Positive Workplace: Understanding the Impact on Employee Well-being
Ever considered how your employees are doing? Their mood, health, and interest in work really matter for how well they perform. Remember, work and life are connected; if your employees are dealing with health or personal issues, it affects their job. At the same time, 35% of employees feel stressed due to work, and almost 60% show signs of depression. It's crucial for managers to tackle these challenges. Businesses do need to take proactive steps to ensure and support employee well-being. This article delves into how employee well-being affects the workplace and gives practical tips for keeping your team healthy and happy. What is employee well-being? Well-being is basically how someone feels about their health, happiness, and overall satisfaction with life. When we talk about employee well-being, it's all about their life quality at work. This covers their physical, emotional, mental, financial, and social aspects. Why does it matter? Because how your employees feel affects how they do their jobs - how focused, productive, and responsible they are. It's especially crucial in safety-sensitive jobs. For example, overworked workers may make mistakes handling powerful equipment. Employee well-being isn't just a buzzword; it's vital to create a positive and safe environment when ensuring a healthy workplace. And one more thing: Taking care of your employees isn't just a nice gesture - it's good for your business. When your team is happy and satisfied, they're more likely to be grateful and get more done, which ultimately makes your business more successful. Why employee well-being matters Understanding why employee well-being matters is critical. In today's competitive business world, employees often push themselves to the limit - working overtime, working from home, and staying connected. Ironically, this pursuit of success can lead to exhaustion. At the same time, in their rush to focus on improving productivity and efficiency, companies often lose sight of a key factor: employee well-being. Recent research shows that around 80% of employees are more engaged when companies have effective wellness programs. Additionally, 70% of employees are burnt out or are at risk of it. A whopping 87% believe employers should be more responsive to their needs. These numbers highlight the urgency of prioritizing employee well-being initiatives. And if you need more convincing, let's dive into the specific benefits for companies that care about employee well-being. Your employees are more engaged Let's start with the good news according to the Gallups survey: Engaged employees can boost profitability by 23%, increase sales by 18%, and enhance productivity by 14%. Furthermore, engaged employees experience a remarkable 66% improvement in overall well-being. Not only do these individuals find joy and satisfaction at work, they also thrive in their personal lives. They're less stressed, enjoy better health, and feel fulfilled both professionally and personally. Engaged and satisfied employees are an invaluable asset to your organization. Your employees experience a boost in productivity Think about how good it feels when you get a good night's sleep or spend time with loved ones without using devices. That refreshed feeling isn't just a feeling - it's backed by science. Research shows that proper sleep and relaxation play a major role in health and productivity. It's not just a vague idea; there's solid evidence that explains how our brains need time to recover and perform well. Getting enough sleep, taking breaks, and minimizing distractions like messages and emails are key to improving employee performance. To keep tabs on this, using employee performance software is a smart move - it helps track and manage the process effectively. Reduced employee turnover Research indicates that implementing employee wellness programs can cut turnover by as much as 40%. It's not rocket science - if people feel valued in your company, they're more likely to stay. This saves you from having to deal with sudden layoffs and keeps your budget intact. On the flip side, high turnover leads to increased replacement costs, causing significant financial strain. Losing an employee typically costs around 33% of his or her base salary. Clearly, there's a strong case for businesses to focus on reducing staff turnover, and one effective way is to prioritize employee well-being. Employees strive to learn and grow Creating a positive workplace means giving employees the opportunity to learn and grow. A reliable way to get there is to implement a learning analytics platform that is tailored to your business. This software not only helps employees acquire knowledge but also improves the overall efficiency of the organization. By identifying strengths and knowledge gaps, you can strategically manage training programs and ensure that employee learning directly benefits your business in the long run. Your company offers a positive work environment A toxic workplace is a major obstacle to employee well-being. It can result from misunderstandings between employees and ineffective management styles and can extend to unpleasant jokes, discrimination, and undue pressure. Research shows that 75% of employees have encountered a toxic workplace, with 87% agreeing it negatively impacts mental health. Ensuring a positive workplace is critical for employers, and can be achieved by gradually introducing employee well-being programs and monitoring their impact. The goal is clear: make a positive difference, enhance well-being, and foster thriving workplaces. Not only does this benefit the business, but it significantly improves people's lives. How to ensure employee well-being Fostering employee well-being isn't a quick fix; it's about making consistent, meaningful changes. Here are some steps to reshape your workplace culture, ensuring that employee well-being becomes a top priority. Cultivate a healthy work environment A healthy work environment covers many factors, from ergonomic office equipment to the option of taking short naps during the day, which has proven to boost productivity more than continuous mental work. Research indicates that sleep aids in information processing and internalization, while intense mental activity can hinder such outcomes. Many forward-thinking companies prioritize spaces for rest and exercise to enable employees to switch modes, fostering better health, happiness, and increased productivity. Offer flexible working hours When it comes to employee preferences for flexible work schedules, studies vary: 65% prefer to work remotely all the time; 73% want flexibility in working hours; 83% prefer a hybrid model. What's clear is that employees around the world value the ability to work remotely or to combine office-based and home-based work. In addition, 99% and 90% respectively believe that remote work options would improve their mental and physical health. By 2025, 80% of businesses are expected to move to more flexible work schedules. Help your team grow People enjoy their jobs more when they feel valued, recognized, and have opportunities to grow. Offering training options is key to keeping employees happy. When they can learn and grow, they're more likely to be engaged and stay. On the other hand, if there are no opportunities to grow or learn within the company, employees may choose to leave. That's why providing training, using tools like the aforementioned LAP or custom onboarding software, is critical. To promote employee well-being, consider these steps as well: Provide your team with the right tools. Implement policies that prioritize employee well-being. Tailor workloads to individual needs, health, and emotions. Foster a culture of transparency. Maintain a clear view of well-being indicators so that managers and leaders can intervene when needed. Harness the power of employee well-being Understanding the significance of employee well-being isn't just a trend; it's a must. Begin with small steps - offer flexible hours, shorter workweeks, counseling, or fitness perks. Gradually, your company culture will shift toward prioritizing employee well-being. Taking care of your employees will pay off with a healthy team atmosphere, unity, engagement, and ultimately, increased productivity and profits. No credit card needed Less than 5 min to set up
Powering government security and innovation in the cloud
It’s no secret that government agencies are facing increasing restrictions and compliance regulations as they strive to ensure effective data governance and protection.“Agencies have a lot of regulated information that needs to be governed, and they need to make sure it’s not compromised,” says Corey DuBois, senior advisory presales solution consultant at ServiceNow. “There are a lot of checks and balances they need to have in place.”Because of these stringent requirements, agencies are typically restricted from leveraging out-of-the-box solutions. This often creates more challenges, such as finding the right people with the right skill sets to build the solutions and coming up with funding. Strict security and compliance regulations also limit agencies from taking advantage of the scale of the cloud to bring down the total cost of ownership.A new world of possibilitiesAll of that is about to change. Technology leaders are investing in achieving the right certifications to support government agencies. This can provide governments with better access to innovative tools and help ensure their ability to meet necessary security and compliance standards.“By leveraging a government cloud, agencies can consume cost-based applications more frequently, enabling them to meet the demands of their customers and their mission,” DuBois explains.LIKE.TG and Microsoft are helping enable this new level of innovation for government.Partnering to embrace the cloudAt Microsoft Federal’s National Security Symposium 2022, prominent defense, intelligence, and security leaders came together to explore the latest trends, insights, and innovations.In a partner panel discussion, DuBois highlighted our recent achievement in securing US Department of Defense (DOD) Impact Level 5 (IL5) Provisional Authorization for the LIKE.TG National Security Cloud (NSC).This makes the LIKE.TG NSC one of the few software as a service and platform as a service (SaaS/PaaS) offerings built and authorized to meet the rigorous DOD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide at Impact Level 5.Through NSC, the DOD, its mission partners, and select federal agencies can move highly sensitive data to LIKE.TG cloud-based solutions hosted on Microsoft Azure Government. This includes controlled unclassified information and unclassified national security systems. Source: Microsoft Federal National Security Symposium, May 2-3, 2022, Washington, DCSupporting mission-critical workLIKE.TG and Microsoft are aligned to help customers in the federal market move into private cloud, shared cloud, or trusted cloud offerings so they can realize the benefits and value of cloud services. Agencies can then accelerate key initiatives, such as security and zero trust, while leveraging analytics and insights directly within their cloud instance.“There are a lot of activities to keep track of in any one instance,” DuBois says, “so being able to get insights into all the capabilities of that environment and automate that process is extremely valuable for government agencies.”NSC enables agencies to take advantage of the benefits of the Now Platform® within a secure, trusted cloud environment. They can integrate everything on a single platform, digitize workflows across systems of record, and power innovation with low-code apps.By connecting people, functions, and systems across the organization at greater speed and agility, agencies can spend more time focusing on mission-critical work while helping to reduce cost and risk.The right cloud environment can make government more resilient, flexible, and responsive—all while keeping security at the forefront. NSC puts innovation and security hand in hand, giving you the ability to achieve your goals and meet necessary compliance standards.Find out more about how LIKE.TG and Microsoft are shaping the future of government.
