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Completing manual tasks such as entering data into databases or spreadsheets or inventorying and reordering office supplies can take just a small amount of time on a one-off basis. However, when such tasks continually pull you and your employees away from your strategic priorities, the overall time spent completing these secondary tasks adds up. For this reason, implementing technologies that allow employees to focus on their core tasks is fundamental to any business growth strategy.
The key to business success is allowing you and your employees to focus on higher-level, more creative and relationship-oriented activities such as strategy development or building and maintaining customer relationships. It also increases productivity and motivates people to expand the scope of their work because they can go beyond just routine work.
Walmart is a people-led, technology-driven company. We believe that technology should serve people, not the other way around. That’s why we’ve invested in ways to empower our own employees to focus on strategic priorities and create opportunities.
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An example of how we bring this to life is our internal generative AI-powered tool, My Assistant. We developed My Assistant to help our employees have more time for the things that matter. Our US employees are already using the tool to get to first drafts more quickly, summarize large documents in seconds and stimulate creativity with food for thought on various topics. Most importantly, it frees up more time to focus on more human tasks, such as generating new ideas, developing strategies, and building relationships.
We’ve also integrated automation technology into our U.S. supply chain network to drive positive, people-centric outcomes, such as: B. creating new jobs and career paths that our employees say are more enjoyable and satisfying.
For example, Chance Bayless, an employee at our regional high-tech distribution center in Palestine, Texas, participated in an internal training program to become an automation equipment operator at his facility, leaving a role that he described as approximately 85% manual. In his new, technology-enabled role, robotic arms do most of the heavy lifting, allowing him to focus most of his time on problem solving. He said manual labor only accounts for about 15% of his work and he finds his work more interesting and satisfying.
By giving our employees like Chance the ability to modify their daily workflows and responsibilities, we also enable our regional distribution centers to ship nearly twice as many boxes compared to a traditional facility, strengthening the shopping experience at the facility’s stores our business as a whole.
We implemented technology solutions after carefully evaluating tasks and workflows that were candidates for automation. No matter the size of your company, I recommend doing this research across your business areas. Look at a few different metrics and ask questions like:
- How much time does an employee or team have to spend on a manual process or task each day, week, or month?
- How many employees are required to complete a task?
- What is the quantifiable cost of your current approach, what are the potential benefits of automating the process or task, and what is the effort and investment required to perform the automation?
Identifying the answers will allow for more objective prioritization based on a cost-benefit analysis. Additionally, it’s helpful to select a few quick wins—tasks that are easier to automate and have positive benefits for many—before moving on to higher-value, higher-effort processes.
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Communicate and collaborate
Once you’ve identified manual tasks that are candidates for automation, you can evaluate your options for technology solutions. Keep in mind that some employees may find the prospect of learning to use new technologies a bit daunting. So before you introduce a new technology, make sure you tell your employees why, show them how it will change their daily tasks and what new opportunities it can bring.
I think the most important thing a business leader can do is outline the vision of how they will use the new tool and how it will improve the work of their employees. Highlighting the tangible benefits, such as time savings or increased sales, makes the transition more attractive for everyone.
Encourage employees and management alike to continually look for ways to increase efficiency, productivity and satisfaction. Take part in training courses and use the new tools yourself. You will show your team how to directly address the challenges of using new technologies. Hold regular feedback sessions where employees can share their ideas, suggest improvements, and highlight areas where they may need additional support.
Whether it’s a lack of understanding of the new tools or processes or the need for more advanced training for specific roles, immediately incorporating their feedback will significantly improve the overall effectiveness of the implementation and help employees feel comfortable adopting new technologies to feel competent and confident.
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Measure progress
It is important to measure both direct and indirect benefits. Direct benefits include a shorter time to complete a task or process, the number of people involved, or the number of errors. Indirect benefits include positive impacts on upstream or downstream processes, improved employee engagement and reduced turnover.
Ultimately, your goal is to free yourself and your team to focus on more strategic and creative tasks while improving operational efficiency and accuracy across the organization. By carefully selecting and implementing the right tools, you can achieve productivity gains, reduce costs, and foster a more engaged and motivated workforce.