How Business Intelligence Enhances the Remote Work Experience

... as told by real users of Dundas BI

“Work from home” – the new buzz term these days. As global cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, companies and governments around the world are implementing measures to keep their staff and citizens away from public gatherings – including offices – in an attempt to slow down the spread of the virus.

While companies are switching to remote work policies to do their part in containing the spread of COVID-19, businesses that have already invested in a Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Analytics platform have had a much simpler transition from the office to remote work. As we’ve outlined in one of our latest blogs – How Remote Workers Can Thrive in Turbulent Times, businesses using BI have a clear advantage over the competition as they already have a tool in place that allows them to adapt to unpredictable situations. As one of our users puts it:

“BI certainly encapsulates the key requirements for keeping the remote operations on in critical times and otherwise”.

By saying yes to Business Intelligence, companies acquire the tools necessary for maintaining key operational efficiencies. They’re able to keep everything and everyone connected with the help of integrated communication and real-time data analysis features – regardless of where their staff may be working.

But don’t just take it from us. To help you truly understand the essential value that BI adds to the remote working experience, we asked real users of Dundas BI to chime in and offer their personal opinions on how Business Intelligence has enhanced their WFH experience for themselves and their teams.

Real-Time Decision Making

With Dundas BI, you can use real-time data to keep track of your business’s operations. In a world that’s in constant flux, you need to be able to keep track of every little change in your company and industry no matter where you are. Amidst a global pandemic, myriad businesses – such as those in the healthcare industry – around the world depend on Business intelligence to provide insights that guide their work based on data.

“Having accurate real-time data available will enhance decision making regardless if at home or in the office”.

The following testimonial comes from one of our healthcare customers, explaining that when armed with real-time statistics of important metrics such as infection and recovery rates, healthcare officials on every continent are able to analyze and unearth insights in real-time to decide on the best course of action for the public.

As the healthcare world turns to Business Intelligence to enhance their efforts in disease control, it is not a stretch to say that BI is a life-saving tool. Here is another example from a different customer of Dundas’ in the healthcare industry, which puts into perspective the importance of Business Intelligence:

“For industries that are forced to consider working remotely (e.g. non front-line supporting staff in Healthcare facilities), a lot of changes are going on, and certain protocols are being established on the fly. BI plays an important role in this process because its core, the data-information-insight transformation, not only supports decision making by nature, but also helps to monitor the outcome of the decision so that adjustment could be made efficiently if necessary”.

Integrated Remote Communication

When you first heard that your entire office would be working from home, what was the first question that came to mind? Was it, “Am I going to miss all the daily water cooler gossip?” And when reality finally set in, is it safe to assume that your initial thought might have turned into, “How am I going to get my team and all our files organized?”

A big argument against remote work is having a lack of communication and team cohesion due to the obvious: remote workers aren’t physically present or in close proximity to other workers. While you can implement tools that are designed to make remote work easier to manage, it is still a hassle to be logging onto multiple applications to stay connected.

With the correct Business Intelligence software, there is no need for all of that. The best platforms contain built-in functionality that not only empowers its users to analyze their data but also promotes collaboration, meaning your remote workers can communicate and share data insights directly within the application. This greatly aids in preserving context and helps in maintaining one source of the truth. One of our customers from across the pond in the UK explains the ease of communication in Dundas BI:

“Being online and accessible from anywhere is great! The notes and notifications help foster discussions with our team”.

For those in management positions, having an entire team working remotely may cause you headaches in keeping track of your team. Within the office, you can simply walk over to a colleague’s desk to see whether they’re busy, or head to the lunchroom and see that they’re taking their lunch break. But how do you know who’s doing what when you can’t see them? The answer, of course, lies in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics software. With the flexibility of Dundas BI, you can create solutions that keep track of the statuses of each team member. Even without being in the physical office, you can know right away what each member of your team is doing, which tasks they’re performing, and what they’re availability is.

To accommodate his team in transitioning from the office to working remotely, a customer of ours in the IT/software industry needed a way to easily keep track of the statuses of his team to maintain normal working efficiencies. Using Dundas BI, he was able to creatively replicate the office space virtually:

“We’ve essentially virtualized the physical office. Since we as leaders can’t see heads at desks, we’ve used Dundas to create a visualization of our corner of the office and linked color indicators to the Cisco Finesse statuses of our employees, so we always know who’s on the phone, on lunch, ready to take calls, etc., all while being physically spread across the Golden Horseshoe”.

Unforeseen circumstances have caused businesses to change their business plans and re-evaluate their current strategies, but one thing remains constant: businesses that have invested in Business Intelligence continue to remain competitive. Business Intelligence and Data Analytics software allows businesses to maintain high levels of collaboration, keep track of changing trends and numbers with real-time data, and virtualize offices to elevate personnel efficiencies. One customer of ours perfectly sums it up:

“BI is an important tool in maintaining and being successful”.

Now, more than ever is the time for Business Intelligence. Stay ahead of the competition – regardless of the turbulent global climate – and position your business for sustainable stability and success – now and in the future. Take it from those who’ve invested and seen the value of BI firsthand. They understand the importance of accurate, calculated decision-making, and the risks involved with not proceeding with that mindset or the proper tools in place.

“BI enhances remote work by giving a company the tools that are needed to make decisions at their fingertips”.

About the Author

Arthur Ng is a Marketing Proffesional with a passion and dedication to building genuine personal connections. He works creatively to build bridges that connect professionals around the world through social media, online communities, and other digital channels.