Powering smart factories of the future
Jason Bergstrom, principal and smart factory go-to-market leader for Deloitte Consulting, co-authored this blog.The manufacturing industry is changing fast. Modern manufacturing must be simple, agile, and intelligent for companies to remain competitive.Smart manufacturing is the way to achieve those goals. It’s a flexible system that can self-optimize performance across a broader network, self-adapt, and learn from new conditions in real time while autonomously running entire production processes.As leading manufacturers prioritize system modernization in pursuit of smart factories, the path to transforming the shop floor (and beyond) isn’t always clear. There’s a careful balance to strike between: Accelerating time to value through modern, integrated systems Incurring minimal disruption while modernizing factory operations Having a unified, sustainable model for digital manufacturing takes more than connecting isolated technologies within facilities. Manufacturers need a comprehensive vision that closes the interaction gaps in traditional factory models between people, processes, and systems.At LIKE.TG, we’re committed to supporting the manufacturing sector and continue to invest in and innovate ways to solve manufacturers’ unique challenges. Together with our partners, we bring critical aspects to a modern manufacturing enterprise.The future of manufacturing is digitalAt The Smart Factory @ Wichita, for example, Deloitte is collaborating with LIKE.TG and more than 20 other market-leading partners and innovators to offer an immersive experience that helps manufacturers envision the digital future. Located on the Innovation Campus at Wichita State University, this fully integrated production line shows first-hand how the integration of existing technologies can create sustainable investments and drive value. The 60,000-square-foot facility includes an end-to-end smart production line and experiential labs.“The Smart Factory @ Wichita is a dynamic experience center that allows visitors to engage with the manufacturing facility of tomorrow,” explains Stephen Laaper, principal and smart factory lead for Deloitte Consulting.“Deloitte is accelerating the industry’s transformation with our investments and key partnerships, and LIKE.TG has been essential in bringing our vision of the future of manufacturing to life. Together with our customers, we can brainstorm and innovate to see what’s possible.”LIKE.TG enables two of the key use cases at the Smart Factory @ Wichita: Factory Asset Intelligence/Performance Management and Quality Sensing & Detection. The live LIKE.TG deployment of the factory floor will showcase how the Now Platform® drives actionable results to address manufacturing issues and deliver value to customers.Collaborating for manufacturing successCombining Deloitte’s vision, experience, and deep industry knowledge in manufacturing with LIKE.TG’s ability to enable that vision through technology can empower manufacturers to proactively manage resources, physical assets, and schedules.“Key ecosystem partners, like LIKE.TG, are essential to Deloitte’s vision of the future of manufacturing,” says Asish Ramchandran, Deloitte’s global chief commercial officer for the LIKE.TG alliance.“We’ve spent the last decade establishing our proficiency across enabling functions and industry vehicles. Now, we’re building on our relationship and deepening our capabilities in manufacturing with use cases that are already being used around the globe.”To capitalize on the value of new technologies, the manufacturing industry must evolve. Through efforts such as The Smart Factory @ Wichita, LIKE.TG and Deloitte are reimagining the entire value chain with a single system of action—turning visibility into value and making automation an advantage.Find out more about how LIKE.TG and Deloitte are bringing the future of manufacturing to life.
Prevent long IT security workdays through collaboration
From surprise zero-day vulnerabilities to new exploits surfacing in the wild, few things ruin an IT security analyst’s after-hours or vacation plans faster than having to work overtime because of a cyberattack.Here’s a glimpse into how the story usually goes at most companies:A horribly bad cybersecurity dayThe first cup of morning coffee or tea is on your desk. Your fingers are crossed that no critical, urgent incident will surface toward the end of your workday so you can make it to your spouse’s birthday dinner at 6 pm.All of a sudden at 4 pm, you get a notification about a vulnerability in software that you know is running somewhere on your network. First, you realize it has to be patched right away. Software as a service (SaaS) vulnerabilities account for 43% of all cybersecurity incidents, according to The Hacker News. A patch or configuration change could probably help you avoid most security breaches.Second, you grasp that your day is about to go haywire because your company has multiple, disconnected systems. It also lacks a way to track its device and software inventory. With an average of 40% of IT spending going to shadow IT, according to Jamf, there’s a decent chance a rogue app wouldn’t show up on any official list anyway.Because you can’t remediate what you can’t find—and you don’t know how the threat is affecting your users or critical systems—you have to pull in teams from other areas, such as risk management, IT asset management (ITAM), and IT operations management (ITOM). You’ll need their help to sift through siloed systems and track down where the application is installed.Better call your spouse. It looks like an hourslong, cross-functional firefighting event is about to get underway—and you might be late for dinner. Could modern IT security solutions help?If this situation sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Few security teams consistently collaborate on risk reporting. Could all this chaos be avoided with better coordination? Is there a way for these separate teams to work together as one, in real time?There definitely is. Moving to modern, integrated, and automated IT security solutions housed on a single platform can bring together multiple IT workflows. That can give teams comprehensive visibility to identify, react to, and resolve issues fast, within the workday—without disrupting their evening plans.Automation to the rescueWith dashboards for automating security management, ITAM, ITOM, and other business-critical services on one platform, you can seamlessly shift your cyberthreat response from obfuscated to orchestrated. In addition to centralizing communications for all your event conversations in an instant messenger such as Microsoft Teams, imagine that you can: See your entire IT estate: A robust configuration management database means you can search which devices are running which software, even down to the patch version. Find software anywhere in your organization: A combination of agent-based and agentless discovery can help you monitor your network from the cloud or an endpoint device. View devices and software together: Discovered software and purchasing data are combined and updated as assets. Monitor for changes continuously: An AI-driven risk assessment tool constantly monitors for modifications. Rank vulnerabilities by impact: A security operations tool collects and prioritizes vulnerability data based on potential consequences. Manage software without intervention: Automated workflows detect, track, and trigger software patching actions for devices that connect to the network, and update asset data for their related software lifecycles. Track risk levels in real time: With just a few mouse clicks, you can prioritize emerging threats as they evolve. Keep key players updated: Risk analysts can stay apprised of changes and remediations on their tailored dashboards. Leave a digital trail: The platform captures a history of every action to show data and verify the issues were managed properly for compliance audits. Orchestrated vulnerability responseModern, connected solutions give this story a happy ending. Instead of chaotic, manual, and time-consuming processes, IT teams get an integrated, automated, single-platform approach that makes problems manageable within the workday.When risk management, ITAM, IT security, and ITOM are natively integrated and orchestrated, organizations benefit from visibility, cyberthreat remediation, and governance to reduce risk. More efficient work means less firefighting—and more time for after-hours celebrations.Find out more about managing vulnerabilities on a single platform in our ebook, Same cyberthreat, different story.
