What are technology gaps? HR sends an email to a new hire Gmail account who’s not yet on-board. In the email are attachments that need to be completed, signed and returned before his first day of work. The email goes to the new hire’s spam folder, that’s a technology gap.

A technology gap is where your manual business processes and loosely coupled technology creates a gap between work steps. Work that needs to get done doesn’t get done. In-between all of the steps, where one task ends and another starts is where can get lost.

These technology gaps exist because there is no one system managing all the work steps in a process. One step could be a manual step, another step may use email, another step could use Salesforce, another step uses a spreadsheet, and another uses PDF forms.

Manual inefficiencies happen when you have too many manual steps with different technologies or no technologies, for example, you are emailed a PDF form to fill out, sign and return. You have to fill it out, print it, manually sign it, scan it in and then email it back.  Technology inefficiencies happen when too much technology or too difficult to use technology to accomplish a simple task.

Technology gaps go unnoticed because there is no system making sure work gets done.  Using a system like Identifi to control the entire process makes it possible, so nothing falls into technology gaps.

With a system managing all the steps, all work gets completed, gaps cease to exist.  It’s a good feeling when you know customers, prospects, vendors, and employees won’t be upset because something vital to them didn’t get done. Then you think about it, and wonder are all the steps getting done efficiently?  Do you have manual inefficiencies or technology inefficiencies getting in your way? Since the system gathers data and provides reports online for every step in the process, we have information that can tell us which steps have inefficiencies. The data will tell us which work steps in the process are slowing down sales, customers, employees or vendors. We will have information to compare employee performances to others to identify those who need more training or recognize which steps have too high of a learning curve.

Using the strengths of the system and the strengths of the people together create the most accurate and efficient processes.

1. People are better at solving problems where rules don’t exist, and systems are better where rules are defined. Your process is a known set of business rules, and the system is better at managing the entire process.  Each step in the process represents different work to be performed; some work steps are clearly defined, like ordering a background check and making sure it gets done, and the system can achieve this better. Other steps like collaborating with a customer on design are better if done by a person.

2. People are better at dealing with unexpected results, where systems are better when results are predictable. A customer service person is better at dealing with a customer when the customer's three-year-old child has a meltdown. Systems are better at dealing with items that have a defined timeframe to be finished and what to do when it does not get done.

3. People are better at tasks in 3-D, like cooking, cleaning, and driving, all lower-skilled jobs. People are also better at complex mental jobs, highly skilled jobs, like surgery. Today you may question if a person is better at driving than a system. In the definition of better, if we include costs, then people are better at 3-D lower skilled jobs. Sure a system may soon be able to drive better, however at what cost. Vast amounts of money have already gone to driverless research and development, and a lot more money will be needed before we have systems capable of doing all the driving.  It is not possible for most companies today to spend the research and development necessary to replace all 3-D low skilled jobs. Despite what we read, artificial intelligence is not going to replace all jobs anytime soon.

4. People are better at being Human, showing empathy, creativity, making people laugh, the human touch is essential and at least for some time will not be duplicated.

Benetrends Financial implemented Identifi’s Business Process Automation and Document Imaging system for their new client onboarding.  They were able to eliminate the emailing of PDF forms, clients filling out PDF's, manually signing documents and returning them via scanning or the post office. With Business Process Automation they were able to convert all the forms to online web forms, add online electronic signatures, integrate their CRM data to the Business Process Automation and allow the client to do everything on a smartphone, tablet or PC while gathering data on the overall process performance.

Tim Jagodzinski is the VP of Business Development at Identifi with 28 years working with Business Process Automation and Document Imaging.  tjagodzinski@identifi.net

Identifi is very pleased to announce our partnership with Safety Harbor CoderDojo. CoderDojo is a worldwide movement of free, volunteer-led, community-based programming clubs for kids 7 to 17. The CoderDojo concept began in Ireland in 2011 and has since expanded to 1,100 Dojos in 63 countries.

When we first heard about CoderDojo, we knew it was something we wanted to get involved with. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there was already an active Dojo in our own backyard! The Safety Harbor CoderDojo was started in 2015 by Dojo Champions Nancy Vellucci and Anastasia Underwood. Identifi Senior Vice President of Software and Solutions, Aaron Stine reached out to Nancy and Anastasia to see if we could work together. There was an immediate connection and we started collaborating in October of last year.

Since then, we’ve worked together to provide the resources the Dojo needs to be successful. In addition to financial support, Identifi staff also volunteer their time as mentors in the program. That’s been instrumental in expanding the scope of the technology available to learn as well helping each Dojo session run more smoothly.

One of the great things about CoderDojo is how it flips the classroom concept. There’s no lecturing or traditional teaching. Instead, Ninjas (students) learn on their own as well as from each other. We provide resource cards called “Sushi cards” that they can use to learn new skills. Ninjas work at their own pace to create their code projects. We reinforce peer learning with “Team Tickets”. Ninjas can earn a Team Ticket whenever they help out another Ninja. Team tickets are required to complete projects so everyone is motivated to help!

Ninjas earn achievements in the form of belts and badges each time they complete a project. They earn colored belt pins just like a regular Dojo.

They also receive a badge that represents the coding language they used to earn their belt. Ninjas can display their belts and badges by pinning them to their lanyard and wearing them at the Dojo.

As they advance, Ninjas are required to create projects that contribute to the “social good”. For example, they can create a new website that benefits the local community or create an app that helps their school. This reinforces the practical benefits that can come from technology.

We’re thrilled to be supporting the growth of kids in the Tampa Bay Area. Every Ninja in the Dojo will gain a better understanding of the technology that’s driving our world. And for some, CoderDojo may be an avenue to a software or engineering job in the future!

We’re enjoying the ability to give back to the community that has supported us and could not be happier with our combined success!