Suzana Bursuc is Senior Delivery Manager @ Conduent.
Working at Conduent has always been an exciting ride, especially when I think about digitalization across the many industries we touch. To address megatrends like “working virtually” and the “future of work,” Conduent had been making investments in digital technology long before the COVID-19 crisis.
Given our already high degree of digitalization capability before the pandemic, moving to work from home came quite naturally. Conduent was already recognized, before the pandemic, for 35 percent of its employees across the company working remotely. It was at the outbreak of the pandemic that we saw, more than ever, the huge benefit of having flexible and adaptable employees who were willing and able to embrace technology. COVID-19 did not stop our journey, on the contrary, it boosted motivation and acceptance that digitalization is the new reality. Currently, our company-wide plan is to maintain approximately 50 percent of our employees working remotely going forward.
We moved from a secure office location to a secure working from home environment, enabled through digitalization. Everything that had previously been done face-to-face (training, updates, planning or just team meetings) had to be done virtually. Video calls and conference platforms, screen sharing, and even online board games – using available technology to the maximum helped us a lot during this period. It enabled Conduent to keep its teams engaged, aware of priorities and maintain business standards, whilst online learning and training became the new reality.
We stepped up to serve our clients to the best of our ability because they needed us more than ever. Having a motivated and well-coordinated team, even if a remote one, was essential. We were fortunate enough to already have a high level of automation, but even so, losing human contact had its challenges. When everything moved from in-person to online, the only thing left to do was to embrace, test and make the best possible use of technology in order to compensate for the loss of the advantages of face-to-face discussions.
I think it is obvious to everyone now that the power of digitalization can’t be ignored and that deploying digital technology is essential to meet the ever increasing demand to remaining connected. If some people or companies were reluctant or not willing to invest in this technology, I am sure the experience of the COVID-19 crisis has made them change their minds. Being digital offers flexibility and it prepares people to more easily adapt to change, no matter its nature. And things change so rapidly!
What comes next? We need to keep up, think outside the box and enjoy the ride to harness evolving technology and meet people’s expectations. So of course – the journey continues!