Pride at LIKE.TG: Honoring our LGBTQ+ employees
Happy Pride!At LIKE.TG, we champion equality, and we actively foster an inclusive workplace. We believe diversity makes our business better in every way and that, when you can bring your full self to work, you’re bound to be a more productive and satisfied employee.Our Pride at Now Belonging Group creates a safe space for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies to feel supported and at home within our company while providing a platform for their voices to be heard.[We’re hiring. Visit careers.]As we celebrate the progress made toward full equality all around the world, it’s important to recognize the work that lies ahead. We know that in many communities there remain societal norms and laws preventing LGBTQ+ people from being able to safely marry the person they love, raise a family, be open at work, rent an apartment, or simply walk down the street.In this first of a two-part video series, we’re honored to share the stories of a few of our LGBTQ+ employees who are making a difference at our company and in their communities by showing up as their authentic selves every day. Powerful stories like these and ongoing, honest dialogue are important contributions toward building a more inclusive world. We all bring with us multiple stories, identities, and experiences that shape who we are, and these LGBTQ+ LIKE.TG employees share that reality beautifully. Asha H. says she didn’t always feel comfortable being fully herself at work, until now. She says, “I really like the Pride at Now group because it makes me feel connected to other people who have similar experiences to me.”Tai N., who shares his story about growing up in a hardworking immigrant family, credits his parents for teaching him that it's OK to be different and that his identity shouldn’t hold him back from having the same things as others.Stephanie T. reveals she has to come out often because people automatically assume she’s straight when they see her wedding ring.
Pride at LIKE.TG: The power of inclusion
At LIKE.TG, we’re celebrating Pride Month by amplifying the stories of our LGBTQ+ employees. One standout theme they've shared is that working for a company that values inclusion is incredibly powerful.[We’re hiring. Visit our careers page.]“I’ve never felt more at ease just being myself at a company,” says Scott O., senior executive assistant to LIKE.TG’s general counsel.Nela B., senior principal success architect, agrees. “When you’re not (able to be) your authentic selves at work, it causes a lot of personal anguish.” The importance of a safe spaceOur Pride at Now Belonging Group, which both Scott and Nela belong to, creates a safe space for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies to build community within our company. “It’s a very special place for me,” Nela shares.Each of us carries multiple identities and a multitude of experiences. That’s why, in addition to focusing on LGBTQ+ identities, it’s important for us to give space to our employees to share about their experiences as parents, immigrants, and more. It’s what embracing authenticity is all about.In this second video of our two-part Pride at Now series, you’ll hear about Scott’s younger brother coming out as gay, Nela and her partner building a family, and how both Scott and Nela cherish an inclusive work environment.
Pride at Now: Fulfilling a true sense of belonging
Ever felt isolated at work? We all have—especially in the past year.For many LGBTQ+ colleagues, isolation has historically been part of the workplace equation. As a part of a population that has been marginalized, many have been pressured to not bring their whole and authentic selves to work. That can be draining—even exhausting.Pride at Now is working to change that for all those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer.“When you aren’t allowed to be your true self, you’re not giving yourself the opportunity to fully blossom as an employee or as a person,” says Steve T., senior operations manager and Pride at Now co-chair. “Pride at Now is helping us figure out how we can better foster a culture that allows everyone to be their authentic self.”As one of LIKE.TG’s seven Belonging Groups, Pride’s mission is simple: Achieve LGBTQ+ equity at LIKE.TG by promoting diversity through cultural change, inclusive policy, and global practices.It’s working. In fact, earlier this year—for the first time—LIKE.TG received a score of 100% in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), its annual assessment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality. “Earning a perfect score is great news—and I believe it will pay dividends when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent who care about diversity,” says Pride at Now co-chair Matt L., who heads our customer experience strategy.Matt is quick to add that we can’t rest on our laurels. “There’s still a lot of envelope-pushing that needs to be done in terms of being LGBTQ+ world-class.”Kenneth R., senior manager, event marketing, agrees. “The HRC honor means we’re moving in the right direction,” he says. “External awards are great. However, what’s more important is that we recognize internally that we’re changing the culture to be more inclusive for all.”How we got to a place of belongingSo, just how did we ace the HRC Foundation’s CEI? Several factors contributed.Our longstanding investment in Workplace Protections and Inclusive Benefits—foundational elements of the CEI criteria—played a central role. Another key was launching Pride at Now, as well as supporting external LGBTQ+ organizations and events.Kenneth says a major proof point for him was the Pride panel discussion held in June 2020.“Just having an open, true conversation about what it means to be gay in corporate America—and having our CEO and senior leadership be a part of the conversation—is something I had never experienced at other companies,” Kenneth says. “It showed me LIKE.TG doesn’t shy away from the conversation and that there’s an active engagement factor here for LGBTQ+ equality that simply doesn’t exist at most places.” Continuing the inclusive pathMatt says it’s essential that we continue to examine our human resource policies and benefits from an LGBTQ+ perspective—in the U.S. and globally. He adds, “Looking ahead, I’d like to see us do a better job of tracking key metrics, such as LGBTQ+ promotions, compensation, and new hires.”Although there’s more work to do, it’s clear we’re headed in the right direction. “I’m proud of LIKE.TG’s investment in—and commitment to—DIBs,” Matt says, referring to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. “Just the act of participating in the CEI shows our current employees, prospective employees, and all LIKE.TG stakeholders that we care about equality and the LGBTQ+ community.Want to join us? Visit careers.
Pride at Now: True colors are shining through
LIKE.TG recognized as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality"Imagine getting ready for a management meeting, adding rainbow braces to complete your outfit and walking into a boardroom with 20-plus leaders. Did I mention I was five minutes late? You could anticipate a few turning heads.The reaction I received from management changed my life. LIKE.TG’s leadership team paused a Friday morning meeting to lean in and celebrate a special moment for myself and so many people around the world. Australia had said ‘YES’ to same sex marriage in the week of November 2017.The news reverberated around the globe and it echoed, loudly, in our conference room. Picture a chorus of cheers and applause from leaders who are allies; people I am proud to call my team.Most of my childhood and a sizable portion of my professional life has been a journey in not belonging. The energy spent trying to disguise your true self each day, is exhausting.But there is no better experience in belonging, when you’re applauded for being yourself. In that moment, in the conference room, I felt safe because space was created by others to make me feel not only welcome, but in a place that I felt I belong.This moment is a reflection of LIKE.TG’s culture and approach to equality. I wake up each morning and I can celebrate being myself at ServiceNow.I use all my energy to blossom, rather than suppressing who I am.As an LGBTQ employee, I was encouraged by LIKE.TG’s action to participate in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index. The Index spans every industry and measures policies and programs for employees who identify as LGBTQ. Benchmarking corporate policies, practices, and benefits for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees raise global standards. These standards set out how all organisations should work toward driving change within business and where we do business.For people who identify as LGBTQ, the Index also better connects employees to allies, true champions of equity.And I’m so excited to share that LIKE.TG received a score of 100 out of 100! LIKE.TG is among 767 global organisations who have achieved this industry-best standard. The score reflects our policies around workforce protection, inclusive benefits, support for inclusive culture, corporate social responsibility, and responsible citizenship.The fact that so many organizations have achieved this standard in 2021, gives me hope for the future of work. I can’t wait to see the new world of work push the envelope and raise standards for LGBTQ employees.2020 has pushed everyone to do things differently and to strive for better. Building better standards is a team effort to ensure belonging and equity for all. When everyone can benefit, everyone will benefit.Diversity, inclusion, and belonging are essential to who we at LIKE.TG are, how we’ll grow, and how we’ll innovate. LIKE.TG will continue to put people first. We are one team, we stick together. We are #LIKE.TGStrong!
