The service industry and professionals in general in this field, will have to adapt to the mass introduction of new subsystems at every stage of the workflow. Until recently, e-mail or a handwritten notebook, some Excel spreadsheets, and a presentation application were enough to complete most of the work of a service professional. But this situation tends to be eliminated in service organizations and businesses. A new reality is emerging in its place.
A key component of this new reality is the use of electronic platforms both for monitoring the internal processes of each organization and for collaborating with service recipients. Starting with customer-centric technologies, the market trend for more direct contact in the logic of “chat” applications and the need for increased security in data exchange are shifting communication from telephone and e-mail to overall project management platforms. A new common point of reference is created between customers and service providers that turns service into product, with clear features and consistent repetitive format.
The next critical stage of change is the introduction of integrated systems for the internal processes of each organization. We now know that targeting new customers, multifactorial analyzes of revenue-expenditure data or the dynamic calculation of staffing needs can not be completed just as effectively through spreadsheets or static presentations.
The challenge of the next period is the successful adoption of a functional work model that will smoothly integrate structural technological changes and give users time to assimilate them. A situation that must be won by each organization individually and depends to an absolute degree on its human resources. Coordinating roles, such as that of Chief Operations Officer, can be upgraded and acquired a new hybrid character to monitor the overall workflow, while evaluating the adequacy of decisions for successful change management processes. The big picture cannot be without the priorities as will be set by the highest administrative units of each organization, while the usefulness of the change may lead to the institutionalization of new specialized roles.
An efficient management structure can ensure smooth implementation, but the key to successful adoption of new technological infrastructure will always be the end users. The transition from the habit and safety of familiar tools will not be made simply because new technologies have been incorporated. It will take time to normalize the knowledge curve of users and to avoid the feeling of fatigue from the constant change due to the introduction of new technologies.
