackers can also still intercept your data using supposedly safe and password-protected Wi-Fi, such as hotels or cafés. If possible, it's preferable to bring your Wi-Fi stick or use your phone mobile hotspot instead of networks owned by other people. With this, you significantly reduce your risk of hackers infiltrating your device. Be wary of social media While everyone seems to be on social media, it's important to remind employees that anything you post on social media is public information. Generally, it's best to be mindful of webcam protection and be careful about posting sensitive information that could reveal company documents, private meeting rooms, etc. Aside from this, it's best to avoid posting your precise location, especially when you're on holiday, which can inform thieves that you're not at home. With this, they are more likely to target your house for theft. Create strong passwords Hackers commonly gain access to accounts is by guessing or brute-forcing passwords. To avoid the risks of weak passwords, here are some tips on how to create strong passwords: Use passwords at least eight characters long. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters. Add numbers and special characters. Don’t use obvious passwords, like your name, birthday, or pet’s name. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Alternatively, you can invest in password managers to quickly generate and keep strong passwords for all your online accounts. Lastly, it's best to never share your passwords, even with those you love. Keep software updated Among the variety of ways hackers typically gain systems access, outdated operating systems is one of the most common. In numerous instances, hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in devices to access your device, which may include company information. Aside from investing in antivirus protection, updating your software can help protect yourself and your company from known vulnerabilities. Thankfully, many software programs have automatic update features that can help make this process easier. Regularly back up data While it's crucial to purge files from your device regularly, it's also essential to ensure you don't lose the important ones. By backing up your data, you can protect yourself even if your device is lost or stolen. In addition, if you ever become a victim of ransomware, backup data helps make sure your company isn’t inconvenienced during the investigation. In general, there are two main ways to backup data: hardware and software. For example, you can use a USB, external hard drive, or cloud storage service for your important files and documents. Although there are many options to backup your data, the most effective one will always be the method you can commit to regularly doing. With this, it's best to choose a backup plan that is right for you and your lifestyle. Does Your Work Style Align With Your Zodiac Sign? Take our workplace Zodiac quiz to find out! ♉♊♌♍♐ Start the Quiz! hbspt.cta.load(549864, '492bccaa-9525-47dc-bc17-031d3b6ddfc8', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Conduct regular virus scans Since remote teams often use their own personal devices, it's important to remind them to scan their machines for viruses regularly. While it’s not always possible to monitor your device 24 hours a day, there are plenty of apps which have breach notification features. Viruses can sometimes slip through the cracks, primarily if you work in public areas and use Wi-Fi in hotels or coffee shops. If possible, it's best to invest in apps that you can use to scan your device on-demand or do it automatically. Be careful what you install When working remotely, you must be careful about the applications and programs you install on your devices. Hackers often develop apps that look similar to legitimate apps to avoid. Here are some ways to avoid downloading questionable apps on your device: Download apps from the App Store, Google Play, or other trusted platforms. Avoid purchasing activation codes from third-party sellers. Read the app permissions carefully. These ads, apps tend to ask for access to your contacts, location, and other personal information, even if they're not necessary for the features you need. Aside from being careful what you install, it's best to only grant permission to apps you trust that need the information. Introduction to Conflict in the Workplace(and How it Erodes Productivity & Culture) Download the Ebook Now Watch out for phishing scams These days, companies should also train employees on how to spot phishing emails. Phishing is a type of online scam where criminals send emails that appear to be from a legitimate source. However, these emails are used to trick people into giving them personal information or money. While these emails can look very convincing, there are usually some red flags that you can identify. Here are some of them: Typos or grammatical errors Words with wrong spelling Suspicious attachments or links If you receive a suspicious looking email, do not open it or click on any links. Instead, report it to your IT department for threat management. Afterward, you can proceed to delete the email and block the user. Protect your device from theft Because remote working lets you work from home or anywhere with a stable internet connection, many remote workers tend to go to places like coffee shops or co-working spaces. However, these places can also invite enterprising thieves looking to make a quick buck. Even when you're not using your devices in a public place, it's essential to keep them with you. Avoid leaving your laptop, mobile phone, or tablet when you use the restroom or buy a drink. If you must go and leave your device in a public place, lock it up, hide it from view, or ask a friend to watch it for you. HR mistakes impact your entire organization. Learn how to avoid the 12 most common mistakes with our free ebook. Download now Conclusion When it comes to staying safe while working remotely, it is best to approach internet security holistically, all days a week. Aside from increasing remote work productivity, it's also essential to know how you can keep yourself safe from hackers and other bad actors. Although no method can guarantee to prevent all security threats, taking multiple precautions can significantly reduce your risk of becoming a cyberattack victim. Using Workmates by LIKE.TG, you can help engage your employees with regular tips on how to protect themselves while they're working remotely. About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications & engagement, and rewards & recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk. Stop Conflict Before it Begins witha Culture of “Thank You” Does your organization foster a culture of micro-rewards and gratitude? If you’re not sure or the answer is “no,” your company culture could be contributing to workplace conflict. Building a culture of “thank you” can be difficult (especially with remote teams), but it doesn’t have to be! Learn more in our eBook, "10 Free / Low Cost Employee Recognition Ideas.” Learn how!
Best Strategies to Offer Exceptional Multilingual Customer Support
In the present global digital era, businesses are no longer limited by geographical borders. As companies extend their services to various areas, there is a growing demand for customer support in multiple languages. Offering multilingual customer support is crucial for a smooth customer experience across different cultures and languages.According to CSA Research, 76% of online customers prefer to buy products with information in their own language. Therefore, it is vital to engage in conversations with customers using their preferred languages.In this blog post, we will learn about what multilingual customer support is, how to effectively offer multilingual customer support and some benefits of multilingual customer support. What is multilingual customer support?Multilingual customer support involves businesses providing customer service in multiple languages to ensure that customers’ queries, complaints, and issues are resolved effectively regardless of their geographical location and culture.Multilingual support allows businesses to expand beyond geographical boundaries and offer customers a wider range of options.As such, brands seeking to explore international markets and serve a global audience have unlimited potential.How to effectively offer multilingual customer supportTo provide excellent customer service, it is important to communicate with clients in the language they prefer. Here are some of the ways to effectively offer multilingual customer service:Understand the language your customers speakIt is crucial to clearly understand the language spoken by your customers to offer support in their preferred language since they may be from different locations.This can be achieved by requesting customers to specify their preferred language when contacting your support team or by utilizing language detection tools.Offer multilingual help desk softwareA multilingual help desk is a customer support system that can provide customer service in multiple languages.With a multilingual help desk, agents can easily interact with clients and resolve customer issues without encountering any language barriers.To set up a multilingual help desk, you can include the following features:Multilingual knowledge base: Support agents can translate knowledge base articles in various languages, allowing customers to find solutions in their preferred language.Multilingual customer portal: Enables users to specify their preferred language in their profiles in a customer portal.Multilingual agent portal: Guarantees agents the freedom to customize their language preferences within their profile.Multilingual email templates: Enables the creation of personalized templates for different languages.Multilingual support for forms and fields: Field names such as priority and status within a website can be configured to accommodate multiple languages.Multilingual satisfaction survey: Customer satisfaction surveys can be configured in various languages.Translating a help desk into different languages has the following impacts:Increased customer retention, as customers will prefer help desk software that offers customer service in their native languages.End-user customization of the help center in the language customers prefer.Services reaching new markets and a global audience to increase customer experience.Design a multilingual knowledge baseA multilingual knowledge base is a centralized repository of information that includes articles that are available in multiple languages.By creating a multilingual knowledge base, you can provide support and information to customers/users in their native languages.This allows you to:Improve the accessibility of information in various languages.Enhance collaboration within a support team using different languages.Enhance communication between customers and agents.Here are some multilingual knowledge base features:Create and translate categories, sections, and articles: Translates categories, sections, and articles into various languages, which enhances the accessibility of a knowledge base to a broader range of users.Set up primary and multiple secondary languages: This allows customers the ability to access services in their desired language.Manage article translation: Translation management involves monitoring translated articles and updating them when original content changes. This ensures articles are accurate and up to date.Language-specific article versions and restore option: Enables customers to easily switch between different language versions and revert to previous versions if needed.Language-specific article metrics: This allows you to track the performance of customer engagement with your knowledge base for all languages. It involves tracking article views, comments, likes, and shares for each language.Multilingual tags and search options: Multilingual tags help users find relevant content quickly in a knowledge base with multiple languages.SEO in article language: Implementing SEO in a knowledge base is crucial, as it makes it easy for users to find articles they want.Customize your website to suit your audienceCustomizing your website involves translating its content into various languages and adapting it to align with the cultural preferences of your target audience.This simplifies navigation for customers and enables them to easily access the information they require.This approach improves customer satisfaction, cultivates stronger customer relationships, and stimulates business growth.Use translation toolsUtilizing translation tools, such as ticket or content translation tools, plays a crucial role in overcoming the language barrier that exists between customers and support agents.These tools facilitate the translation of articles, customer inquiries, and customer service portals into multiple languages.This improves effective communication, guarantees uniformity in content or information, and expands global reach.The translation tool can also lead to prompt and effective responses.When choosing a translation tool for multilingual customer service, it is important to consider factors such as:Tool translation