Pride: LIKE.TG employee opens home to gay refugees
When Russia attacked Ukraine and incited a war, Patrick G., director of technology workflow sales at LIKE.TG and a member of the Pride at Now Belonging Group, knew he had to do something.At the encouragement of a friend, he and his husband, Steffen, attended a meeting hosted by Rainbow Refugees, a nonprofit organization supporting LGBTQ people seeking refuge from dangerous situations. Within a few hours, they decided to open their home to refugees.It didn’t take long for the couple to get connected to A. and S., whose identities we’ll keep partially concealed for their safety. Watch the video to learn how A. and S. survived a harrowing journey before achieving refugee status in Germany, where they joined Patrick and Steffen:
Prioritizing ESG across the enterprise
The last three years have cemented environmental, social, and governance (ESG) as a business imperative. According to a LIKE.TG and ThoughtLab survey of 1,000 international business leaders, 57% report ESG is a top strategic priority for their C-suite and board. As organizations battle the many external challenges they face, prioritizing ESG efforts is a must.Simply put, ESG management helps operationalize and govern your goals across the enterprise. It’s the solution to effectively balance purpose and profit. Let’s explore four ways businesses can improve their ESG stance.A proactive approachThis macro environment is filled with risk, from climate change to supply chain issues to reputational forces that may impact a business’s license to operate. Implementing a proactive risk management strategy can help you be prepared for problems that may arise. Embedding ESG into your risk and resilience plans is crucial to stay ahead of coming challenges.Watch our ESG and climate risks and resilience webinar to get tips on turning your ESG goals into action. Jessica Pransky, principal analyst for ESG and sustainability at research firm Verdantix, sheds light on developing an effective ESG strategy.ESG and risk management integrationAt LIKE.TG, we say governance is our superpower. The best way to manage ESG risks and operationalize solutions is through integration. Organizations are under pressure from stakeholders to create a solid system of action to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Combining ESG management and risk management can help you increase transparency and build resilience without putting too much strain on your business.LIKE.TG integrated risk management (IRM) can help you stay in control of ESG and climate risks. Learn more in Gain control of your climate and ESG risks.E-waste eliminationAn often-overlooked area of ESG that’s a major problem worldwide is e-waste. Sustainability should extend to electronic assets. Organizations have a responsibility to ensure the consumption of their assets is optimized and that they’re properly disposed of.A single system of record can help you track your assets and see how your ESG initiatives in this and other areas provide long-term value. Find out more in Drive ESG outcomes with ITAM.ESG progressIncorporating ESG on a wide scale is essential for modernizing and future-proofing your organization. Since ESG spans a breadth of topics and people, addressing it through a siloed approach will not give you the results you want or need.Watch Understanding the ESG Maturity Model to find out where your organization stands in ESG maturity. You’ll also learn more about how to create a unified and integrated approach to ESG.
Privacy Management: How to proactively manage risk and sustain compliance
“How can I manage privacy and risk of exposure of personal data from malicious attackers, or my own employees, while keeping pace with global evolving regulations?” For many organizations, this is a constant struggle made more daunting by the fact that data is siloed and processes are manual.Both remote workers and evolving infrastructure can represent opportunities for attackers. Because personal data is so precious, it’s most likely to be stolen or exposed during an attack. The Cost of a Data Breach Report 20211 found: Remote work, with its unmanaged personal devices, unsecured home networks, and unencrypted data, has raised data breach costs by more than $1 million compared to other causes. High system complexity and compliance failures resulting from evolving infrastructure, value chains, and operations increased costs by $2.3 million. Personal data is the most sought-after data in an attack: 44% of breaches compromised customer data, another 28% involved anonymized customer data, and 26% involved employee information. Remediating a breach that includes personal data is costly, but reputation damage or the loss of customers can be more devastating. As the amount of personal data grows, so does the risk.Securing personal dataFor better or worse, external attackers are not the biggest source of privacy risk—employees are. In fact, 59% of privacy incidents originate with an organization’s own employees. Unfortunately, while more than half are simply mistakes, 45% of these employee-driven privacy failures come from intentionally malicious behavior.2The constantly evolving global regulatory environment offers additional challenges. The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, for example, expressly provided individuals with new and enhanced rights over their personal data, including greater transparency and control over the processing of their personal data by organizations.Since then, 128 of 194 countries have enacted similar legislation—and 19 other countries have draft legislation in place. That’s 76% of all countries in the world.3 More regulations are springing up all the time.Privacy management simplifiedThe new LIKE.TG® Privacy Management application in the Now Platform® Rome release helps organizations proactively manage privacy risk and assist customers in complying with their data privacy requirements. Privacy Management is a natural extension to our risk and compliance management portfolio using the unified platform to share data and holistically prioritize and manage risk. Privacy Management takes advantage of LIKE.TG’s powerful new user experience, with a workspace that consolidates tasks, issues, and status tailored to the privacy manager’s unique role. Having all the necessary information in one place with simplified navigation improves decision-making and encourages action through real-time insights.Privacy managers can now easily send privacy impact assessments for a single entity or group with three clicks or obtain a detailed view of processing activities, including the personal data impacted, from a single homepage.“As our clients looked to operationalize our data privacy process recommendations for a privacy operations framework, they needed a way to provide better tracking and workflow automation for privacy impact assessments and data subject rights requests that complied with the EU GDPR and California’s CCPA regulations,” says Angela Saverice-Rohan, EY Americas’ cybersecurity data privacy and protection leader.“We chose LIKE.TG as the foundation of our privacy offering because of its workflow automation, flexibility, and ability to support the differing needs of our clients in the retail, insurance, utility, telecommunication, and manufacturing industries.” Stay on top of privacy risks and evolving regulations.Privacy Management lets you proactively monitor your risk and compliance posture instead of reacting based on attacks and new regulations. Beyond implementing a robust privacy solution, training is also essential to help prepare employees to handle personal data. Annual employee training that includes a completion record is the best practice. Support privacy by design in daily workflows. Instead of everyone working in silos, you can provide unified and scalable enterprise-wide data privacy governance on a single platform. For example, organizations can now create a consistent process to screen new applications, projects, and vendors in the evaluation phase—not after they’ve been implemented or onboarded. Build trust and loyalty with customer data privacy rights.Manual processes and skills shortages can lead to errors and omissions when dealing with customer requests. Instead, a role-based user experience and user-friendly portals help stakeholders at all levels, including vendors, communicate and collaborate for greater visibility and effectively address issues and tasks—helping to keep personal data safe wherever it resides. Privacy Management also works with other LIKE.TG applications and integrated risk technology partners in the LIKE.TG Store. It embeds privacy management into everyday activities and helps organizations protect the personal data of customers, employees, and suppliers. Foundational process enabled by LIKE.TG Privacy Management and complementary products5 benefits of proactive privacy managementOur approach offers five important ways to help manage privacy better: Identify where personal data is stored and align practices with regulatory requirements through integrations with LIKE.TG Discovery or BigID. Other applications in the LIKE.TG Store import privacy content such as Edgile Privacy ArC.Customers use LIKE.TG Discovery to find databases deployed on premises and in the cloud and populate the CMDB. BigID reads the CMDB to understand the assets and associated data sources.Automated scanning and discovery by BigID creates an inventory of sensitive and regulated data across the landscape. This enriches the LIKE.TG CMDB with privacy and risk metadata for added visibility, insight, and action as part of the Privacy Management Workflows. Easily send and track screening and privacy impact assessments. For business process owners, responding is simple, with drop-down menus and convenient check boxes on assessments accessed through their familiar employee service portal. Save time with automation. Many steps have been automated through the Now Platform. For example, when a business process owner confirms that a new or updated process will impact customer data, the system automatically creates a processing activity. Similarly, when the type of personal data to be used or collected is indicated, the system maps the corresponding controls.It can also automatically send a privacy impact assessment when the screening assessment has been responded to. When an attestation is returned, the system will automatically calculate a compliance score and identify which requirements are not being met. Intelligently manage issues. Noncompliant controls and smart issue management automatically generate issues. They can be assigned to the proper owner using AI and machine learning. Remediation can even be suggested. Keep pace with changing regulations using LIKE.TG Regulatory Change Management (part of the LIKE.TG Integrated Risk Management portfolio). LIKE.TG Application Portfolio Management can streamline the process when introducing new applications. LIKE.TG Privacy Management can help you identify personal data, as well as which business processes or applications collect, use, or store it. Through continuous monitoring, it can also help you manage risk and sustain compliance with applicable data protection requirements.Learn more about Privacy Management and the other innovations in the Rome release at Now at Work.1 Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021, www.ibm.com/security/data-breach2 Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit May 18-20, 2020 Germany3 UNCTAD Data Protection and Privacy Legislation Worldwide
Proactive customer service – How to anticipate and solve issues
