How to Use Technology in Your Business Effectively
That’s the real issue here. Sometimes, you have to look for problems where you work and to ask questions.
Let’s look at some basic items that AI cannot solve:
We have a client who is a manufacturing company. As cartons of product were being stacked on pallets and shrink wrapped, production people were recording on a production worksheet how much they’d made. The problem was not that product was counted with paper and pencil but rather, the next step in the process was the problem. Hours could pass between the time the product was made and the time this new inventory was available to sell. Meanwhile customers would be frustrated with backorders. Our solution was to simply place a computer at the shrink-wrap machine and attach a bar code scanner. Then barcode labels were attached to the production sheets for each pallet to be made. Simple implementation with a 5% increase in sales was the result.
AI doesn’t do that. Humans do that. People do that when they look at the processes around them at work and wonder if there is a better idea. AI has already improved our work. But it really starts with the person. So it is up to us to observe and to ask questions, and to ultimately think differently. This is a challenge in a job where everything around you is familiar.
This is why “outsiders” or what I like to call “Attached Outsiders” are a valuable resource. In all of the years where this writer has been involved in the manufacturing business, many times the small to medium sized businesses have been simply too busy to work on things that improve efficiency. They know things are out there to improve their operation but actually getting those things done in their business is beyond the amount of time they have.
The Solution:
Partner with someone who cares about you and your enterprise. Offload what is not your core business and strength. Play Mr. Potato Head! Switch the eyes. You might see things better.