accuracyThe number of languages it can translateIts integration capabilities with existing systemsRecruit agents proficient in multiple languagesHiring agents who can fluently communicate in multiple languages is one of the most effective ways to provide multilingual customer service.This ensures improved customer support by understanding cultural subtleties and ensuring effective communication, which results in increased customer satisfaction and higher business expansion globally.Why companies require multilingual customer supportThe ultimate goal of every business is to grow and establish a global presence. Here are the benefits of multilingual customer service.Improved customer loyalty and trustBusinesses providing multilingual customer service demonstrate a deep understanding for their customers. This ensures customers loyalty and promotes brand recommendation.If representatives speak the same language as the customers, it enhances customer trust and loyalty to your brand, as they feel more understood.Enhanced brand reputation and credibilityOffering multilingual customer service can improve a company’s reputation, as it demonstrates respect for different languages and cultures.This can enhance your brand’s image and make it stand out from competitors who may not offer multilingual support.Improved communication between representatives and clientsProviding multilingual customer service improves communication between the support team and the customers.This allows representatives to interact with a customer in that customer’s preferred language, making customers feel more understood. As a result, customer concerns are addressed promptly.This can also improve collaboration between agents from different companies.Improved customer satisfactionInteracting with customers in their native language is one of the ways to increase their satisfaction with your brand.By providing multilingual customer service, companies can enhance stronger customer relationships and effectively resolve customer concerns. This leads to higher customer satisfaction rates.Increased competitive edgeProviding customer support in various languages enables a business to gain a competitive advantage.An appreciation for different languages and cultures shows a company’s dedication to customer satisfaction.As a result, a business can attract a larger global customer base.Shattered language barriersProviding support in one language can be challenging, since some customers might have difficulty conveying their problems to the support team.By offering support in multiple languages, companies can ensure that agents are able to resolve customer issues regardless of their language.Increased revenue and market reachImproving multilingual customer communication enhances a company’s ability to engage with new customers in unexplored markets, boosting revenue and expanding the customer base.Reduced churn rateChurn rate refers to the percentage of customers lost over a period, which can occur for various reasons, including communication obstacles.Offering support in the languages preferred by customers helps them feel genuinely understood, enhancing their loyalty.When individuals feel they are appreciated as valued members of a company, they are less inclined to switch to rival businesses.This decrease in customer churn rate leads to increased customer retention and stability, promoting the growth of your business.Implement multilingual customer support today!Businesses can now reach a global market by implementing multilingual customer support, which breaks language barriers, enhances collaboration between support agents, and streamlines communication between customers and agents.Get exceptional multilingual customer service through LIKE.TG help desk software. Sign up for a free trial today to observe how LIKE.TG can enhance your support team’s efficiency. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out to the LIKE.TG support team for help. To see how LIKE.TG can be customized to suit your business requirements, please get in touch with us to arrange a live demo.Related articles7 Best Help Desk Software Features for Boosting Your Customer Support5 Best Ways to Build and Organize a Customer Support TeamThe Importance of a Knowledge Base in an Organization
Better customer experience starts where CRM ends
I had the pleasure of presenting at Gartner’s 2019 Customer Experience and Technologies Summit in London recently and thought I would share some of the main themes that I picked up from attending the various sessions, plus discussions with event attendees:(NB - Please note these are my personal thoughts and impressions)1. A better customer experience starts where CRM endsIt’s no coincidence that this was the title of my presentation at the Gartner CX event. My summary view on this is that CRM is a broad set of solutions covering sales, marketing, e-commerce and customer service.In customer service, traditional CRM really stands for Call Reaction Management, and that is simply not good enough to deliver great outcomes for either the customer or the organisation providing the service. At LIKE.TG, we believe there’s a better way, and we call it Customer Service Management. LIKE.TG® Customer Service Management effectively brings together 4 key components on a single, cloud-based platform: Omni-channel customer & partner engagement; drive action with self-service Connect the back-office to the front-office; resolve complex issues end-to-end Connected devices and IoT; provide proactive service Use Enterprise Service Management principles It was great to see the level of interest in Customer Service Management at the event – both from happy existing customers of the solution, and prospects who were really interested in its differentiated proposition. Exciting times ahead!2. An increased focus on business outcomesCustomer experience (“CX”) is beginning to come of age, and as a result, organisations are asking more and more questions about how the CX directly impacts on a company’s performance, or putting it another way, what is the return from making additional investments into CX.Time and again, my discussions with organisations are about 5 broad categories of business outcomes or business drivers that are driving CX activities: Improving customer satisfaction Improving employee engagement and satisfaction Cost and efficiency improvements Innovation and business agility Compliance (both regulatory and operational) But the challenge for everyone is to link these broad areas of focus into tangible KPIs and metrics, and then to directly link them to a business case and financial performance.Gartner’s analysis shows that 50% of organisations are already using financial metrics to measure ROI on CX improvement projects, with a further 24% using (non-financial) business metrics, and the trend for both categories is increasing.1 If you’re not using either of these to measure the effectiveness and impact of your CX activities, you need to think again, and quickly.3. What you do next in CX depends on where you are starting fromI call this ‘where are you on your Stairway to Heaven?’: In the opening keynote Gartner presented ‘nine strategies for CX victory’ which I liked a lot2: 3 proven practices Move from chaos to co-ordination Make individuals accountable Set one direction 3 surprising successes Don’t delight but be effortless. We take this as drive for an effortless customer experience Don’t innovate but imitate Don’t correlate but help jobs to be done 3 bold behaviours Radically reduce the number of products being sold/supported Select 1 or more processes to be an order of magnitude faster Invest to enable employees to have more digital dexterity 4. Self-service is going mainstreamSelf-service solutions are not new, but in the past they have typically been ‘add-ons’ to customer interaction channels like voice, chat and e-mail. But Gartner’s analysis3 seems to me to indicate that self-service is starting to be the primary channel for a number of organisations: 8% of customer service leaders believe that at least 20% of current ‘live’ customer service volumes can be handled by self-service. 15% of these same leaders believe that 60%+ of the volume can move to self-service. 38% of customer service resources are already being applied to self-service channels (e.g. implementing things like Knowledge Centered Service®) Gartner says there are 3 eras of the service function: Era 1: Live service-dominant strategy Era 2: Self-service as an add-on Era 3: Self-service dominant strategy 5. As a CX vendor, on which personas/functions in an organisation should I focus on?Gartner’s analysis shows that CX measures can occur in almost all areas of a typical organisation, but that the ranking is as follows4: i. Customer satisfaction @ >95%ii. Loyalty churn retention @ >90%iii. Advocacy brand reputation @ >70%iv. Quality operations @ <50%v. Employee engagement @ <10% In addition, Gartner’s research shows that CX’s position in the overall business priorities amongst different classes of executives is as follows5: CX is the number 1 business priority: Customer Service, Marketing CX is 1 of the Top 3 business priorities: CEO, Operations, Sales, Strategy CX is 1 of the Top 5 business priorities: IT In order to be successful selling CX solutions, vendors need to go ‘broad’ across departments/functions, but go especially ‘deep’ in the areas of Customer Service/customer satisfaction and Marketing.6. How important is CX to organisations?A variety of surveys undertaken by Gartner, covering different functions/roles, highlight the overall importance of the Customer Experience to most organisations.From the Gartner CIO survey6: CX is the heart of 55% of business model changes 75% of ‘top performers’ report having changed or are actively changing their business model 73% of these changes are driven by customer centricity From a Gartner survey of CEOs, 63% say that their companies are likely to make changes to the business model in the next 2 years.And finally, Gartner’s survey of CMOs showed the following: 60% 2 years ago, 67% today, and 81% in 2 years, of marketers responsible for CX say their companies compete mostly or completely on the basis of CX 7. What’s this AI thing? Is it important or relevant?AI – Artificial Intelligence – is undergoing rapid growth and being deployed in more and more areas of customer service and the overall customer experience.And the folks at Gartner have some other predictions about AI over the next few years: which I think are bold about just how much of an impact AI is going to have on both businesses and consumers: By 2020, 30% of all B2B companies will employ AI to augment at least one of their primary sales processes. 7 By 2021 15% of all customer service interactions will be completely handled by AI, an increase of 400% from 2017. 8 By 2022, 40% of customer-facing employees and government workers will consult an AI virtual support agent daily for decision or process support. 8 By 2023, 80% of organisations using AI for digital commerce will achieve at least 25% improvement in customer satisfaction, revenue or cost reduction. 9 By 2025, customer service organisations that embed AI in their multi-channel customer engagement platform will elevate operational efficiency by 25%. 9 Summary:Fascinating to see the whole topic of CX mature, and the discussions focusing more on more on business outcomes and driving real value for both customers and organisations. I am sure many of us will be keenly watching to see if Gartner’s predictions about the rise of AI will pan out.And of course, it was great to meet so many existing LIKE.TG customers at the event, whether currently using our other solutions (predominantly IT and HR workflows) or already using Customer Service Management.Looking forward to attending again next year! Gartner Event Presentation, How to Measure and Build the Business Case for Customer Experience, Ed Thompson, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Gartner Keynote: Three Bold Strategies for Customer Experience Victory, Don Scheibenreif, Ed Thompson, Michael Chiu, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Delivering on the Digital Experience: Building Customer Confidence to Resolve Without You, Richard DeLisi, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, How to Measure and Build the Business Case for Customer Experience, Ed Thompson, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Gartner Keynote: Three Bold Strategies for Customer Experience Victory, Don Scheibenreif, Ed Thompson, Michael Chiu, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Gartner Keynote: Three Bold Strategies for Customer Experience Victory, Don Scheibenreif, Ed Thompson, Michael Chiu, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Top Technology Trends and Their Impact on Customer Experience, Don Scheibenreif, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Leverage the AI Capabilities in CRM for Better Business Outcomes, Brian Manusama, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK. Gartner Event Presentation, Plan for the Digital Future — The Revolution in CRM Technologies and Their Impact on Your Customer Strategy, Olive Huang, Gartner Customer Experience & Technologies Summit, 22-23 May, London, UK.