Think about the people in your life that can tell what you are thinking without you saying a word, or know what you are going to do, even before you do. Those are the people that ‘get’ you. They are the ones you can rely on and turn to, time and time again.Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have connections like that with a company? I’m not saying a company is going to start finishing your sentences, but it could start anticipating your needs and taking care of issues with the products or services you are using before you even encounter them. That’s what proactive service enables. And it can change everything for customers, increasing their overall satisfaction, preference, and loyalty.What does it take to establish proactive customer service? In the webinar: “Top 5 Practices: Proactive Customer Service for Digital Services” John Ragsdale, distinguished VP of technology research for the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), discusses what proactive customer service could mean and look like for a company.While the vision of anticipating and then delivering on a customer’s needs has always been a goal of companies everywhere, what’s been called proactive customer service for the past couple of decades was really not.It’s hard to argue companies were being proactive, when it was the customer that typically initiated the interaction and reported a problem to trigger an investigation. Once started, the speed and effectiveness of the investigation was often limited by the technology customer service agents or field service technicians had at their disposal to try to figure out what was going on. Slow, clunky connections (e.g. Telnet) to a customer’s on-premises equipment was usually all they had to run basic tests; if those tests failed, they would be forced to pull and manually analyze the customer’s log files to look for clues.When the problem was finally understood and fixed, information on the resolution remained largely in the silo of that customer’s case. If another customer called with the same problem, rather than applying the same fix, the process would start all over again. The reality is companies were being responsive, not proactive.What’s changed with the digital economyNow, John notes, the ability of companies to deliver a truly proactive customer experience is finally possible, thanks to the technology advancements that are powering the digital economy. Today, the promise of truly proactive customer service that can transform customer experiences and outcomes can finally be realized.Why? Because there is a lot more information easily accessible that can be used to understand the customer’s environment, particularly as more and more organizations move to the cloud. However, more data in and of itself doesn’t make a difference, if there is no way to make sense of it. Advances in new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies are paving the way for real-time analysis and insights that can help organizations make connections between customer issues and identify and even predict where problems may arise.A glimpse at what proactive customer service looks likeAccording to John, these new technologies have enabled some organizations to get a jump on issues and start to anticipate what customers are going to need. These companies are monitoring customer usage of their products and services, identifying conditions that could cause an error or failure. Once detected, the company is then either auto-scheduling a repair or auto-restarting a system to apply a fix and resolve the issue. All of this is done before a customer even knows they have a problem-that’s proactive!And the benefits of this level of customer service are easy to understand. If a customer feels the company is making the ongoing operations of their product or service a priority, they are going to be more satisfied. Plus, it’s good for the business too. Uninterrupted service and operations not only keep customers happy, but also reduces unnecessary work in customer service. Taking preventative steps is generally much more cost effective than having to triage and recover from an actual problem.What’s slowed the adoption of proactive customer?Despite all the potential benefits, only 24% of support teams have a proactive support or intelligent diagnostics solution in place, according to the 2019 TSIA Support Services Tech Stack Survey. The 2019 TSIA Support Services Benchmark found that only 3% of new incidents are created automatically using embedded diagnostics.Why so low? John explains it has been extremely tough to get technologies to enable proactive customer service. Typically, organizations had to piecemeal something together, which required committing resources to build, manage, and maintain a homegrown solution. The few solutions traditionally available on the market tended to stem from technology developed for internal IT use, not remote customer use—so they too required a lot of tuning and customization.As we know, when organizations have to develop solutions that are not core to their business, they can fall by the wayside or end up not being as robust or effective as they could be. Times are changing“Out-of-the-box” capabilities are now readily available in LIKE.TG® Customer Service Management to enable organizations to deliver more proactive customer support.As a result, support services, field services, and managed services are starting to budget and adopt these innovative technologies, as part of their efforts to transform their customer experiences.But achieving proactive customer service isn’t as easy as making a purchase and flipping a switch. There are things you need to consider and systems you need to deploy and link to be able to achieve the benefits of proactive customer service.
Proactive Customer Service: Best Strategies and Benefits
Many businesses fail to meet their customers’ expectations by waiting for customers to reach out first, creating a barrier between themselves and their customers.This leads to a damaged customer service reputation and a poor customer experience, making customers feel insignificant.Businesses should instead implement a proactive customer service model, which includes anticipating and addressing customer needs before customers even realize it.Be the first to act and offer proactive customer support to build customers’ trust, establish your brand as their preferred choice, and improve customer relationships. What is proactive customer service?Proactive customer service involves businesses taking the lead in anticipating customers’ needs and issues through various channels and coming up with solutions before issues occur.Businesses can apply proactive customer service in different ways. For example:By providing immediate solutions and reaching out before issues occur.Informing customers of any delays in delivery.Immediately alerting customers when there is scheduled maintenance or product troubleshooting.The focus of support is on resolving customer issues and providing high-quality assistance. This helps businesses identify potential issues and provide timely and relevant information or solutions.Ultimately, this fosters stronger customer relationships and ensures a positive customer experience.Proactive vs reactive customer serviceProactive customer service Reactive customer serviceThe business is the first to make contact The customer takes the initial stepProactive service entails a pre-emptive mindset and forward-thinking, whereby companies take the initiative to address customer needs and concerns before they even ariseReactive service relies on reacting to customer complaints and inquiries after the problem has occurredThis proactive approach involves actively seeking opportunities to enhance the customer experience through personalized recommendations, timely updates, or preventive problem-solving measuresReactive service involves a more passive and responsive approach, where companies only address issues after they have been brought to their attention by customersIn the customer service field, there is a difference between proactive and reactive approaches. The key to understanding the distinction is recognizing who initiates the interaction.If your customers’ expectations aren’t met, they may be frustrated with your brand. Even if there’s a solution, the issue could be complex and require a lot of time and effort to resolve.Proactive customer service is also a strategic and customer-centric approach that anticipates and addresses customer needs.It creates a positive and memorable experience, fostering loyalty and long-term success.Proactive customer service is beneficial, but businesses cannot anticipate all customer needs. The ideal approach is to make use of both proactive and reactive strategies.Pinpoint areas where proactive customer service can help, and use reactive customer service to respond to inquiries, provide answers, and guide customers to success.Why should you provide proactive customer support?Companies that prioritize their clients often achieve impressive results. Adopting a proactive approach to customer service allows businesses to address potential issues before customers have to seek assistance.This also allows support teams to detect critical issues or problems early, facilitating timely resolution and preventing escalations.Additionally, companies also demonstrate a customer-centric approach when they aim to deliver an exceptional experience by predicting and meeting customers’ needs.Proactive customer service reflects a dedication to outstanding service and contributes to an improved net promoter score.Effective ways to deliver proactive customer serviceThere are strategies that can be employed to effectively provide proactive customer service. They include:1. Understanding your customersTo implement proactive customer service, it’s crucial to first understand your customers. This means investing time to know them better before anticipating their needs.This understanding will form a foundation for enhancing your proactive customer support abilities.This can be achieved by conducting surveys, actively listening to customer inquiries on social media, and monitoring feedback and reviews on dedicated community forums.It allows businesses to provide excellent customer experiences while identifying customer challenges, what motivates them, and their pain points.Having this deeper understanding will enable you to proactively meet customers’ most important needs, thereby boosting satisfaction levels.2. Regularly contacting customers for feedbackOne common mistake that businesses often make is assuming they know what their customers want and need.Regularly collecting feedback can reveal patterns such as recurring complaints from potential buyers or frequent complaints from existing customers.To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of your customers and their needs, it is recommended to regularly conduct customer surveys.These surveys can identify common issues faced by customers and provide valuable insights for product or service enhancement.Therefore, it is important to include open-ended questions in your survey, such as “what problems are you currently facing with our product?”Feedback can be collected through various means such as:Interviewing current customers to understand their issues and ways to enhance your product or service.Examining information from your help desk software to identify and address common problems.Monitoring your company’s social media pages for user comments and remarks about your brand or products and services.Sending surveys to former customers using tools like web forms or community forums.This will provide you with the understanding required to implement proactive customer service measures that effectively address actual problems your customers are experiencing.3. Interact with your product and servicesInteracting with a product feature is a proactive approach to customer service. This strategy sets customers up for success by suggesting enhancements or additions that could enhance their experience.When launching a new product or feature, it is essential to ensure thorough internal testing.Employees are often the best source of detailed feedback because they are highly familiar with the product.They can proactively identify potential issues customers might encounter and find solutions to prevent any inconvenience beforehand.By consistently foreseeing and tackling your customers’ needs and desires, you can tailor the customer experience and make customers feel valued.4. Educate your team to be proactiveThe key to proactive customer service is having competent and accountable support teams. This includes everyone in your organization, as their insights and experiences can contribute to effective strategies.Training your support teams to anticipate and address customer queries, staying updated on trends, and focusing on proactive service, enhances customer satisfaction.Establishing an internal knowledge base and educating employees on proactive support can make a significant difference in how customers perceive your brand.Encouraging ideas from across your organization can greatly enhance customer experience.5. Be honest and transparentConcealing problems can be one of the most detrimental actions. During times of crisis, it is important to be proactive and contact your customers before they become aware of an issue.Modern consumers want sincere relationships with brands they support. According to a study by Abby McCain, 66% of customers consider transparency as one of the most appealing characteristics in a brand.Therefore, a key proactive support strategy is to acknowledge errors and inform customers of issues before they discover them on their own.Apologize to and notify customers of technical glitches promptly to earn their trust. Be transparent and honest from the start. Offer timely solutions, discounts, or refunds if necessary.Keep customers informed about your actions to address their problems. Reassure them that the issue won’t recur.Provide contact information for questions or feedback. This approach shows commitment, honesty, and the ability to deliver high-quality results. 