If you look up the word visibility in your Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions you’ll get is “the degree of clearness.”
Well, that degree can mean all sorts of bright or mucky things depending on how hard your company has been hit by the latest recession. The good thing is there are ways to stay in the clear and one is starting with your usage of technology.
The latest Smart Business Toolbox Series presented by Hyland Software Inc. brought together a panel to speak about how to best leverage technology to survive and thrive in today’s economic climate.
Four Northeast Ohio companies are using the visibility that technology gives them to better their customer service, internal processes and cash flow. But as these leaders pointed out, first there has to be buy-in, understanding and a payoff.
The panelists included: Tony Malangone, chief information officer, RTI International Metals Inc.; Mario Shahidian, chief information officer, STERIS Corp.; Lisa Huntsman, president, Lauren Manufacturing; and Chris Hyland, chief financial officer, Hyland Software.
Malangone on how he, as a CIO, sold technology on the front end: We hear about the interest of the CEO, the CFO and various areas of the organization. The key to all of what we do is people, processes and technology. Obviously, technology enables what people do through the process. How do we strategically align it and sell it to them? How do we show that we add value as a company? …
In the strategic alignment of the people and processes, what their pain points are, what their needs are, how to strategically plan road maps to various areas of the organization, is really at the front end of how I sell to our company, our value-add of what we’re doing for the business.
Very key is mission planning. What is the CFO, what does he feel is the most important thing that’s happening in his area? What is his strategic alignment to our business and the growth of our business? Where strategically are we growing? Are we growing along one product line, multiple product lines? Do we focus on those product lines? Do we consistently stay aligned with the business and what it needs to do in the future?
So our strategy is very much key. As we change the business and transform the business, we align to the business and we add that value.