Beyond the desk: Stories of well-being and belonging in Japan
The LIKE.TG office in Tokyo is bustling with activity. Alongside our rapid growth in Japan, our employees are creating a strong culture of belonging and well-being.We believe in putting people first, whether giving them the flexibility to watch a basketball game, take their kids to the doctor, or feel empowered to bring their creativity to the table.In this brief video, you’ll meet several employees who share unique stories about why they’re proud to work at a company that values their sense of belonging and their overall well-being.Accessibility note: The video is transcribed at the end of this blog post.
Black Friday Customer Service: 5 Effective Tips to Prepare Your Service Team
Black Friday is possibly the most significant shopping day of the year. As Black Friday approaches, anticipation for amazing deals and intense shopping ensues.Businesses and their staff will be swamped making sales and preparing orders, while customers will be busy filling holiday wishlists and searching for the best bargains.Research from McKinsey reveals that during the holiday season, 43% of U.S. consumers will change retailers if they offered lower prices. Before revealing your exclusive offers, it’s recommended to prepare for the surge in Black Friday customer service inquiries.Customers will have questions about prices, stock availability, delivery, and return policies.It’s easy to become overwhelmed by these queries, but what if there were a more efficient approach? As with any large-scale shopping event, it’s expected that there may be minor issues and setbacks.This necessitates streamlining your support strategy prior to the peak season. Black Friday customer service tips to considerHere are some Black Friday customer service tips on maintaining a low-stress environment and boosting customer satisfaction this Black Friday.1. Create unforgettable experiences with personalized customer engagementIn the height of the holiday shopping season, customers are presented with an array of choices. While Black Friday can be a thrilling experience, the true delight lies in establishing enduring connections with your customers.The dialogues that take place during the shopping frenzy can significantly influence their perception of your brand. Hence, it is important to note that every customer is unique with their own preferences and needs.Personalize your customer service per their requirements and try to exceed their expectations.By being kind and supportive, and simplifying processes for them, you will retain customers with these positive experiences long after the sales have ended, creating a lasting positive impression.Providing a memorable experience to your customers will not only help you in retaining them but also in acquiring new ones.2. Quickly assist customers to ensure a successful checkoutYour customer service plan should incorporate strategies to ensure swift response to customers.During the rush to secure the best Black Friday deals, holiday shoppers require immediate answers to their queries.Delayed responses, particularly during high-traffic events such as Black Friday, can lead to lost sales.Enhancing response speed can be achieved by:Adequately staffing your service team: Ensure that you have enough staff on hand to handle the increased volume of shoppers.Training your customer service team: Make sure your staff is well-trained in all aspects of the checkout process. This includes knowing how to handle common issues that can arise, such as price discrepancies or payment problems.Be prepared to solve problems quickly: This could include having a manager or supervisor on hand to handle any issues that arise, or having a system in place for quickly addressing any technical issues with your checkout systems.Prioritize customer needs: Understand and prioritize the needs of your customers. If a customer needs assistance in finding a product, guide them promptly to keep the checkout process moving.Have templates ready: Using templates, have answers ready for frequent customer inquiries.3. Ensure return and exchange policies are readily availableHaving clear and easily accessible return and exchange policies is essential for any business. By developing and indexing FAQs and return/exchange policies, and making them readily accessible online, businesses can streamline the buying process.It’s critical to ensure that your return and exchange policies are clearly laid out and readily accessible to customers.This not only helps the customer understand what their options are, but it also saves your customer service team valuable time as they won’t need to explain the policies repeatedly.This also provides shoppers with a sense of security and trust, knowing that they can return or exchange items if they are not satisfied.This is especially important during Black Friday sales, where the volume of purchases is significantly higher than usual.By ensuring that your return and exchange policies are readily available, you can make the Black Friday shopping experience more enjoyable and less stressful for everyone involved.4. Allow customers to assist themselves using self-service resourcesUsers are increasingly seeking to solve their own issues without the need for direct interaction with support agents.A study conducted by Nuance Enterprise confirms that 67% of customers prefer utilizing self-service options, such as online knowledge base articles and FAQs, instead of conversing with a company representative.With Black Friday looming, now is the perfect opportunity to enhance your self-service options and keep them updated with relevant information.Self-service resources are a crucial part of any service-oriented business. They not only reduce the workload of support agents but also enhance the user experience by providing immediate solutions.Having self-service options is more than just empowering your customers to handle their issues; it’s a strategic step that lightens the load on your team during high traffic periods.Implementing self-service resources is a win-win situation for both businesses and users. It reduces the pressure on support agents and provides users with immediate solutions, enhancing their overall experience.5. Make it easy for customers to get in touchEvery customer is unique, and their preferred methods of contacting a business are equally diverse.Offering multiple communication channels can help cater to the different preferences of your shoppers.The choice of communication channels is ultimately yours, but customers will gravitate toward brands that are easy to engage with and contact.No matter how many communication channels you decide to use, it’s crucial to ensure they function cohesively.Get ready for Black Friday customer serviceE-commerce and retail companies often experience heightened traffic during times like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, presenting significant challenges for customer service agents.To ensure a successful holiday season, it is essential to start early, prepare well, and plan thoroughly.By following these customer service tips, you can ensure that your shoppers have a smooth and successful checkout experience on Black Friday.This not only increases Black Friday sales, but it also builds customer loyalty and encourages shoppers to return to your store.A support platform such as LIKE.TG offers quick, multi-channel capabilities that enable your customer service team to swiftly and effortlessly address a large number of customer issues and inquiries.Schedule a live demo to explore how LIKE.TG can improve your business and assist customer service teams during Black Friday. Start a free trial to explore its many features.If you have any queries about the product and its capabilities, feel free to contact the LIKE.TG support team.Related blogsWays to Prepare Your Support Team for Black Friday 2022Best Black Friday SaaS Deals in 2023
Boosting efficiency with global business services
Executives have a difficult task ahead of them: innovating against a backdrop of global uncertainty. To minimize the possibility of disruption, they’re seeking business strategies that enable them to cut costs while pursuing ambitious projects at scale.This might seem like more of a paradox than a balancing act. However, some executives are meeting their goals with global business services (GBS).GBS is a next-generation operational and organizational model that connects end-to-end processes across the enterprise. It enables organizations to balance operational efficiency with employee and customer experiences—in other words, to grow without sacrificing agility or wasting resources.Why global business services?Shared services organizations comprise people, processes, and technology dedicated to a single business function. Each shared services group acts as a consultant for that part of the organization to deliver services at scale.For example, HR shared services streamline, standardize, and deliver processes such as basic inquiry management, payroll, and employment verification at scale.Some enterprises need to share cross-functional data, tools, and decisions more often than others. Those businesses might want to advance their shared services organizations into a GBS model.GBS aligns multiple enterprise service domains, such as IT, human resources, workplace services, legal, and financial operations teams, under a single leader. This promotes end-to-end processes (e.g., employee onboarding), harnesses economies of scale, and delivers advanced capabilities such as enterprise insights, change management, and continuous improvement.Using technology as the “connective tissue” between departments can seamlessly orchestrate work and tasks to help eliminate silos and drive efficiency, improvements, and frictionless experiences for end users. This frees workers to focus on innovation and customer-centric tasks, and it saves time and money. In short, GBS enables organizations to do more with less.Approximately 80% of Fortune 500 companies have adopted a GBS model for their automatable tasks, such as general accounting and learning administration, according to McKinsey research. Organizations use the GBS model primarily to harmonize and optimize service delivery, adds a GBS on Now report. Connecting the enterpriseGBS and shared services organizations are also leaning into the world of artificial intelligence and machine learning to connect processes and improve workflows.This creates more unified employee service experiences at a time when the employee experience is paramount. Smart tech makes it easy to provide employee-friendly services, such as chatbots for support tickets and centralized portals that serve customized insights based on what employees need.For example, New Zealand-based dairy nutrition company Fonterra used LIKE.TG to create more opportunities for employees to self-serve, freeing 14,000 hours annually. GBS agents at Fonterra can now resolve requests faster and more efficiently, which allows them to focus the bulk of their time and creativity on tough problems.Another benefit of using a unified service delivery platform is better visibility across departments. When teams are able to access data and insights along an entire end-to-end process, it’s easier for them to identify and anticipate roadblocks and bottlenecks.With democratized data accessible to GBS agents and executives alike, everyone can focus on delivering high-quality services and reducing operational costs.How LIKE.TG can helpAt its core, GBS is about driving efficiency and value at scale. With a unified platform that enables organizations to orchestrate processes from start to finish, deliver exceptional service experiences, and unlock data-driven insights, employees and leaders can focus on what matters most: agility and innovation for the enterprise.The Now Platform is perfectly positioned to enable shared services and GBS organizations to drive value. End-to-end automation enables businesses to create powerful cross-departmental workflows. Streamlined operations make it easy for employees to get work done without headaches.Organizations can boost their employee experiences with browsing and search capabilities that unify disparate knowledge bases. Low-code workflow editors put employees in the driver’s seat, allowing them to build processes and experiences that fit their needs. Operational dashboards illuminate bottlenecks to provide suggestions for improvement.Innovation and cost reduction don’t have to be at odds with each other. Optimizing shared services and GBS can help you build a strong digital foundation that sets the stage for the future without sacrificing time and resources in the present.Find out more about the benefits of GBS.