6. Develop a knowledge base for self-serviceAccording to the Harvard Business Review, 81% of all customers try to take care of issues themselves before reaching out to live customer support. The optimal service you can provide for a customer is to empower them to serve themselves.Establishing a well-structured knowledge base that includes frequently asked questions (FAQs), manuals, how-to guides, videos and more, is a significant step toward implementing proactive customer service.By using a self-service portal and taking the initiative, customers can actively seek answers to their questions and solutions to their problems at their convenience.Businesses must ensure that the content on their website is easily accessible by avoiding these unusual mistakes.Ensure unrestricted access to informationRemove unnecessary and unhelpful subjects to create a clutter-free environmentProvide a search option for ease of navigation 7. Reach out and engage with customers through social mediaBusinesses should have a social media page where they can share any news or new updates.Annabelle Nyst’s study indicates that 62% of organizations utilize social listening programs to gain a better understanding of their audiences.Businesses should actively engage with customers on online community forums, Instagram, and other social media platforms to potentially prevent the need for direct support contact.Understanding the target audience helps determine the preferred social media platform for information.Support agents can be assigned to platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, X, or YouTube to engage with customers and address concerns.Businesses should assign respective support teams to provide a quick response to customers on different social media platforms.Engaging with customers who mention your brand on social media, irrespective of the context of the conversation, can also be beneficial in addressing their complains or issues they raise. Using social media management tools can help monitor comments and respond proactively.Following relevant keywords and hashtags on social media platforms can also facilitate proactive customer support.What are the benefits of proactive customer care?Implementing proactive customer service strategies can greatly contribute to the success of a business. Here are the key benefits:Improved customer satisfactionCustomers won’t forget errors unless they are resolved with superior and proactive customer care. However, mistakes do happen, but exceeding customers’ expectations is the key to redemption.When you proactively address customers’ dissatisfaction with your company or brand, it reduces the likelihood of them reaching out to you.Reduced support callsA customer service approach that prioritizes responsiveness necessitates the constant availability of support agents.The exact time when customer issues will occur is uncertain. This can pose difficulties for a customer service team in efficiently handling support tickets and inquiries.Investing in proactive customer support proves to be a successful tactic for reducing tickets.By minimizing common issues, support teams can dedicate additional time to addressing complex customer problems before they escalate.Enhanced customer retention rateThrough offering proactive customer service, support teams can handle all customer problems, ensuring no support ticket goes unnoticed.This approach enables businesses to emphasize the importance of the customer, and it conveys that customer’s sentiments and experiences are valued.The act is straightforward and doesn’t require much effort, yet it boosts customer loyalty, resulting in a higher customer retention rate.When a customer has a positive experience with a brand, the chances of returning or recommending the business to their friends and family are very high.Increased brand reputationA brand that follows a proactive customer service idea and consistently maintains it, is one that develops a favorable reputation among its customers.According Helplama survey revealed that 86% of consumers tend to have more loyalty towards brands that demonstrate a thorough comprehension of their priorities and preferences.By anticipating and solving customer problems before they reach out through social media, you’ll impress customers and make them feel valued. Thus, they may leave positive comments about their satisfaction with your services.Information provided on social media by customers can be internally shared with your business partners to help agents identify recurring issues and concentrate on solving them.Proactively addressing your customers’ issues will enhance your brand image.Better decision-makingThe tools utilized for tracking customer behavior, like customer service surveys, offer a crucial source of feedback. This is essential for any business aiming for consistent improvement.Customer feedback can be utilized to make better-informed product decisions and to improve product features.Additionally, the insight gathered can be used to develop resources that can address common issues without needing to contact a support agent.Boosts revenue/salesWhen customers are considering a company’ product or service, your support team should proactively approach customers and attempt to convince them to complete a purchase by providing the best offers and explaining to them how it works.By also putting substantial effort into swiftly addressing customers’ issues, their appreciation for your efforts will increase, and their gratitude for your endeavors will grow.Numerous businesses have discovered that proactive customer care, which includes immediate interaction and engagement, enhances sales.Frees up your support teamInitiating proactive support by providing a self-service option, can greatly reduce the number of support tickets, enabling customers to resolve their issues independently.This allows the support team to dedicate more time to high-priority inquiries and complex tasks.Dealing with fewer tickets allows support teams to focus better and experience less stress, enhancing their satisfaction and positively influencing their customer service.Builds customer loyaltyBy implementing proactive customer service, you can cultivate loyalty by reaching out to your customers before they seek help, offering a knowledge base and providing fantastic experiences to them.This approach offers more opportunities to address customer problems, and customers will feel that their views are valued compared to reactive support.Proactive customer service examplesFollowing are some successful proactive customer service examples.LIKE.TG’s new product release notificationsAt LIKE.TG, we use a proactive approach to keep our users informed about new product releases.Whenever a new feature or update is rolled out, LIKE.TG sends targeted emails that highlight the latest enhancements and functionalities that users can employ.This proactive communication ensures that users are always aware of changes and lets them make the most of the customer service software’s capabilities.Delta Air Lines’ flight reschedulingDelta Air Lines takes proactive steps to reduce the inconvenience caused by flight delays or rescheduling.Delta proactively notifies passengers about flight changes, cancellations, and delays via SMS or email. They provide alternative flight options and allow passengers to rebook without having to contact customer service.Amazon’s personalized recommendations and delivery alertsAmazon uses data analytics to recommend products based on past customer purchases and viewing history. By proactively suggesting relevant items, Amazon enhances the shopping experience of its users.Additionally, the online retail platform notifies customers in advance about any delivery delays. This transparency helps manage expectations and reduces frustration.Improve your customer relationships with proactive customer serviceCustomer service can be difficult, and assessing its value can be even more intricate. Adopting a proactive customer service strategy can help you progress and enhance communication methods to better comprehend your customers.By resolving their issues promptly, you can establish long-term relationships.Utilize various platforms like community forums, social media, and email ticketing systems to connect with consumers instantly.Successful proactive customer service builds trust and loyalty, enhancing your brand’s image.Make use of both reactive and proactive customer support to retain and attract more customers.Schedule a live demo to see how LIKE.TG can enhance your business and proactive customer service.Start a free trial to explore its many features. If you have any questions about the product and its capabilities, feel free to contact the LIKE.TG support team.Related articles10 Most Popular Essential Customer Service SkillsCustomer-Centric Business – The Complete Details
Proactively managing risk and security
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have realized the importance of proactively managing risk and security to build resilience and to emerge from a crisis stronger. These best practices and tools can help you shift your risk management program into high gear.Staying ahead of cybercriminalsTaking a progressive, visionary approach to risk and security—such as with LIKE.TG workflows built on top of the Now Platform®—lets you direct resources where they deliver the greatest impact on your risk and security posture with the greatest efficiency.For instance, most organizations are working to take advantage of MITRE ATT&CK® to operationalize their threat management and response practices. This framework for adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) offers deep insights into an attacker’s actions on each attack to help security analysts stay ahead of cyber criminals.LIKE.TG® Security Incident Response includes integrated threat intelligence tools and automated workflows to accelerate this plan. The MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base enables you to prioritize your security investments based on TTPs. After mapping a security incident to a MITRE tactic, security analysts use LIKE.TG ATT&CK Navigator to create a roadmap for subsequent steps. A dashboard shows how your security approach fares against attacks.Integrating security operations into workflowsThe University of Southern California (USC), a research university with almost 80,000 people in its customer base, is mandated by the government to protect everything from student and personal information to research data.When USC assessed its security posture, it found that almost 30% of its IT security efforts were related to phishing. Already using LIKE.TG ITSM, USC integrated LIKE.TG Security Operations into the Now Platform to improve insight into the university's security posture and processes.Since the integration, USC has saved at least 40 hours a week, allowing the equivalent of one full-time employee's time each week to be redirected to other investigations.Leveraging a common data model and platformBupa Australia and New Zealand, a global healthcare insurance provider that serves more than 32 million customers across 190 countries, also found great value in adding security operations workflows onto its LIKE.TG implementation. When the organization wanted to improve visibility and control of its security practices, it chose the LIKE.TG Vulnerability Response and Security Incident Response products.“We already had a number of LIKE.TG modules within our environment, namely ITSM and CMDB,” says Jonathan Milton, Bupa’s head of cybersecurity. “But when you get that integration, that’s where you get that exponential value.”The value Bupa found was improved ability to protect not only customer data, but also service delivery, enabling its security and IT teams to address the right risks, in the right order.Boosting operational resilienceBolstering your security posture is only part of the equation. The other part is strengthening your business resilience as disruptions can impact your brand and reputation. LIKE.TG has identified four pillars for achieving resilience: Technology and data Employees and customers Facilities and their safety and compliance Third parties The Now Platform protects all four pillars.Fast time to risk management valueWhen a healthcare organization that operates a dozen hospitals wanted to strengthen its risk management, it partnered with cybersecurity and risk management services organization Edgile. Edgile got LIKE.TG Vendor Risk Management and Integrated Risk Management workflows up and running in only 12 weeks. The new solution dramatically improved quality consistency for the healthcare organization.Learn more about how your organization can proactively manage risk and security in our Risk and Security Workflows Book of Knowledge.
