With the COVID-19 crisis and repeated lockdowns, remote work has gained ground in companies. Even though a return to the office seems inevitable, employees remain very attached to this new way of working.
Fewer commutes, less stress, greater flexibility in balancing work and personal life… Remote work remains a key factor for candidates at digital services companies, especially among younger generations.
According to a recent Gartner study, 75% of executives have higher expectations regarding workplace flexibility. One-third of senior executives who were ordered to return to the office said they would leave their current company for that reason.
However, hybrid work raises many questions among digital services companies that want to maintain this work model to remain attractive:
- How can we track each employee’s days spent in the office and working remotely?
- How can we maintain collaboration among teams, even when working remotely?
- How can you foster a corporate culture remotely?
- What tools should be implemented to combatemployee isolation?
- How can we secure access to data?
Using an ERP system addresses all of these concerns. Centralized information, automated processes, secure data… ERP systems offer numerous benefits that enable smooth and efficient workflows, even when working remotely!
The Benefits of ERP for Managing Remote Work in IT Services Companies
Centralization of Information and Accessibility
The ERP system centralizes all company data in real time: your employees can view and update it, regardless of their geographic location. This ensures that all teams are working with the same information. No more errors or duplicate entries!
Improving Communication
Work documents can also be stored and shared directly within the ERP system, without relying on third-party solutions. The company portal allows you to share the latest news about your company so that all employees have access to the same information at the same time. Some ERP systems include an individual dashboard for each employee, giving them online access to their personal records (vacation requests, absences, expense reports, etc.).
Real-Time Performance Management
With an ERP system, you can track your various metrics in real time and even monitor individual and team performance. This allows managers to assessthe effectiveness of remote teams in real time and adjust strategies as needed. Automated reporting simplifies analysis and provides a comprehensive overview of business operations.
Data Security
ERP systems allow you to set access levels based on employee roles: only authorized users can view or edit certain information. This is obviously a crucial consideration for remote workers. Data is often hosted in the cloud, offering high levels of security and regular backups. This provides peace of mind by preventing data loss while working remotely.
Remote Project Management
The ERP system allows you to track each employee’s activities and assign tasks through predefined workflows. Coordinating teams and tracking project progress are simplified, even if your teams are geographically dispersed.
Process Automation
ERP softwareautomates certain repetitive tasks, such as generating invoices or tracking expenses. This allows your remote employees to focus on more complex tasks.
With an ERP system, you can set up structured and automated workflows, ensuring that processes are followed even when employees are working remotely and that every employee knows what they need to do.
Examples of How an ERP System Can Be Used to Manage Remote Work by Job Function
Every line of work has its own specific requirements for working from home. A flexible, well-designed ERP system can be adapted to meet the business needs of an IT services company in the unique context of remote work.
You are the Human Resources Manager
- Streamline communication with your employees regarding company news and key information: the “company newsletter,” distributed electronically on the company portal, is an excellent tool for getting a message across to all your employees.
- Use your employees’ digital dashboards to share administrative documents or employee-specific information. The VSActivity ERP system includes a mobile app that allows employees to view their dashboards from their smartphones.
- Record and track the equipment provided to employees to support remote work directly in your ERP system.
- Remotely manage your employees’ training and certifications in a centralized module of your ERP system to track their professional development and skill growth.
- Process payroll remotely using the HR module in your ERP system.
You are a Manager
- Decide which employees are eligible to request remote work—in consultation with your Human Resources department, of course! Not all of your employees may be equally eligible for remote work. The number of days worked remotely may also vary from week to week. You’ll therefore need a tightly organized system to manage everyone.
- Manage remote work requests online: a workflow system allows you to approve remote work requests via the web or a mobile app.
- Get an overview of employees working remotely using the dashboard.
- Quickly schedule your employees’ calendars to plan ahead, run simulations, and better manage their availability.
- Track the time your consultants spend on each activity and monitorproject progress.
You are a Consultant
Project management is a key aspect of your business, as are access to real-time data and information sharing with teams.
- Submit requests for time off, remote work, or enter sick leave directly in the ERP system.
- Quickly find your information on your personal online dashboard.
- Enter your Activity Report from your ERP interface or directly in the associated app, if one is available—as is the case with the VSActivity ERP
You are a Sales Representative
- Manage your online lead generation using your ERP’s CRM module
- Create and assign tasks to colleagues or yourself to better manage your sales pipeline.
- Stay informed with business alerts: signed quotes, project renewals, and budget overruns on sold projects.
- Discuss ongoing matters with your colleagues via the online discussion thread.
- Access your list of prospects and their information: follow up with them while keeping track of your relationship history with them.
- List the sales opportunities and respond to them by quickly generating quotes and proposals from your saved templates.
- See at a glance the available internal and external resources for each new case.
Are you a Finance Manager or CFO?
- You have access to real-time data: production revenue, billed revenue, expenses, purchases, operating accounts, budget tracking, and more.
- Data is centralized, secure, reliable and accessible from home.
- With automated reports, you can monitor changes in business activity and cash flow.
You are the Sales Administration Manager
- Real-time updates with reliable data allow you to continue your management, billing, and other activities.
- You have a broad overview of the company’s operations that are expected to generate revenue.
You are an Executive
- You can keep an eye on all your company’s activities thanks to the various reports and graphs available.
- You can communicate easily with your teams.
- And make strategic decisions based on the situation.
Simplify remote work management at your digital services company and boost team productivity with vsa
To facilitate remote work and maintain team productivity, provide your employees with the tools they need to work remotely.
VSActivity is a SaaS ERP system designed for service companies and accessible from anywhere. The MyVS mobile app, which is linked to vsa, makes it easy to access data and enter information. The solution centralizes all information related to your activities and allows you to stay on track with your tasks, assignments, and projects. Your employees have access to the company portal, which contains all company documents and the latest news.
All you have to do is try it out or request a demo.
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