Boosting nurse retention through digital transformation in healthcare
There’s a major disconnect between the promise of digital transformation in clinical care settings and the reality of hospital systems and clinics today. Nurse retention depends on bridging this gap.Many of us remember the first wave of digital transformation in healthcare, where paper and triplicate forms gave way to electronic charting. Although electronic medical records (EMR) systems are remarkable and essential, they don’t provide a complete digital solution for care providers.Hospitals and care centers run on dozens of siloed and disconnected systems. These systems are typically not proactive and do little to automate manual tasks, work processing, and care transitions. Hyperautomated and intelligent technical platforms can solve this.The reality of clinical careNurses enter the challenging healthcare field to help provide top-notch care, solve complex cases, and support people in regaining their health. No clinical professional ever intended to spend their time in front of a computer screen for hours on end or regularly leaving the patient bedside to find an available clean, working infusion pump or orthopedic bed.Clinical care in most settings is broken, and this is an expensive problem. The most talented, licensed staff are spending a great deal of time on administrative duties. Nearly one-third (31%) of clinicians plan to exit the direct care environment because of this, according to McKinsey.As a registered nurse, informatics architect, and former hospital supervisor, I urge IT employees to shadow a nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant for a day. Only then will they understand how much effort it takes to get the required work done and how little time there is for clinical care. The heart of the issueThe frustration is not with sick patients, concerned families, or health disparities, but with the complex administrative coordination done manually through calling, faxing, and paging to get services at the bedside.Given the advancement of technology in our personal lives, nurses wonder why they can’t easily notify the dietary or facilities department about a problem with a patient tray or a broken bathroom light through their computer or workstation on wheels.They question why admission orders entered into a system can’t trigger workflows to all essential support services to ensure availability of a room, a bed, transport, pumps and monitors, welcome supplies, and staff.Solution: Enterprise service managementEnterprise service management for healthcare can simplify the clinician experience. It’s precisely what it sounds like—having all clinical, operations, support, facility, and IT services connected to the same service management system. This provides a one-stop shop for getting help, researching information, and launching work automation requests quickly.Imagine notifying connected teams with a single click on an icon when there’s a change in patient status or transition to a new location. With a few clicks, the coordination aspect of supporting a patient admission can be solved through workflow, notifications, and automation.Picture this type of intelligent automation for admissions, discharges, trips off the floor for procedures, surgery, transfers to other floors, and transfers out of the facility. With LIKE.TG Healthcare and Life Science Services Management, provider systems can offer a seamless digital experience for nurses, managing healthcare operations and administrative tasks with automated, intelligent, prebuilt processes.To simplify getting help, seeking services, or finding information, LIKE.TG has these functionalities integrated into EMR systems as well. There’s no need to leave the EMR and toggle to other systems. Everything is in one place, reducing the complexity of the process and the burden on nurses. This is what will help retain nurses.With streamlined tools to comprehensively support their practice, nurses can go back to doing what they’re passionate about: caring for patients.Find out more in our ebook: The voice of the front-line healthcare worker.
Boosting supply chain resilience and supplier relations
Supply chain business leaders around the world have been taking a close look at their resilience, agility, and supplier relationships. They’re saddled with a multitude of legacy systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, supply chain applications, and point solutions.This combination results in a fragmented view of the supply chain and supplier relationships and ultimately leads to delays and elevated operating expenses that are passed on to customers. Smart organizations realize supply chain resilience and agility are related to how well their systems are connected and orchestrate work across the business.Assessing the supply chain landscapeTo control costs, organizations are finding temporary solutions, such as hiring extra staff and adding manual processes to their source-to-pay cycle—spreadsheets, emails, instant messaging, paper, and phone calls. These workarounds don’t offer the robustness, consistency, and scalability needed for a smooth-running supply chain.Despite heavy investments in ERP and related business-critical applications, companies aren’t meeting the demands of modern, omnichannel, got-to-have-it-now digital customers.Centralizing and streamlining processesTo address that, organizations have started to modernize their procurement operations so they can onboard, manage, and collaborate with suppliers using procurement workflows and Amazon-like digital experiences.By centralizing supply chain processes on a single platform of action and engagement that operates on top of all their business-critical systems of record, organizations can create workflows that connect various parts of the business.This also helps orchestrate work electronically with real-time oversight across departments and systems. Organizations can repurpose teams to higher-value work by: Capturing and automating repeatable, unstructured work Shortening supplier onboarding and qualification cycle times with guided collaboration and configurable step-by-step playbooks Improving compliance and contract utilization with centralized catalogs and end-to-end order automation Simplifying supplier interactionsSelf-service and omnichannel access through supplier-focused portals can simplify supplier interactions. Take supplier onboarding, for example. Getting suppliers through the legal, regulatory, financial, and procedural processes required to onboard them into the source-to-pay process is incredibly complex. It involves cross-functional teams in both the onboarding company and supplier companies.Using automation, an integrated case management system and prebuilt playbooks accelerate these complex tasks, enabling teams to work together, in sequence, in an automated and flexible workflow.The legal team can interact on the nondisclosure agreement and contractual needs. Finance can review and provide oversight. The governance, risk, and compliance team can facilitate risk and compliance reviews. Procurement can process contracts. Representatives from any other group can work together to rapidly and effectively onboard and manage suppliers.Imagine an intuitive supplier collaboration portal that automatically walks suppliers through self-registering, logging in, and collaborating with their buyers. This means suppliers no longer must chase payments.With processes formalized and automated, organizations can, for the first time, view the state, progression, and effectiveness of their supplier engagement process.Find out how LIKE.TG helps organizations simplify supplier management and boost supply chain resilience.
Bringing more flexibility to hybrid work
Amid a worldwide surge in COVID-19 cases, many businesses are postponing their return-to-workplace plans once again. As we kick off 2022, for many, a hybrid workplace may be the best solution.Organizations have embraced digital transformation to enable employee productivity from anywhere. Employees have thrived under flexible work arrangements. Today, we’re proud to announce updates to our Workplace Service Delivery solution that enable further flexibility and safety to support the future of hybrid work.The workplace reimaginedAlthough companies may eventually reopen their offices in earnest, the fundamental role of the office is evolving. The workplace is no longer the default location where most employees go every day. Instead, it’s becoming a destination for collaboration and brainstorming, as well as for key meetings.Employees want access to the workplace for this purpose, but only if the experience doesn’t add more hassle, stress, and frustration. They’re making decisions about where and how they work based on their personal comfort levels and needs.4 ways to simplify the employee experienceThe Workplace Service Delivery updates announced today enable flexibility, helping to make it simple and safe for employees to visit the workplace—when and how they feel comfortable. Employees can:1. Book cross-office events. As the office becomes an event center for company meetings and town halls, many meetings will involve teams across various offices. New group reservation capabilities make it easy to book room and desk reservations on behalf of team members or create reservations for workspaces and rooms across multiple locations at once, from desktop and mobile.