Process optimization: Mining for process efficiency
These are uncertain times. When leaders are uneasy about the future, they start to look at ways to drive efficiency and cut costs to prepare for what might lurk around the corner.Most organizations know they can optimize processes, but they struggle to pinpoint where and how. LIKE.TG customers are doing this by creating low-code apps using our App Engine solution. But launching a product, technology, or app without monitoring its effectiveness or adjusting for performance as the environment evolves is a recipe for suboptimal performance. Process Optimization for App Engine can help. What is Process Optimization for App Engine?A real-time digital process X-ray, Process Optimization for App Engine shows how digital processes automated with App Engine are running so users can quickly identify areas ripe for improvement. After you’ve built a digital workflow with App Engine, you can perform real-time discovery of how that process is working using visual process maps that are 100% data-driven and factual.You’ll be able to quickly find answers to questions such as: Where is unnecessary rework happening when users interact with the app? Which teams involved with the app workflow are performing slower than the rest and why? Where do process bottlenecks exist? Does the process follow initial workflow expectations? Which channels, vendors, and/or locations can be improved? Can a root cause analysis help eliminate slow-performing steps? Helping process owners and citizen developersIf you’re a process owner who’s accountable for designing effective and efficient processes to deliver quality outcomes, you can now extend data-driven process improvement to low-code apps built with App Engine. Friction points and efficiencies are highlighted for further automation and improvement with in-platform process mining.For example, employees interacting with a purchase approval app might find the process gets stuck at the second line of approval. They typically email or call the approver outside the app to expedite the purchase. With Process Optimization for App Engine, process owners can quickly identify where approvals get stuck and why. Is that second approval even necessary, or can it be eliminated?If you’re a citizen developer who designed and built a low-code app with App Engine, you can mine that app to see exactly how it performs in real-life conditions. Does actual user behavior match the initial process design flow?For example, you may have designed an app before the pandemic, when most users were in the office. Now, with most employees working from home, their interactions with the app may no longer be suited to their environment and may be inefficient. As improvements are made, the intended design becomes stronger, and efficiency is optimized.Closed-loop continuous improvement on one platformThe American Society for Quality (ASQ) defines continuous improvement as “the ongoing improvement of products, services, or processes through incremental and breakthrough improvements.” With Process Optimization for App Engine, process owners and citizen developers can continuously optimize their custom workflows on a single platform for hyperautomation.Process anomalies and bottlenecks within custom workflows can be detected and analyzed to find the root cause, allowing them to be eliminated through continued digitization with App Engine. This is not a one-and-done flow, though. With continued monitoring for incremental automation improvements, the custom app will become more efficient and optimized.Automation ideas can then be sent to Automation Center to track and rank each improvement candidate based on time and cost savings for greatest impact. Since all of this is natively built on the Now Platform, efficiency gains can be identified in minutes. The continuous improvement loop drives more efficiency with each turn.Find out more about how LIKE.TG hyperautomation and low-code help work flow freely and efficiently—and processes run optimally.
Professional App Development vs. DIY
A quick checklist for deciding when delegated development is right.Sprawl and lack of governance continue to keep Enterprise Architects up at night. Unfortunately, their efforts to enforce logical control over application strategy and building often just frustrate departments needing an immediate solution to a problem.Rogue IT tools pop up and security risk increases. A 2019 Forbes Insights survey found that 1 in 5 organizations have experienced a cyber event due to an unsanctioned IT resource. At the same time, there is a real interest from the CIO on down to better serving unique departmental needs quickly and securely. For many, the answer has been low- or no-code approaches, giving departmental process leads predefined functional libraries and drag-and-drop interface building tools.No/low code development is extremely appealing because it can be done quickly on individual department’s timetables, even if IT is extremely busy. It’s ideal for automating simple, repeatable activities currently manually managed with spreadsheet and emails; however, it’s less useful for handling more complex challenges that involve multiple data sources, exacting workflow integration, and stringent security requirements.But when is it the right time to offer this option? We’ve put together a quick checklist of what you should consider.How can you tell if no/low code development is right for a project? A growing number of enterprise architects are experimenting with delegated development, in which some departments develop their own applications in a manner that allows them autonomy while working on a common platform. The Now Platform supports various forms of delegated development in the forms of no-code, low-code, and full-featured professional development environments.Find out more about the different levels of application development.Read application development without the sprawlPlatform® can support your enterprise architecture.
