Is Technology the Answer to Your Business Problems?

Take for example, a recent project that Digicode worked on:

As with many projects we have worked on, this project started with a simple need: Creating an online portal where patients can self-register and select an available appointment slot at their nearest clinic. Sounds simple enough?

The client was confident that this simple project would increase customer satisfaction and reduce the workload on their operation and support staff. Once version one was ready, we sent it out to a few clinics to test, and the clinics responded. Requirements changed, and they added more rules, data points, and flows. Does this sound familiar?

It was time to stop and reassess the situation. Changing a technology conversation into a business one is not easy, but it is necessary. Even I, as a vendor, feel obligated to do so. In this example, we got to the point – our client’s business model was built on maximum utilization of their office, meaning that patient rooms need to be in use most of the time. They also expected a high utilization rate for their doctors while considering their specialization, new patients, follow-ups, etc.

Understanding the business problem opens the doors for different solutions. This project wasn’t about an online appointment scheduling portal anymore. It was about orchestrating a process so that new and existing patients would flow at a reasonable rate to doctors and clinics available in the area. It also allowed clinic staff to place patients in rooms that were most suitable for the doctor for the duration of their visit. Alas, this was also about visibility and transparency that will provide clear and precise information about each location’s performance and staff members.

Another interesting question we must ask ourselves: Does technology have to solve the entire business problem?

Again the short answer is – NO.

It’s very simple. When a technologist gets a task, they will be looking for a way to deliver your task from start to finish by building a technological solution for it. So, business leaders are responsible for identifying where and when technology can be replaced by some other method. The reasoning behind it stems from two basic elements: cost and time. For example, this can be observed in some trends in oil and gas industry.

Sometimes, technology can provide great automation for your business process, but it will take time and money, sometimes a very long time and a lot of money. But we shouldn’t be afraid of implementing manual steps into an otherwise fully automated process, especially if it gets us to the market faster, beating our competition. The same goes for the cost of automation being greater or comparable to a manual operation. Unfortunately, I often see technology leaders completely locked on finding a purely technological solution that they ignore other options.

The Digicode team comprehensively addresses your business challenges and provides custom software development, solutions architecture services, and much more. We have the unique ability to provide you with world-class technology services and help with your business challenges. We can build for you teams that can work offline to help you with the process. All this so we can support your business goals and become your trusted partner.

Check out our other Thought Leadership pieces.