Bringing the SaaS ecosystem together to improve cybersecurity
In today’s digital environment, no company is immune to cyberattacks. In fact, more than one-third of organizations worldwide have experienced a ransomware attack or breach that blocked access to systems or data, according to IDC.1From the Capital One incident to the SolarWinds attack, businesses and organizations of all facets and sizes are at the forefront of such threats.As a leading software enterprise company, we have the responsibility to prepare and mitigate risks with customers in mind. At LIKE.TG, cybersecurity begins with trust and transparency. It’s a collective effort spanning our organization and those we work with.Setting sights on SaaS securityCritical software as a service (SaaS) providers deliver essential services that a vast array of critical infrastructure operators rely on for core operations.Recognizing the gap and need for an industry-wide initiative to address increasing cybersecurity concerns, LIKE.TG is co-founding a Critical SaaS – Special Interest Group (CSaaS-SIG) operating under the framework of the Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC).As a founding member of the software enterprise industry’s first coalition to reduce cyber risk, we’re taking key steps to share best practices in assisting with a secure cloud infrastructure. Alongside Zscaler, Guidewire, Okta, Workday, Oracle, and MongoDB, LIKE.TG is coordinating the development of enhanced defense tools and mechanisms to offer improved security across the SaaS cloud industry.The coalition aligns with the White House’s May 2021 executive order aimed at developing public and private sectors’ security and operational resilience and improving the nation’s cybersecurity. Shared benefits of collaborationWhile enterprise businesses compete in the marketplace, we share a common goal of advancing security in the industry. Transparent information exchange is a critical piece of this initiative. SaaS customers will benefit from a shared framework that, in turn, instills confidence and trust throughout the ecosystem.Ben de Bont, LIKE.TG chief information security officer, emphasizes the importance of organizations and governments collaborating to combat cybersecurity threats in the SaaS community.“Critical SaaS is part of broader effort to engage with public and private sectors,” he says. “At the end of the day, our reputation depends on it. Our customers rely on us to provide a highly secure cloud environment for their mission-critical services and their data, and we’re committed to delivering the security they demand. That’s why collaborative initiatives such as the CSaaS-SIG will drive real operational value for LIKE.TG and the software as a service industry at large.”Learn more about the CSaaS-SIG and membership.Find out how LIKE.TG helps organizations improve cybersecurity.1 IDC's 2021 Ransomware Study: Where You Are Matters!, Doc # US48093721, July 2021
Build Success in the Workplace Using the Employee Engagement Lifecycle
Employees are the pulse of any organization. The more engaged the employees, the more productive they are. In turn, engaged employees drive a strong customer experience. But, it is also an inevitable facet of organizations that employees will come and go over time. Growth may lead to new hires, or employees may make decisions to change jobs. Companies need to be assessing employees in all stages of their tenure and determining the level of engagement. By strategizing, you can make the most out of each stage of the employee engagement lifecycle, from those not yet hired to those departing. The commitment of the employees to the company and its goals impact the company's overall success. What Is the Employee Engagement Lifecycle? Every employee will have a beginning and an end with your company. The employee engagement lifecycle looks at employment as a cyclical process. Even exiting employees can have an impact on potential future employees. The employee engagement lifecycle journey covers six stages: attraction, recruitment, onboarding, development, retention, and separation. At no point in the lifecycle can you sit back and stop engaging with your employees. All stages are critical to the overall employee - and thereby, the company - experience. An excellent recruitment strategy with high turnover, for example, shows weaknesses in retention. The company should focus on bolstering the retention stage. The employee experience is an overall mindset. It is not a start-and-stop program when issues arise. Many organizations do not have a good pulse on their employee engagement levels and thus are missing out on providing the employees with reasons to stay. To learn even more about improving the employee experience and increasing your competitive advantage while providing a fast return on investment, download our ebook now. Download now Why Does the Employee Engagement Lifecycle Matter? Engaged employees are critical to remaining competitive in today's market. Not only do you need to attract top talent, but the best employees will drive your company. You will have better products, services, customer interactions, growth, and profitability. Some employees choose to stay with a company for things like work-life balance, challenging work, company goals, or wellness benefits. But there are other reasons an employee will stay with a company, even when presented with a better offer. The employee must feel: Engaged and connected with the company Empowered to succeed That the company is invested in their well-being Respected for their contributions That they receive personal treatment The advantages of employee engagement are significant. You should have a strategic, comprehensive approach for engagement in each stage in the lifecycle. Think about your overall company culture and what that engagement looks like within your organization. Christopher BaggottChief Executive Officer of Medlinks Cost Containment, Inc. and Medlinks Staffing, LLC. “Our staff has praised the increased communications level Workmates delivers. We use it to communicate important project matters and give staff specific ‘kudos’ or even recognize their birthdays. More importantly, we use Workmates to clarify important project details that needed rapid dissemination among the entire team.” Build Success into Each Stage Your goals should be to turn your employees into advocates. Not only will employee advocacy promote your brand, but this will help attract new employees or lead to employee referrals. Even departing employees can be advocates if they leave on good terms. Understanding and developing strategies for each stage will strengthen your employee engagement. Over time, you can measure your efforts and adjust accordingly. You can use your metrics and engagement data as insights into the success of your strategies. This becomes meaningful intelligence at the department and individual manager level. It will help you to recognize the contributions of employees to the business. Attraction Stage Often, potential employees begin to review your company before you even know they exist. They may start on sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, trying to get a feel for your company. At this point, potential employees are evaluating your reputation and values, trying to determine if they would be a good fit before applying. Employee referrals are an invaluable source for quality candidates. You will often have reduced hiring time and a better conversion rate. It shows the engagement of your current employees that they want to participate in the company's growth. Companies that don't attract great people will fail to compete in the marketplace. Attracting the right talent is crucial to growth. You want the first impression to be favorable and honest. Strategies: Focus on employer branding or addressing the desires of potential candidates. Think about what you are projecting across all platforms. This includes the careers page on your website and social media attraction. Measuring Success: How many employee referrals do you receive? What are the impressions or other metrics on job postings? How many applicants do you receive, and are they high-quality candidates? Recruitment Stage The next step of the candidate experience for that potential employee is to apply. At this point, the candidate wants to connect with you and feel that the connection is authentic. Successful recruitment is vital to a company's success. You are determining the future needs of the company and finding the right candidate for that role. A quality pool of applicants is critical to finding the right person for the job. The time spent during the recruitment and interview process should focus on getting to know the candidate. Also, you want to allow the candidate to learn more about the company. Keep the dialogue open during the recruitment process. Part of recruitment also involves knowing when to walk away. A candidate that started out well may later raise some red flags. You may also determine that the employee will not be a good fit for the company culture or has demands that you cannot meet. Ultimately, a candidate's decision to accept an offer will be based on the value proposition you provide. This may be different from candidate to candidate, so you will want to learn as much as possible during the interviews. One candidate may be looking for money, while another may focus on company culture. Strategies: Personalize the process as much as possible. Keep the communication open and communicate with candidates throughout the process. Ensure that hiring staff is trained in identifying what the candidate desires from an entire so that the value proposition is clear. Measuring Success: What are the results of a new hire survey? How many job offers has the company made versus the number accepted? What is the average length of time to fill roles? Onboarding Stage Onboarding is more than checking boxes on new hire checklists and filling out paperwork. You need to connect your new hire to other employees. It is important to begin immersing the employee in company culture. Onboarding is about creating an engaging first employee experience with the company. This begins with pre-boarding or the tasks that take place before the employee's first day. You also want to create a positive first impression with new hire orientation. Those first few days do not have to be dry and dull. You can jump right into the new employee's role and meaningful work by having a smooth onboarding process. 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding. To be effective in onboarding, you want the new hire to feel valued as soon as possible. Time should be spent understanding the role, which will result in increased engagement going forward. Give your new employees plenty of opportunities to connect with their teams. Whether through group gatherings or chat tools, you want to make the new employee feel welcome. Strategies: Give hires self-service tools, such as documentation, tasks, and workflows. This saves time and increases productivity. Have a plan in place for the first 30, 60, and 90 days with a visual timeline. Measuring Success: What are the results of onboarding surveys? Are new employees successfully completing onboarding goals? What is the feedback of the employee's manager in the first year? Development Stage Engaged employees are 44% more productive than workers who merely feel satisfied. Part of that productivity is driven by employees that learn and grow in their roles. Employees want to feel that they are benefitting both personally and professionally, beyond just a salary. People learn in different ways. You will want to provide various opportunities for learning, including: Fostering connection to let employees learn from each other Allowing people to "learn by doing," if they are comfortable with that Using experienced staff as formal mentors to teach less experienced staff Offering independent learning and upskilling opportunities Letting employees learn at their own pace Learning drives innovation, and you may be surprised at what employees can come up with on their own. You can also encourage employees to create their own career paths. Managers should get to know employees on a personal level. They should encourage and coach them according to their goals. Conversations should focus on development, performance, and growth. Strategies: Use gamification, or learning through play, to increase interest in learning. Get feedback from employees on their career goals. Provide regular interactions with managers to encourage ongoing conversations about professional development. Measuring Success: What is the frequency and quality of one-on-one meetings? What development opportunities are completed by employees? What are the stats of any gamification provided? Retention Stage Beyond the initial stages of an employee's career, retention happens when the employee is committed. Employees do not want to be taken for granted. They want to know that their work is seen and valued. Through meetings, kudos, or other recognition, the message should be clear and consistent. Thank the employees for their work. Let them know that you appreciate them. You can increase the visibility of employee contributions. This promotes collaboration and encourages positive feedback. Employees can then steer themselves towards success. Retention also happens when the employees feel that they have a role in the company's achievements and goals. Provide regular company updates through a newsfeed. An intranet can build that sense of accomplishment. Employees will also stay with a company when they feel connected to their colleagues. Provide and encourage interaction in productive, fun, and meaningful ways. Chat and collaboration tools can help with this. Strategies: Use surveys and polls to get a pulse on employees. Have a system of rewards and recognition for a job well done. Measuring Success: What is the frequency and quality of one-on-one meetings? What are the results of performance reviews and team goals? What is the average employee tenure? Separation Stage The separation process is one last opportunity to engage with employees. It doesn't have to be painful. Instead, it can be a streamlined and professional experience. Happy employees, even happy former employees, are an excellent source for new hire referrals. Maintaining engagement with employees after they leave keeps your company on their minds. This could be as simple as continuing to provide a company newsletter or a quick touch-base on LinkedIn. An often overlooked step is an exit interview. This is a valuable opportunity to learn more about why the employee chose to make a career change. Use an exit interview to get appropriate feedback. Give the employee an opportunity to be frank and honest. You can use the insights to improve overall employee retention going forward. Strategies: Find ways to stay connected with former employees. Give employees a professional farewell experience. Prepare exit interview questions guided by what you hope to learn. Measuring Success: What are the primary reasons for leaving? What is the employee turnover rate? Having the Tools to Support Employee Engagement Interaction with your employees must remain consistent throughout all stages of the employee engagement lifecycle. Less engagement at any stage can have a cascading effect. Each stage presents its own opportunities for the company and managers to engage with employees. But how can the company be equipped to handle the relationships when these moments arise? From recognition to communication to the onboarding experience, you want to have the tools in place to keep your employees engaged and connected. LIKE.TG has products for every aspect of the employee engagement lifecycle. Learn more about our end-to-end solutions by scheduling a demo today. About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at LIKE.TG. LIKE.TG is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications & engagement, and rewards & recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.
