IoT enabled networks of sensors, advanced BIM, AI, ML, drones, and AR & VR; are the new tools unlocking value across the construction value chain. A recent study(2) has found that such Proptech innovations could result in global savings of $0.7-1.2 trillion yearly in the early design phase, and $0.3-0.5 trillion in life-cycle operations; over the next ten years. But even these sizable monetary advantages pale, against the positive socio-economic impact of the sector’s enthusiastic adoption of emerging tech.

Opportunities and challenges

One concern about digitalization in construction is that it is inconsistent. While automation is reducing workforce risks and increasing productivity; supply chains and inventory continue to lag even among bigger players, despite the example of progressive companies who are using smart logistics, RFID labelling, and advanced ERP solutions. Addressing this imbalance could have great socio-economic implications – from more affordable housing, to a boost to economic growth and employment. Some of the more important enhancements that digitalization is unlocking in the construction industry include:

•  Digitalization is making next-gen BIM possible: Building Information Modelling (BIM) is allowing stakeholders across the construction value chain to identify weaknesses, as well as opportunities for optimization. A significant enabler of data-driven operations and management, emerging BIM is transforming everything from early design stages, to the post construction building life-cycle.
• Implementing sustainable and cutting edge construction tech: The use of drones, 3D printing, and automation, are unlocking better productivity and time bound construction – in an industry notorious for delays in projects. Some of the most significant advances are being made early in the construction process, with site-mapping, design, and planning being streamlined by emerging technologies. This is not to say that other functions do not have tech-enabled advantages to leverage. 3D printing and pre-fab construction are ushering in an era of carbon-neutral construction – something that seemed virtually impossible, not long ago.
• Improving safety of onsite workers: Construction accidents are much more commonplace than in other industries, and this is true of the MENA region as well. The rise of wearable technologies has the potential to make a huge difference – through advanced alarm systems, communication headsets, proximity sensors, and heart rate monitors. Digitalization is also allowing safety protocols, to be standardized, implemented, and monitored, more effectively.

What MAST brings to construction

Data centers, analytics, and digital platforms are now a critical aspect of the construction sector. MAST Consulting’s Customer Intelligence and Analytics App (CIAA) uses data mining and collation, to unlock actionable insights for all stakeholders. Archiving the huge amount of historical data generated by construction – using license-based or open-protocol, and features like SNAPLOCK or WORM, and data compaction – is enhancing data accessibility, integrity, and security, with both cloud based and on-premises solutions. SD-WAN technology is transforming connectivity, enabling the effective optimization of remote sites from a centralized location. Blockchain-based authentication is set to introduce even greater decentralization, collaboration, and security, in the immediate future.

Empowered by digitalization, the MENA construction industry will have growth rate of 4.1%(4), by 2022. In essence, tech adoption in construction will emerge as one of the central drivers of economic diversification in the region, and redefine socio-economic outcomes, such as quality of life, affordable housing, employment, and investment returns.

Reference

1.Weforum      

2. BCG

3. Global data

About MAST Consulting and MAST Consulting Group

A profitable home-grown UAE start-up, with a global footprint, MAST Consulting is a technology advisory and consulting firm headquartered in the UAE, with unique expertise in driving the end-to-end digital transformation of businesses, across sectors. With over 100 clients in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, and over 80 years of cumulative global experience, MAST Consulting brings best practices from the consulting and the technology world under one umbrella. The company’s client portfolio includes an impressive list of market leaders, namely Panasonic, Hitachi, DIFC, Al Futtaim, Dubai Holding and Danube, among others.

Original Post : Construction will drive Socio-Economic positives through Digitalization (linkedin.com)

Published on November 10, 2021

The post Construction will drive Socio-Economic positives through Digitalization appeared first on MAST Consulting Group | Most trusted Cyber Security Partner.

The most effective retailers in the contemporary marketplace continually rethink CX. Any potential initiative must work for both online and in-store retail experiences, as part of a larger omnichannel strategy — or in the words of Jason White(2), Retail Practice Lead at Pexip UK and Ireland, “Ensuring that your online and in-store offerings work in harmony has never been so important.”

Employee Empowerment is critical to effective CX

So, if a sizable number of CX strategies are ineffective, what constitutes a successful omnichannel retail strategy? There is no wrong answer to this question, as every strategy works in a certain scenario, for a specific timeframe, and with a particular customer base. Lately, for instance, user behavior and expectations have evolved considerably, requiring brands to invest more resources into the retail experience. However, for any such strategy to work, brands need to have a robust foundation. And employee empowerment is a critical pillar of this foundation.

 Educator and Author Stephen Covey, in his book ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’(3), explains it best: “An empowered organization,” writes Covey, “is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success”. From a purely retail standpoint, this translates to the empowerment of frontline staff, customer representatives, marketers, and salespeople, through the right tools, in-house strategies, and skills.

CX falters without empowered employees

Imagine you formulate a terrific CX strategy to drive seamless experiences, but your employees are not well-informed about it; imagine you launch your most ambitious, laborious, and expensive CX initiative to date, but employees entrusted with implementation have no clear direction — you are set up for failure from the get-go.

 At MAST Consulting we’ve observed that such scenarios are not uncommon in retail. We often encounter retailers who disproportionately focus on external systems, overlooking the internal systems and processes associated with employees. In fact, retailers are often receptive to the adoption of new technologies, experimentation, and out-of-the-box strategies; only to downplay employee empowerment. When a small fraction of the total CX investment can enable employees’ upskilling and enhance their productivity, we believe it calls for retailers to rethink their priorities. Employee empowerment through full-stack solutions suite

MAST Consulting has formulated its Retail Employee empower solution (RIAA) to improve retail merchandising and marketing, while providing real-time value. RetailE includes employee empowerment-centric features such as:

•  Scheduling and task management: Outdated in-house operations involving whiteboards and spreadsheets leave room for discrepancies, in scheduling and task management. Optimization not only depends on simplifying processes but also adopting cloud-based scheduling, which can help retail managers effectively designate tasks, define specific roles, and enhance accountability, in retail spaces.
• Product placement management: Retailers must ask themselves: Why do shoppers come to the store if they can shop the same products online? It is to see, touch, and feel the products. Retailers must optimize the product placement to tap into this touch-and-feel factor. Insight-led product displays and layout strategies can exert a powerful influence on shopping decisions. Spatial analysis of shelving, the use of schematics and planograms, and collation of observational activity and sales data for analytics, contribute to effective insights.
• Advanced reporting tool: Ready access to a suite of custom reports and graphs, relating to your business, can support retail decision making; while ensuring that the reportage is course-corrected and made more insightful for all future intents and purposes.
• Market intel: The combination of AI and analytics can help employees turn massive amounts of operational data into actionable insights that can be utilized to create hyper-convenient retail experiences. Insights are the biggest empowering factor that employees lack, in contemporary retail operations.

MAST Consulting’s RIAA gives employees a degree of autonomy over creative and non-executive decisions, which can foster their decision-making abilities and productivity. Needless to add, empowered and productive employees have been linked to organizational bottom-lines and brand differentiation by many studies. Notably, when Harvard Business Review(4) examined the results of 105 studies, which included data from more than 30,000 employees from 30 countries; to establish a strong correlation between employee empowerment and multiple business positives. At MAST Consulting, we believe this impact is even more pronounced in the retail industry.

Original Post : Employee empowerment is the gateway to great retail CX (linkedin.com)

Published on October 24, 2021

The post Employee empowerment is the gateway to great retail CX appeared first on MAST Consulting Group | Most trusted Cyber Security Partner.