Project management for non-project managers
When the pandemic hit, the pressure to adapt LIKE.TG training offerings grew exponentially. An increasing number of customers from the Americas, Europe, India, and Australia wanted more virtual classes, more flexibility in scheduling, and more customization.Answering basic project planning questions in a timely manner became more difficult for the LIKE.TG custom training and adoption team. With the rising demand, our team resources—spread across the globe—had to scale.To effectively manage custom training projects from inception through project close and post-implementation review, we needed a standard project management approach. We wanted to be able to answer questions such as: What projects are in the pipeline? What is our resource capacity against our future needs? How do we see a project’s progress, risks, and issues? Can we see our key business metrics in one dashboard? A standardized approachWe knew a single system of record could capture the demand and resource pipeline for delivering customer projects across the team’s global portfolio and help us scale using real-time, centralized reporting. It could also help us provide a consistent customer experience.Our team had very little experience in project management. Although unfamiliar with concepts such as project plans, risk registers, and resource plans, we were very familiar with the Now Platform®.We decided to try Project Portfolio Management (PPM), a LIKE.TG solution that provides project, program, portfolio, resource, demand, and timecard management capabilities. It’s part of Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM), which helps organizations drive business outcomes by aligning their strategy with their work across different methodologies and structures. We chose Performance Analytics, another Now Platform solution, to track our progress over time.Adopting a feature-rich package such as PPM could have easily overwhelmed us. But we were able to start with the features we needed straight out of the box. Project management out of the boxLike many customers, we were keen to avoid a long development cycle. We wanted to reap the benefits of PPM as quickly as possible. So, we started with some basic guidelines for adoption: Stick rigorously to the concept of a minimum viable product. We wanted to track projects and resources and then continue to iterate after our initial migration and go-live. Remain true to out-of-the-box features and zero customization. In this way, the solution could be rapidly implemented, easily upgraded with each release, and used by other teams in the future. Streamline processes to drive adoption and simplify reporting. Templates would give us a way to set up standard reports. Postpone complex integrations such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM that support the seamless handover of customer data between sales and training delivery teams. We needed to get our bearings with PPM first before taking on complex integrations. 3 areas of positive impactPPM has been a game-changer for our team. It has greatly increased our productivity and efficiency and helped us sharpen our project management skills. Here are three areas where PPM has had a positive impact:1. Project managementWe dramatically improved how we track and manage demands, customer projects, and resource usage. We can now create and manage a wide range of demands and projects, whether they involve a few small tasks or a large portfolio of projects with complex relationships and dependencies.Tracking and managing all work from a single system of record ensures all project activities are captured and underlying financial data is instantly available. Separately, this has improved our processes for learning credit consumption and pricing. Mobile features are next on our wish list for adoption.2. Resource managementWe’re now allocating our staff more effectively by analyzing workloads and distributing tasks appropriately. Little automations, such as resource plans that autoskip scheduling someone during planned holiday time, make life much easier.Timecards ensure we know where resources are spending their time, and we can compare that against our plan. As our program matures, we also plan to adopt a skills matrix. 3. Real-time reportingWe use dashboards to make better informed investment decisions about training initiatives. Leadership dashboards offer visibility into key business metrics such as project financials. With this information, leaders can plan for the future, create roadmaps, and make smart investment decisions.Sales team leads can review customer training portfolios and provide proactive, targeted advice. This improves both our customer experience and sales pipeline. By aggregating customer data, we can make smarter decisions about our market offerings and price points.To make the transition as seamless as possible, we assigned a dedicated change enablement leader to manage communications and stakeholder engagement, and to gather feedback at every step of our implementation.On-demand training on the Now Learning platform allowed team members to familiarize themselves with PPM early in the process. We also ran process user training for different personas that included both instructor-led sessions and demo videos.The best decision we ever madeMore than a year later, our team adoption of PPM has been a greater success than we anticipated. Implementing the base functionality has drastically improved our understanding of our daily operations. We’re easily managing scope through our templated project deliverables, and a project-on-a-page dashboard drives our post-implementation review process with zero effort.LIKE.TG customers are choosing to invest in their people and processes as part of their digital transformation. With our adoption of PPM, we’re doing the same. Armed with it, the custom training and adoption team is ready and able to scale to meet customer demands more efficiently and productively to improve the customer experience.Find out more about our internal adoption of PPM in the case study.
Promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Events in 2020 put the spotlight on diversity and inclusion. The subject continues to be top of mind for job recruiters for many reasons. One of the most significant is that diverse workforces perform better financially, according to a Barron’s article.Hiring global and diverse talent also increases creativity and productivity by bringing together a range of skills and backgrounds. This provides different points of view that make for stronger teams.At LIKE.TG, we’re committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. But we don’t stop there. We’re also on a mission to ensure all employees feel like they belong. We want to help your organization encourage diversity, inclusion, and belonging as well. These two webinars provide insights into creating an inviting atmosphere that will help employees feel represented and safe.Diversity and inclusion best practicesHow can hiring managers ensure they address inequality in their recruitment process? Watch our Diversity and Inclusion: What Practices Work? webinar to find out.HR technology expert Josh Bersin leads a discussion on integrating metrics, analytics, and research into your recruitment strategies, based on survey research. He’s accompanied by the head of talent development at Consumer Reports and the VP of talent and organizational development at Herc Rentals. The trio also delves into ways to cultivate a safe, inclusive environment at your workplace.Enhancing the employee experienceAs workplace culture evolves, businesses are focused on humanizing the employee experience. Human and social concerns are more intertwined with business operations than ever before. Watch our Human Capital Trends: Evolving the Workplace webinar to learn the findings of Deloitte’s 2020 Global Human Capital Trends report.LIKE.TG’s VP of product marketing for Employee Workflows and Deloitte’s VP of HR technology strategy offer tips to help you maximize your technology to better cater to a diverse digital workforce. You’ll also learn how you can promote organizational change.Diversity and inclusion are some of the most important priorities for all companies today. LIKE.TG is here to support you in evolving your workplace culture.LIKE.TG is a trademark and/or registered trademark of LIKE.TG, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
Protecting manufacturing production in turbulent times
Production is the heartbeat of the manufacturing enterprise. When it slows or stops, manufacturers can fail to meet key customer demands, lose near-horizon revenue, and risk their future order book. Industry research shows this is very real, with production downtime exceeding a total cost of $300,000 per hour, according to Information Technology Intelligence Consulting.With unpredictable market forces—including rising budget requirements, inflation, cyber risks, increased labor costs, and supply chain disruption—how can manufacturing production operate continuously and consistently?The future-ready manufacturer, based on a 2023 global survey of more than 1,900 manufacturing leaders conducted by LIKE.TG and Dynata, reveals manufacturers have opportunities to build greater resilience and increase efficiency across the end-to-end value chain.A confident, data-driven supply chainA healthy supply chain fuels production. Yet 67% of survey respondents cite a high risk of supply chain disruption over the next 12 to 18 months.Managing supply chain risk requires an accurate understanding of your supply chain dependencies and your suppliers—and their suppliers. When unforeseen disruptions arise, manufacturers need to analyze large volumes of supplier data. But inaccurate or duplicated supplier records, manual processes, and siloed systems prevent quick and confident action.Manufacturers making progress in reducing supply chain risks are investing in connecting data and insights from multiple systems, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM), according to the survey.Using hyperautomation to drive efficiencies can improve manufacturers' ability to assess supplier risk and compliance, accelerate supplier onboarding, and collaborate with suppliers to manage disruption.Digital skills to drive the factory floorFactory workers are integral to production. The survey shows that lack of know-how, skills, and talent is one of the biggest challenges on the factory floor.With rising labor costs and a shortage of workers, there isn’t enough skilled labor to operate production. Older workers are retiring, and new entrants to the workforce expect digital ways of working. A digital-focused strategy can help manufacturers bridge talent and labor shortage gaps. According to the survey, manufacturers making the most significant strides toward digitally enabling factory workers are: Accelerating time to expertise with digital tools that aid problem-solving, training, and upskilling Implementing a knowledge repository to share best practices across workers and factories Managing tasks digitally to connect step-by-step processes These leaders are also making greater use of process automation, dedicated knowledge management, and AI and machine learning.A secure foundation in the factoryBecause of the convergence of unsecured operational technology (OT) into IT systems and networks, manufacturers are one of the most targeted industries for ransomware attacks, according to the IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023. Consequently, 64% of respondents to the LIKE.TG/Dynata survey say they face a high to very high level of OT risk in the next two years.The research shows that less than half (35%) of manufacturers have a real-time, accurate view of their OT vulnerabilities. To improve OT security, manufacturers are: Implementing or automating end-to-end OT service management and change management Increasing visibility/inventory of all OT and IT assets Improving joint governance of OT and IT security Manufacturers often manage OT and IT separately, but OT and IT teams need to work together. A single system of action can help untangle the contextual dependencies and vulnerabilities between OT and IT, devices, applications infrastructure, and third-party integrations that make an organization vulnerable. Once risks are identified, they can be proactively resolved.Collaboration across the entire value chainOnly 39% of surveyed manufacturers consider themselves digitally mature, meaning they have an integrated approach to digital transformation that’s connected across the value chain. These manufacturers see themselves breaking down traditional silos across their organization.They also report more significant progress in improving the security of OT assets, reducing supply chain risk through supplier collaboration, and digitally enabling factory workers.The sum of the entire value chain of a manufacturer is greater than the individual parts. Yes, manufacturers can manage customer experience. They can control production in the factory. They can also spur product innovation and product engineering to keep manufacturing production efficient.A single unified digital platform can connect insights and propel action across the value chain, streamlining the entire process.Find out more about future-ready manufacturing. See how manufacturers can unlock the potential of digital transformation across the value chain in the complete LIKE.TG/Dynata research report.
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