Tony Nissen, National Solutions Manager of R & G Technologies shares his insights into the key trends affecting the not-for-profit (NFP) sector in 2014 and how you can keep abreast of them.
Mobility
Imagine if your workforce could access your systems from any location and any device. You also might have multiple locations, or staff who require remote access. In both cases, this year more organisations are adopting new technology to enable greater mobility.
NFPs will embrace mobility this year for two primary reasons:
1. Increased productivity
Accessing your systems and entering notes while onsite will increase efficiency and productivity. Many of our NFPs clients are already seeing the benefits of increased productivity that comes from mobility. For example, care workers for Xavier Children Support Services are entering case notes while onsite with a family – the data is instantly sent to head office.
2. Staff retention
Staff members want new technology that helps enable them to work more productively – old, inefficient systems frustrate your team. They are used to using mobile technology in their day-to-day lives – they want to leverage this same technology at workplace as well. Mobility gives you the ability to offer flexible hours to your staff so they can work remotely which leads to greater employee satisfaction.
Improve productivity and efficiency
NFP operational efficiency has become a priority for many organisations this year. The more you can get out of your systems and your staff, the more likely you are to achieve your goals and mission. Organisations that can deliver superior outcomes for their mission will be the ones that grow and receiving more funding. Technology is an enabler that can deliver a competitive advantage.
Through IT, organisations can see significant gains in productivity. For example, are your old, outdated IT systems inefficient? Are you manually transferring client files, using multiple systems, or doing a lot of repetitive tasks? These are the sort of inefficiencies that organisations are eliminating through the use of technology in 2014.
New technologies such as Lync and SharePoint are designed to improve communication between staff and create an environment where the collaboration of ideas and documents can flourish.
For more tips, check out our blog post on 4 ways to improve productivity through better use of technology.
Government reporting
Many organisations have recognised that they need better IT systems to handle government reporting.
In the past, you may have exported data from your software, compiled an Excel spreadsheet, sent it to someone to update two other columns and then submitted it to the government. In 2014, technology can automate this whole process.
With many governments now accepting electronic submissions for a number of filings, the process can be condensed to three clicks which is a big time saver for all NFPs.
Make sure you stay ahead – adopt these technology trends in 2014!
About the author
Tony Nissen is the National Solutions Manager for R & G Technologies – an IT support company with specialist solutions for the NFP sector.
Nissen has an in-depth knowledge of the NFP sector and is a professional speaker and has worked with some of Australia’s largest and most successful NFPs.
For more information on R & G Technologies, click here.