Building a community of ecosystem partners
As LIKE.TG scales from $4 billion to $10 billion, we recognise the need for a more predictable and consistent way of embracing and growing our community.On a strategic level, the LIKE.TG partner ecosystem is firmly ‘embedded’ into our business strategy. Rather than managing our partnerships in a silo, they are built into our overall go-to-market strategy. They are intrinsic to how we work as a business.Over the past 18 months, we have been making great strides towards making this vision a reality. Here’s how it works in practice: Alliance & Channel Ecosystem (ACE): From crawling to running.Last year we launched a new operating model for our partners titled ACE – Alliance & Channel Ecosystem. More than just an operating model, this is a multi-year transformation of our partner ecosystem. We started with the “Crawl phase” in 2019 and move into the second — Walk phase — this year.Next year we will be in full Run mode with the help of a simple, transparent and predictable operating model encompassing 10 new or enhanced programmes.Several key principles inform this transformation model.First, we want to give our partners an easy, consistent and predictable experience when they engage with us, across every region and within every partner segment.Second, we want to enable and support our partners to co-sell and co-deliver across the LIKE.TG Platform to help accelerate our joint customers’ digital transformation journeys and deliver measurable business value plus amazing workflow experiences.The third principle is based on building a vibrant and balanced ecosystem made up of global, regional and ocal partners, each addressing segments of the market and/or specific industry use cases.Delivering value and innovating in targeted industriesThe nature of our partner engagement is long-term and value-driven, rather than transactional. LIKE.TG’s new Value Delivery Framework maps out this customer journey with our partners, and helps to position, measure and deliver value.One of LIKE.TG’s key objectives is delivering innovation that drives the digital transformation agenda right across a customer’s organisation, not just in IT. Our partners help us do this in targeted vertical industries using compelling use cases.For example, when a partner understands the drivers in a vertical industry with respect to a specific agenda, say employee experiences, they can bring their understanding of that industry’s language and priorities to the table. They can take our standard platform and build an industry-specific use case.In oil & gas, for instance, this may include taking the standard employee workflows and building a specific employee engagement use case to enhance access to rig workers, or to serve health and safety information more effectively.Celebrating our ecosystem in WarsawWe held our annual EMEA Partner Symposium in Warsaw in the first week of March, hosting more than 200 global and regional partners. The two-day event was the perfect opportunity to update our partners on the evolving LIKE.TG narrative, our ACE model and the progress of our three-year ecosystem transformation.Our annual symposium has established itself as a strong platform for nurturing our personal relationships and fostering a sense of community within our ecosystem.We gathered some invaluable feedback and also had very positive discussions about our brand new certification and accreditation programme, the launch of our new ‘Workflow campaign in a box’ initiative (a pre-packaged campaign for partners to drive momentum in their businesses) and our IP monetisation strategy for partners.The Partner Awards evening celebrated those organisations that have made a significant contribution to accelerating customer success in the past year, alongside ServiceNow. All award winners are detailed on this blog.
Building a more resilient business with the Now Platform Tokyo release
Organizations today—and the people who run them—face unprecedented challenges. Executives are under pressure to make faster, smarter decisions and drive innovation while struggling to maintain day-to-day operations. Leaders are betting on platforms they trust to help them thrive in uncertain times.The Now Platform® Tokyo release is designed to tackle complex, interconnected problems and deliver value across the enterprise. It helps boost efficiency and business resilience.Reinventing task management with AILeading organizations are laser-focused on their customers. Those customers have high expectations. Customer service agents need to deliver on those expectations while managing caseloads and staying on top of critical issues.Task Intelligence for Customer Service Management helps users triage cases with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is accessible to everyone with the guided, data-driven experience of Task Intelligence Admin Console. Sentiment Analysis helps ensure agents can quickly understand the tone of any communication and prioritize urgent, sensitive cases.This frees customer service agents to spend their valuable time solving the customer problems most critical to the business.Managing the automation lifecycleTo mitigate supply chain disruptions and lagging production, organizations need a way to intelligently manage vendor automation. The Tokyo release introduces Automation Center to enable IT teams to maximize the business impact of automation. IT teams can save time by easily managing the automation lifecycle, from intake to workflow to publishing. Users gain a complete picture of the entire hyperautomation landscape, integrating siloed automation from across vendors into one cohesive, cross-enterprise view.Optimizing business operationsEnterprises run operations on a massive scale. Improving the efficiency of those operations can yield tremendous business value.Enhancements to Order Management for Customer Service Management streamline the way customer service agents view and manage product catalogs, leading to better customer service experiences. And Schedule Optimization for Field Service Management analyzes work schedules, skill sets, parts, and other constraints to assign the best person to any job.Reducing outages and fueling growthConfiguration changes can cause costly outages and create extra work for DevOps teams. With DevOps Config, teams can reduce business disruptions by centralizing configuration management, security, and validation within development pipelines. The Now Platform enables users to apply access controls and validation policies to reduce incorrect configurations.A key part of operational resilience is expecting the unexpected. Although users can’t predict everything, preparing for disruption helps reduce risk. Operational Resilience Management assists with that by providing a holistic view of potential threats to business services.Teams that want to plan ahead can use Scenario Analysis to design and simulate scenarios that pose a risk to the organization.To meet heightened demand, communications service providers (CSPs) must find ways to deliver digital services that fuel growth and optimize network investments. The new Telecommunications Network Inventory helps enable CSPs to build networks with service delivery, care, and assurance in mind—all on one platform. Focusing on employeesEmployee experience is critical, especially when many organizations are experiencing increased attrition and staffing shortages. A key component is how organizations respond when things go wrong. The Tokyo release provides new workflows to manage employee complaints, simplifying the process without sacrificing privacy or sensitivity.Employees can submit complaints via the channel that feels most comfortable to them, including email or the Employee Resource Center, an anonymous reporting hub.With the new Legal Investigations workflow, part of Legal Service Delivery, legal teams assigned to these complaints are automatically provided a formalized but customizable set of policies. Teams also receive steps to follow during interviews, evidence collection, and other tasks.Organizations are prepared to resolve employee complaints, providing the best employee experience possible.The Now Platform Tokyo release continues our commitment to make the world work better for everyone. Find out more about the innovations in the Tokyo release.
Building a more seamless onboarding experience
Onboarding frequently offers a disjointed, slow and frustrating experience for new employees. Automating the experience can help onboarding stakeholders to streamline the process. From onboarding on day one to everyday tasks, employees can work faster – and focus on work they enjoy. Settling into any new job can be exhausting, and in the environment we suddenly find ourselves living in, onboarding remotely can seem more daunting than ever. New remote faces, new computer, new… everything. On top of that, there are forms to fill in and return to multiple onboarding stakeholders, passwords to create, HR policies to read.In the midst of a new working environment, the process of getting up to speed on the admin front — waiting for tech set-up to be completed and multiple layers of access to be granted — can leave new arrivals feeling a little spent by the end of the first week.Fortunately, automation technology is giving enterprises the opportunity to break down siloed onboarding processes and build new, more efficient connections right across the business.IT can drive the onboarding journey, streamlining processes relating to security access, firewall set-up, passports, employment history and more, so new employees can get to work sooner, and the business can deliver an outstanding onboarding experience with less effort. Streamlining the onboarding journeyWith LIKE.TG, IT can easily configure digital workflows that manage employee lifecycle events across multiple departments. This allows much of the onboarding process to be streamlined and automated. Other service requests can be handled in a similar way, whether they relate to the day-to-day employee experience in the office, on the go or away from work.Automated onboarding boosts productivityAutomating the process of onboarding and other transitions can improve enterprisewide productivity. From day one, employees experience a fast, consumerstyle service that makes them feel ‘at home’ at work.Employees will be able to get started in their new role quickly, and receive the ongoing support they need, whenever they need it. On top of that, IT and HR, plus other related business operations including facilities and finance, can save time that can be devoted to higher-value tasks and projects.From onboarding to beyond, automation enables your enterprise to: Simplify employee access to services Gain complete end-to-end visibility of business processes Optimise employee service delivery, with a clear view of all requests LIKE.TG® can also provide you with the analytics to measure and track ROI – providing data-driven insights to identify the areas where automation stands to deliver the greatest benefits to your business.Workflows can be orchestrated across departmentsWhen enterprises set out to automate processes such as onboarding, they’re often left dealing with disparate tools and a lack of coordination between teams.By taking an enterprise-wide approach to automation, businesses can enable the more efficient management of day-to-day operations for the onboarding journey and beyond.Repetitive tasks can be powered by digital workflows, not people, and be easily configured to cut out the aspects of work that drain time and energy across the business. Ultimately, employees are freed up to focus on more interesting, high-value work, which boosts productivity and innovation for the business.Visit our automation page to learn more about how the right technology can help to transform the employee experience – at every stage of the journey.
