18 March 2020
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Times are changing at lightning speed. The sudden need for the majority of workers to work from home, and enforced quarantine in many countries, is putting considerable strain on technological infrastructure and the workforce. And businesses that were lagging in their digital transformation agenda are feeling this shift the most.
Many companies are not prepared for remote working at the scale that’s abruptly been forced on them! Employees may not have the IT equipment they need to work from home. Desktop users now need webcams. Some residences may not have a reliable internet connection or sufficient bandwidth for handling large files. Remote workers may also need access to a VPN or require additional software licenses. Plus the need for increased security with users connecting from alternative devices or using different software to share files.
In addition to the technological upheaval, two major concerns for business leaders and managers are business continuity and employee productivity. What can you expect with the majority of the workforce suddenly working from home and how can you mitigate the resultant risks?
Let’s take a look at some tips for managers and users that can keep the business moving smoothly forward.
Your staff need a confident, present (even if only virtual), calm leader more than ever before during this unforeseen work-from-home (WFH) period. To keep your data team on the right track, you can support them by:
Also, make sure individual team members all have the same level of access to you. And ensure everyone has equal time and attention in your online meetings. If not, individuals may feel there is favouritism at play. Or whatever else the voices in their head suggest (since working from home can often make you feel isolated and even a bit stir-crazy, especially for the uninitiated).
For those new to the WFH concept, it may sound like an extended holiday. Though WFH does come with additional freedoms, it does require more responsibility too. Here are a few tips to prevent you from going stir crazy and to keep up your productivity levels:
You don’t need any additional roadblocks to your team’s productivity during this trying period. Leverage user-friendly data analytics solutions to streamline processes, improve user engagement, collaborate effectively and save time. Here are three essential capabilities your analytics software should provide:
1. Maintaining a high level of control over how your data team operates will ensure productivity levels remain the same. Implementing workflows can help your team follow your company’s processes no matter where they’re working from. Workflows enable better control, reduce the level of uncertainty and improve productivity. These benefits are crucial for teams working remotely.
Vizlib Collaboration Workflows capability
Discover more on retaining control and streamlining business processes in our blog on implementing workflows in Qlik Sense.
2. Keeping in communication and easily sharing insights is possible with the right BI tools. The software should enable smooth collaboration between your team, especially when you’re not under the same roof. It should help you to communicate data insights in context, avoid misunderstandings and streamline insight-to-action conversations.
Keeping your collaboration in Qlik Sense is a great way to collaborate effectively. Vizlib Collaboration enables users to easily add comments to sheets and objects, to share bookmarks, and take instant action, wherever they are located.
Vizlib Collaboration Comments capability
In a WFH set up, you can also ensure smooth collaboration with the finance team. Stay on top of your financial reporting with integrated comments at a cellular level with the new commentary capability in Vizlib Finance Report.
3. Saving time and maintaining user engagement is another fundamental requirement for team efficacy. Intuitive dashboard design will guide how users navigate visuals and lead them to insights quicker. The familiarity and additional clarity that a user-friendly dashboard provides will improve data users’ confidence and diminish any WFH-related drop in productivity.
Users can also extract insights quicker when there is additional context in data visualisations. Capabilities, like Vizlib’s HTML Tooltips, enable developers to create customised text and graphic context on hover and empower technical and non-technical users to get the bigger picture of their data!
Vizlib Heatmap HTML Tooltip capability
Developers can also save time by fast-tracking and simplifying the dashboard creation process. The Vizlib Actions capability makes selections in Qlik Sense quicker and easier and enables you to create and link shortcuts across your app.
Another way to increase the efficiency of your data pipeline is by creating a guided analytics experience. The Vizlib Button capability leads users to the insights they need with fun, customised buttons and provides user-friendly navigation to generate business value from data.
Vizlib Button capability
Focussing on the health and well-being of your team in this period of unexpected change is essential. Provide them with the technological and mental support they need to remain optimistic and continue giving their best. Their best will keep your business bustling.
Need to supercharge your Qlik Sense apps? Try Vizlib. You can sign up for a free trial today – available for up to 5 users!
Vizlib’s feature-rich data visualisation products will help you get started on your data storytelling journey.
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