Using AI for customer service in your company is a definite method to save time and money. If you’re like most business owners, you’re constantly searching for fresh, creative ways to improve your enterprise. We’re here to inform you that improving AI customer service is a simple and rapid win.
If you have a team of software engineers and want to move them to Mac, you will need to consider a number of things before you do so.
Here’s what’s new in our January 2023 Release Notes:
* Tables Columns Sorting Improved
* Reconcile Commits Count Between KPI Card and the Table
* Efficiency Tab Improvements and Efficiency KPI Cards Align
We’re not experts on COVID-19 or diseases… But, we do know how important events, like 911, set precedents. Precedents often lead to long-term changes in law, lifestyles and how we commute to work. Many experts believe COVID-19 is worse than 911, for its effect on lives, travel, economy, and psycho-social impact. The highest levels of government were stuck between risking millions of lives or serious economic turmoil.
Please: If you have questions regarding COVID-19, please check the Center for Disease Control’s website.
Add issues like fake news, deep fakes, and conspiracy theories. Trust becomes an increasingly precious commodity. Worse, trust can actually exacerbate the fight against an invisible enemy.
If Joe coughs, does that mean he has the virus? With its so-called stealth transmission, it can be passed along by people showing no symptoms whatsoever. Health experts have acknowledged we’re past the point for containment. The goal now appears to fast track a vaccine, while mitigating the virus’s course.
And so, overnight, “social distancing” became a household term. COVID-19 is likely to be with us a while. The longer it lasts, the more likely it is to significantly influence the new norm. It’s surreal and the heavens forbid that what we have now should become permanent. Though COVID-19 will pass, the impact it leaves probably won’t. Now, we’re being “forced” to work from home. What happens IF people like working from home better? What IF companies also see that a “virtual office” environment can save them lots of money?
We’re being forced to try something different. We might actually like it. Maybe not at first, but…
Though not epidemiologists, we’ve had plenty of experience with remote development and outsourcing software development. Most of those who have experienced telecommuting actually love it. They’re more productive, more likely to keep their job long, love the extra time, and other benefits. Telecommuting saves them, and their employer, money.
There actually are quite a few advantages to working remotely:
So, it’s not all bad – except that last one might be a little more than anyone needs to know. Some of our telecommute friends love remote development so much they refuse regular office jobs. The transition does take some acclimatizing and can be harder for people who really like the social element at the office. However, there are a lot of options to help with that.
There are clear advantages for businesses, too:
With many more people being exposed to telecommuting, many of them will like a lot. When the crisis is over, it may be difficult for them to adjust or want to adjust to the way things used to be. Whether we like it or not, we all have some time to think about it. There may be some bumps along the way – and probably enough time to iron out small adjustments to our work processes.
The COVID-19 virus has thrown the world into unchartered territory in many regards. But, remote development is not one of them. Companies often outsource work to other software development agencies and freelancers. Many let devs work from home or on the road. Telecommuting is a standard practice.
Many of today’s jobs don’t require one’s physical presence in an office. Indeed, entire companies can be managed from anywhere – at home, on the subway, even at the beach. It’s not limited to software developers by any stretch of the imagination. Telecommuting is viable for sales, marketing, customer service, and online technical support. It also works for managers of all these teams, and for executives, too.
Maybe awkward at first, remote development requires extra attention to three things:
Traditionally, everything is centralized in an office. Telecommuting requires making sure everything is available wherever team members choose to work.
Situations like COVID-19 have put entire countries into lockdown. This warrants having a checklist to make sure all team members have the hardware and software they need. In a manner of speaking, your team will be working in a field environment. This can hinder getting needed hardware and software to developers. Enterprise Holdings has a Work from Home Checklist to provide a starting point for your own WFH Checklist.
Most companies provide their developers with laptops loaded with software that they can use from home. Software and subscriptions are usually controlled through a single company account, often Finance. But this is not always the case, particularly with startups and smaller companies. Make a checklist of the software your developers and engineers will need. Verify they have it on their system. Prioritize exceptions, it may not be necessary for everyone to have a copy of everything. Work can be structured according to those who do. Think of it as a game like Loadout, EVE Online, or even WOW. Everyone’s got their own kit – some of it’s common (and free). Some of it is EPIC (and expensive).
Take a few minutes to chat with the person who controls the budget for your department. Work out arrangements on how to handle any hardware and software purchases for team members lacking them. Nearly 80% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. Software is often a non-trivial expense.
A remote development environment doesn’t negate schedules or the need for communication. It may allow for some extra flexibility.
It would also be wise to have a directory for all team members and their communication channels. Managers should have everyone’s mobile numbers, emergency contact, and physical address, too. Someone who has contracted COVID-19 can go from “healthy” to “very sick” overnight. They may not be able to notify you that they’re ill, assisting a family member who has taken ill, or another emergency.
This isn’t intended to cause any more alarm than there is. These are measures that should exist anyway. Some companies seem to dismiss or have forgotten them. This isn’t also about everyone else who keeps the electricity and the Internet running. Their people could get sick, or their services and events get disrupted. Emergency disruptions can impact everyone.
There’s always some risk of unsupervised team members to slack off. It could be purely unintentional. Working from home is subject to more distractions than in the office. Children home from school still need parental attention. A short glance at the television can lead to hours. On the flip side, with nothing better to do, some team members may end up working longer than if they were at the office.
Working from home and the isolation it brings can take getting used to. It may induce depression in some team members. It could be exactly what the doctor ordered for others. Software development managers need to be sensitive to this and find ways to help those having a hard time to cope with the disruption.
At the same time, you still have a customer depending upon you more than ever to deliver their software on schedule. You only have a few ways to remotely monitor your team’s performance and progress.
We are biased about the value of automated software development analytics. Our goal is to provide software engineers with valuable insights to increase their team’s productivity and efficiency. Gitential also provides insight that can help identify if team members are struggling. So informed, you can proactively engage them to find out why and reach a solution.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the reports Gitential generates. If you’d like, you can follow along or explore the Demo on your own.
At a glance, you can see the coding time of all team members. Exact numbers displayed for each team member on mouse-over. Time on task is only part of the equation though.
Obviously, productivity isn’t synonymous with efficiency, nor does it identify code complexity. Our software development analytics provides additional reports for:
Knowing your team members, assignments, hours, and productivity enables you to identify irregularities.
The Internet’s been around long enough for many of today’s developers to not remember how life was without it. In bygone years, we had limitations like 56 baud modems that would’ve made it impossible for any business to remain operational. The devices, software, and tools we have available today make it possible for us to do almost anything from anywhere. For software developers today, the isolation efforts are a mere inconvenience even though the impact of the crisis is global and far-reaching.
The impact on everyone’s lives, however, is heart-wrenching. We are deeply saddened by the impact of lives lost to COVID-19, and other diseases, too – Heart Disease, Cancer, AIDS, and so many others. We truly wish everyone suffering from the virus a rapid recovery to full health. Keep safe and be well!
Using AI for customer service in your company is a definite method to save time and money. If you’re like most business owners, you’re constantly searching for fresh, creative ways to improve your enterprise. We’re here to inform you that improving AI customer service is a simple and rapid win.
If you have a team of software engineers and want to move them to Mac, you will need to consider a number of things before you do so.
Here’s what’s new in our January 2023 Release Notes:
* Tables Columns Sorting Improved
* Reconcile Commits Count Between KPI Card and the Table
* Efficiency Tab Improvements and Efficiency KPI Cards Align