Building a resource management app for nonprofits
As global crises multiply, we’re becoming more reliant on the essential work of nonprofit organizations. Many of them—already stretched by small budgets and few staff—are struggling to keep up.Their dated, hard-to-use (and sometimes nonexistent) technology delays deliveries and hampers organizations’ ability to scale. Their tools are often siloed. With limited IT resources, volunteers struggle to integrate them.It’s a resource management issue and the kind of gap the new LIKE.TG In-Kind Resource Management app could fill.[We’re hiring. Explore LIKE.TG careers.]The need for a better experienceNishant A., principal technical consultant for creator workflows at LIKE.TG, experienced this issue firsthand when he moved from Chicago to Los Angeles a few years ago. Wanting to donate his couch, he reached out to a well-known national nonprofit to arrange for pickup.“It was cumbersome,” he says. “You would think these organizations would jump at the prospect of taking a couch in good condition, but the driver didn’t end up coming.”Problems like these make it hard for nonprofits to measure their impact. Without powerful statistics and success stories, it’s difficult for nonprofits to tell the full story to donors of how their contributions are positively affecting their communities.What these nonprofits need is a mobile app that makes their resource management processes intuitive, flexible, and configurable. Enter the Now Platform. Skills-based volunteeringAlan N., senior manager of in-kind donations at LIKE.TG, recognized this gap in the nonprofit space as an opening for our technology and employees’ skills. “Instead of providing loose change or monthly donations…wouldn't it be great to give the LIKE.TG skill set to support organizations?” he asks.It wasn’t hard to find employees to join the initiative. Diverse teams from across LIKE.TG jumped at the chance to give back, donating their time and skills to help build the app.Christy R., senior manager of user experience (UX) research, leads the in-kind discovery phase with six nonprofits. She saw “so much opportunity to make this better and easier,” recalling one nonprofit whose application programming interface (API) had been built by a high school senior. “They’re limited with the resources that they have,” she admits.Katie K, senior UX researcher who helped interview nonprofits, felt humbled to participate in something that would make a real difference in the world. “I haven’t been able to do anything like this before,” she says.Learning along the waySharon C., senior director of product design, is spearheading the in-kind app ideation phase. She describes the designers on her team as “hungry.” Volunteering for something so critical has “reinvigorated our creative spirit,” she says. But bringing different teams together is no easy feat. “We’re learning a lot as we go,” she adds. Yvette M., a business process consultant for creator workflows, loves the challenge of leading the app’s tech design workshops. “There hasn't been something like this in the past. It's very new. We’re prototyping this whole process,” she says. “That’s fun because we get to be on the forefront of this type of work.”Nishant is thrilled to bring his technical skills to address the issue. “Keeping customers happy is one thing,” he says. “Building something for society is another.”Only the beginningWith the technical product build well underway, the In-Kind Resource Management app is nearing launch. As with any other LIKE.TG product, the team will continue to incorporate feedback from users, invest in additional features, and scale to meet the needs of more nonprofit organizations.“In-Kind is by the people, for the people,” Alan says. In working on something that supports the greater good, he’s noticed employees have been more inspired and happier than ever. “The positive influence it’s having on our employees’ sense of well-being is really cool,” he notes.In this environment, purpose-driven work matters more than ever. At LIKE.TG, we stand by our purpose to make the world work better for everyone, every day. Through the In-Kind Resource Management app and other initiatives, we’re bringing the best minds together to solve the world’s biggest challenges.Join a company where your work makes a difference. Browse job opportunities at ServiceNow.
Building a Strong Remote Work Culture Through Communication and Collaboration
The working world has changed dramatically in recent times. The rise of e-commerce and online transactions has seen digital business take precedence worldwide, and as a result, companies everywhere are now facing increasingly fierce competition from overseas. In order to succeed in a crowded digital marketplace, companies are seeking to transcend the limits of their geography by recruiting elite talent from around the world, and this has led to a considerable increase in the popularity of remote work. While the shift to remote work has opened up a wealth of new opportunities for both employers and workers, the fact remains that this development is a wholly unprecedented one, and as such, it comes with its own set of challenges, namely how to get maximal benefit from remote workforces. To ensure that remote workers can bring them maximum value, HR teams must seek to be proactive in creating a strong remote work culture by fostering clear communication and effective collaboration. In this article, we will provide insight into how to go about creating a strong remote work culture, highlighting strategies and tools which can help HR teams to engage and empower remote workforces. Establishing a Communication Framework In a remote work environment, it is imperative to create a solid framework for communication that enables remote teams to work effectively as part of a wider organization, and HR plays a pivotal role in this. First and foremost, HR should seek to establish a set of communication guidelines for remote teams. These guidelines should provide a bassline for communications going forward by setting out clear expectations concerning response times and outlining channels of communication intended for specific purposes. Additionally, HR should conduct regular check-ins with remote workers. This will enable a company to elicit valuable feedback from its teams and maintain a strong connection with employees. Furthermore, it will provide HR with an opportunity to discuss potential obstacles to productivity. Fostering Collaboration with Tech Nowadays, there are a wide variety of technological tools that organizations can utilize to help create an efficient remote work culture. The following are some solutions that can enable companies to get the most out of remote workforces: Human Resource Management Systems To effectively create a robust remote work culture, HR teams must also have the right Human Resource Management System (HRMS) in place. Applications such as LIKE.TG are essential to the creation of such a culture as they provide a centralized platform for managing remote teams. A quality HRMS will come with a comprehensive suite of features that can make HR teams' jobs easier. Pulse surveys, for instance, can enable HR to efficiently gather feedback on the employee experience of remote workers, allowing them to address potential issues more quickly. Additionally, a Human Resource Management System enables a company's HR department to easily log and monitor employee performance data, conduct check-ins, and share important resources for onboarding. In this way, an HRMS allows HR to facilitate a smooth experience for remote workers. Virtual Private Networks One issue that remote workers commonly encounter is an inability to access key resources or cloud-based tools. This is due to the existence of geo-blocking restrictions, which preclude users from accessing specific sites or services if they are outside of a certain supported region. Needless to say, this can significantly hamper the productivity of remote teams, but VPNs can provide can play a major role in empowering remote teams to work effectively. VPNs enable users to reroute their Internet traffic via remote servers, essentially acting as intermediaries between users and the websites they visit. This means that by installing a VPN client or VPN extension on their device, a remote worker can mask their IP address and change their location to access online services that they would not be able to otherwise. As a result, remote workers can easily access the tools they need to work together effectively, regardless of where they are. Video-Conferencing Applications As has been mentioned, facilitating communication is key to the creation of a strong remote work culture, so video-conferencing applications are indispensable in a remote work environment. Most notably, video-conferencing applications enable all-important face-to-face communication through virtual meetings. This helps teams to express their meanings clearly and succinctly to improve productivity and aids collaboration by helping to build familiarity and rapport with remote employees. Additionally, video-conferencing applications also offer other useful features such as an online teleprompter and screen sharing which can make remote collaboration simpler and more convenient or audio transcriptions that makes call analysis much easier later on in the business lifecycle. Through the provision and consistent use of video-conferencing applications, companies can bridge the gap between remote workers, fostering organizational cohesion and enabling brainstorming sessions that yield more effective initiatives. Project Management Tools Disorganization can be a genuine issue in remote work. With multiple team members working from different locations in different time zones, projects can quickly become disjointed, and progress often suffers as a result. This is why it is so essential to have the right project management tools in place. By furnishing remote teams with a comprehensive project management solution, a company can enable team members to easily assign tasks, set key deadlines, and track the progress of projects. In addition, remote employees can utilize key features like file sharing and workflow automated to ensure projects are managed more effectively. Simply put, project management tools enable team members to stay on the same page at all times. As such, they are essential to enhancing collaboration and reducing project turnaround time. Implementing Software Tools for Remote Work Implementing the right software can benefit a company's remote work culture enormously. However, as with all worthwhile pursuits, it is easier said than done. As such, it is advisable to adhere to best practices when it comes to the implementation of new technologies. The following can help a company to effectively incorporate new software tools for remote workers: Comprehensive Training To enable remote workers to communicate and collaborate, companies must provide them with thorough training on how to use essential software tools effectively. This means furnishing them with the appropriate learning resources, such as walk-throughs, tutorial videos, and, in the case of more complex software, digital adoption platforms to provide real-time guidance. Additionally, HR must establish a clear support network with dedicated communication channels for dealing with issues workers may experience during onboarding. Regular Auditing Regular auditing and evaluation of software tools are essential to the creation of a strong remote work culture. HR teams should engage in routine audits to collect employee feedback on software tools and analyze key metrics to gain insights into overall performance. Should a shortcoming be uncovered in this process, HR can take the appropriate steps to adjust or replace systems to better facilitate the work of remote employees. Strong Security and Data Privacy When working with remote employees, there is an elevated risk factor with regard to cybersecurity and data privacy. To avoid potentially catastrophic breaches, HR teams should work with IT departments closely to ensure the implementation of comprehensive security measures such as access controls and encryption to safeguard crucial data. In doing this, HR can enable remote employees to communicate and collaborate effectively without putting their organization at risk. Final Thoughts As remote work becomes more and more common, HR will have an increasingly important role to play in fostering communication and collaboration between remote workers. By establishing a solid framework for communication, leveraging cutting-edge software, and providing employees with comprehensive onboarding and support, HR departments can empower remote teams and drive collaboration, productivity, and employee success in the virtual workplace. Try WorkmatesInteractive Demo Click through it yourself withinteractive demo. Try It Now
