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Creating software for millennialsAround half of South Africa's people are 25 and under and they are reshaping the working world with their new expectations of workplace technology. Businesses that want to make the most of millennials in their workforce need to ensure that they give young professionals the tools they need to perform at their best. This digital, tech-savvy generation expects access to information instantly and on the go. ![]() © Robert Churchill – 123RF.com Martin Gunnarsson, Director at IFS Product Strategies & IFS Labs, says, "Millennials are the first group in history to have grown up in a digital age, with technology intertwined in every part of their lives. What happens when young professionals, reared on the instant gratification, social connectedness and simplicity of Instagram and WhatsApp, encounter the non-glitzy reality of business software? "Millennials want tools that can maximise their sense of flexibility. More often than not, this translates into flexible work hours, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and their choice of software. In the end, it is about the user experience." Key pointsHardware is not enough to retain young talent. If you want to appeal to millennials, do not forget to complement hardware investments, such as smartphones and tablets, with similar investments in software. Speak to your software vendors about the possibility of lifting out commonly recurring processes (for an ERP system, this might be something like time and travel reporting) from the back-end system to mobile applications.
Like any generation, Millennials want to work and prosper on their own terms, using the tools that they trust. In the context of business, this entails quick and easy access to data, visually appealing, fully customisable interfaces and, if possible, a way to communicate with colleagues in a social media setting. Given the sheer size of the millennial generation, that seems like a small price to pay if it means happy and loyal employees. For more information, go to www.ifsworld.com. |