Building better software security with a BSIMM app
In a rapidly changing world, security is more important than ever. With good security, customers can trust organizations to take their digital infrastructure to the next level. But how do you implement top security measures across a large, complex company?At LIKE.TG, we use our own products to protect ourselves and our customers—and to extend the functionality of the Now Platform. To see how we perform against industry benchmarks, we use the Building Security in Maturity Model (BSIMM), a 100-page document of 122 data-driven benchmarks for building better software security.Owned by Sunnyvale-based electronic design automation company Synopsys, BSIMM is a “taxonomy of security behaviors that allow organizations to measure and improve their software development practice,” explains Steve S., director of product security management at ServiceNow.In other words, if you want the best security, BSIMM is the way to go. However, most organizations struggle to comprehend and distill all of these benchmarks into a system that works for each unique sector of their business. That’s why LIKE.TG created a BSIMM app on the Now Platform.007 of softwareWith red teams that organize planned hacks of our systems, bad-actor simulations, and threat models of potential malicious activity, a day in the life of a LIKE.TG security employee sounds a lot like a James Bond movie.“My goal is to keep LIKE.TG’s name out of the 11:00 news,” says Bobby W., senior staff product security engineer for the company. “It’s very important for trust to be maintained at a company that’s knee-deep in third-party vendor relationships. That’s our brand right there.”Prior to the creation of the BSIMM app, the assessment of security behaviors “was done on spreadsheets, which is a horrible thing to do to somebody,” Bobby says, laughing. “My last spreadsheet [at a prior job] was 30 workbooks long.”Steve had a thought: Why don’t we figure out how to do this ourselves? “We designed the app for how we would actually use it,” he explains. “We incorporated all BSIMM activities across all versions [there’s an updated list every year], as well as the spider graphs that show where you are in relation to your peers, the world, etc.” “The app allows us to take something as broad as a framework that’s three to four weeks of work, multiple conversations, and groups of teams involved, and build spider charts and services that can actually identify two to three years of work in just a simple series of reporting metrics,” Bobby says. What was once an intangible process is seamlessly transformed into quick, tangible action steps. It’s operationalized.“It’s tough to come across, and really a beautiful thing to do. It’s something I’ve not been able to do at other companies,” Bobby adds.Simplifying complexityWhen working with various teams across LIKE.TG, our security champions don't have to waste energy distilling complex information—the app does it for them. “We're filtering it down to what’s specific to [each team] and how they compare to other people,” Bobby says. “Because I'm working so fast, I’m not focused on curating information. I can focus on what I’m trying to do and what I’m trying to say.”Manshu V., principal digital technology (DT) program manager at LIKE.TG, uses the BSIMM app to monitor and improve the security practices across the DT organization. “It’s especially important because our folks in DT use our own products,” he says.Thanks to the ease and distillation of information from the BSIMM app, Manshu is able to prioritize what’s most important to the DT organization. He’s helped build threat model secure designs for apps, security scanning processes for code, and even planned hacks of our systems to find vulnerabilities. Although they haven’t produced any “alarming findings,” Manshu finds the process fascinating, he says. Rising to the challengeWithout the BSIMM app, Manshu says, it can be tempting to simply choose the “easiest” behaviors to implement, which may not have the most value. Just as building a house in California versus Florida involves different ecological threats, different LIKE.TG teams have different security threats, he adds.With the BSIMM app, nothing is left to chance. It customizes the security analysis results according to the team and organization it’s interacting with, and it details action plans for increasing that particular team’s security. Security testing requires commitment, hard work, and taking risks, but it’s worth it, Manshu says.“If we’re going to be the most trusted SaaS [software as a service] provider, we need to be secure,” Steve adds. “As [LIKE.TG CEO] Bill McDermott says, ‘Trust is the ultimate human currency. It’s earned in drops and lost in buckets.”Work at a company that takes security seriously. Apply for a role at LIKE.TG.
Building our own employee journey
When you hear the term “employee journey,” you might think of a few HR requests and a stack of onboarding paperwork. You might also conjure up phrases such as “retaining talent” and “increasing productivity”—both valid and worthy pursuits that just skim the surface of the employee journey’s potential.At LIKE.TG, our employee journey reflects a larger cultural movement within the company, bolstered by our own technological innovation. We believe work should be purposeful, enriching, and fun. Toward that goal, we've created digital solutions to support the various aspects of the employee journey, driven by a genuine desire to care for our employees and help them live their best lives and do their best work.[We’re hiring. Explore LIKE.TG careers.]Four employees who worked on various stages of the LIKE.TG employee journey built on the Now Platform® share why it’s really “all about the journey.”An offer too good to refuseWhen Vijai K. joined the LIKE.TG people technology team in 2020, he was struck by the seamless remote employee onboarding process. “During these COVID times, we’re all working virtually and separated. The Now Platform is the first touch point where a new hire interacts with the company...If the experience is good, the employee will gain confidence,” he says.Vijai and his team baked a new element into the pre-hire process: Offer Calculator, which they built on the Now Platform in only three weeks. The solution enables recruiters to quickly assess a prospective candidate’s offer salary with real-time graphical representations of market salary range and anonymized internal comparison of the full package. When we rolled out Offer Calculator internally, Vijai could see how comfortable and easy it was for our recruiters to use. “It quickly transformed the way they worked,” he recalls.Before then, recruiters had to use Excel spreadsheets to make manual adjustments and jump between various disconnected systems. Now, “it’s all just one interface, and they get all the information they need,” Vijai says. Offer Calculator also enhances our candidate experience by enabling a smoother, faster, and fairer offer calibration process.Seeing the amount of time (and frustration) this saved his colleagues, Vijai felt emotional. He likes the platform’s plug-and-play ease of use and how quickly he could add value. “Our platform is so robust,” he says.The human touchLate one evening, LIKE.TG’s Dublin office brimmed with excitement. There, Ryan O. and his Europe, Middle East, and Africa people care team had developed Live Agent and just received its first chat notifications. “It’s a thrill to solve something in the moment for people,” Ryan says.The new feature in LIKE.TG® Virtual Agent enables in-the-moment messaging between employees and the people care team. After a pilot program in Ireland, Live Agent was released companywide—to glowing reviews.Although we don’t have HR representation in every office, "we don’t want to lose the human touch,” Ryan explains—even at a growing company like ServiceNow. “We don’t call ourselves the care team for no reason. We really want employees to feel that we care, because we do.”For Ryan, Live Agent represents more than process efficiency. Dealing with serious events, such as taking a leave of absence to care for a sick loved one, is already a difficult situation for an employee. It doesn’t need to be made more difficult (or tedious) with logistical frustration.“In people’s moments of need, we should be there to help, easily and immediately,” he says. “It’s about being authentic, transparent, and open-minded.”Ryan feels “an immense sense of pride and belonging” at seeing how his work has enhanced the lives of others. “It’s kind of that sweet spot in a job…when the work that you’re doing [feels] connected to the goals of the company,” he says.Staying accountableWhen Carlos V. joined the digital technology (formerly IT) team at LIKE.TG as a product manager, he could tell something was different. Here, he found his colleagues focused on building both great technology and a great culture. It’s a “place where people feel safe giving feedback, talking about their goals, and seeing the bigger picture,” he says.Part of that picture, he learned, is mutual accountability. In a remote work world, accountability and clear direction are more necessary than ever. “If somebody is half a world away and they don’t do what they’re supposed to do, you’re gonna feel that, big time,” Carlos explains. “You can’t go to their desk and be like, ‘Hey, can you please do this?’”Carlos spearheaded Goal Setting, an internal tool that organizes regular goal-setting conversations between employees and managers. It makes what could be a difficult or awkward conversation a cohesive, organized process. Carlos found himself shocked at how quickly he and his team could do the work.Within six weeks, they ideated, developed, executed, and released the Goal Setting tool. “I was like, ‘This is crazy,’” he remembers. “But as we kept getting closer and closer to our release date, I realized, ‘OK, wow! We’re moving really fast. This is not taking as long as I thought it would based on previous experiences [at other companies].’” The next chapterAlthough we never like to see people leave our company, it's part of the employee journey. Whether they're retiring, changing careers, or moving to another company, the offboarding process can be strenuous. During the onset of a pandemic, it’s even harder. That’s when Anna Rita H., an HR project manager, was tasked with lightening the load.As a former member of the people care team, Anna Rita knew the pain points of a manual offboarding process, as well as the downstream effects it could have on countless teams within the organization. “It’s a tricky transition for managers, too. It adds a lot of pressure,” she says.“What we really wanted to achieve was a workflow, a system that supports employees with all of their different questions—and supports managers in the same way but also automates a lot of the manual processes that happen behind the scenes.” Anna Rita and her team succeeded.Now, employees, managers, and members of the people care team have specific digital tasks, automations, and data gathering integrations between systems that help guide them through the offboarding transition. When Anna Rita heard how much time the improved process saved her colleagues, it sounded like “music to my ears,” she says. “Helping all of these people, to me, felt really rewarding.”Leading a project on the Now Platform, was “a whole new dimension” for Anna Rita. “One of the things I was most surprised about was just how much our platform can actually do,” she says. “Sometimes you’re like, ‘Could it do this?’ And then you’re like, ‘Yeah, it can do that’…That’s just awesome.”Treating employees like customersAn employee journey filled with manual tasks across multiple systems is more than an inconvenience; it’s a detriment that can inhibit the professional and personal growth of an employee.“The more time we spend working on things that aren’t what we got hired to do, or don’t contribute to the company’s core mission, it’s either time wasted or extra time we have to spend out of our personal lives to make it up,” Carlos says.Providing care to our employees is “dynamic and ever-changing" work, Anna Rita adds. Given the large scope of these projects, there’s a “level of resilience needed,” she says. But the best part about building solutions that optimize the employee journey experience is that we get to be the first to enjoy the perks.“We want to treat our employees equal to customers,” Vijai says. “They are not different entities.”Join an inclusive, empowering team. Browse job opportunities at ServiceNow.
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