BUSINESS INTERVIEW

business owners and directors. Over time,

I noticed that it was all about processes again.

First mapping and setting them up, then

subsequent digitization and automation.

Processes are a very unattractive topic

for a lot of companies, but the difference

between successful and stable companies

and the opposite, is ultimately found in how

good or automated those processes are.

They are the foundations of any business that

will help you through economic instability

during bad times, and save you a lot of

worry, nerves and costs when the business

is growing. That’s why I focused on

processes. Nowadays, I’m mostly focusing

on digitalisation, because I think that

companies have to prepare very quickly for

the future, which involves the use of artificial

intelligence in everyday working life. In

my opinion, even established companies

that have fallen behind the times and have

not prepared sufficiently for the future of

technology, may have problems.

What is your main focus, what services

do you offer to clients?

Generally speaking, I offer companies

help with digitalization of processes,

whether the company operates in

a “paper-and-pencil” mode or already

uses advanced digitalization and needs

to mainly automate processes or look for

other digital solutions. Every digitalization

starts with a detailed process analysis.

I meet with employees, managers and

owners and ask them how they do their

work. What they need and use to do it,

where are the risk areas are and what

bothers them the most. With the business

owners and directors, strategy and visions

for the future are very important to me, so

that we don’t just make a solution for the

current state of the company, but rather

that it is also suitable for the next ten years.

From all these pieces, I then put together

a proposal for implementation of a digital

solution, which I then discuss in detail with

the company’s management. I look not

only at the return on investment, but also

at the effect it will have in the company,

how it will affect thier employees and

whether it will in any way jeopardize

the company’s established activities.

A road map of implementations is

then drawn up, describing what will be

implemented in what timeframe and

what impact it will have on the company.

We then work with our colleagues to

implement these solutions and finally to

train and support employees in problem

solving. This gives the company a partner

who takes care of it in the long term and

continuously develops in these topics.

What technologies do you use to digitize

your business processes and what are

the latest trends in this area?

As I mentioned, the latest trend is the use

of artificial intelligence in everyday

activities. Today, this is mainly in the field

of marketing and translation services. Very

soon we will also see it in legal services

and gradually over time there probably

will be no activity where this technology

does not help us. Companies that are

able to use this technology will have

incomparably lower costs and greater

added value for customers than those that

do not use it. However, most companies

must also prepare for this period. If my

company is not yet sufficiently digitized, if

I do not know how to collect and evaluate

data, and if I do not know how to choose

the right programmes and applications to

do so, then I will probably not be able to

benefit from the savings and efficiencies

of using this technology. We are therefore

looking towards information systems,

programmes and applications that are

already technologically advanced today

and they themselves are looking for

ways to use neural networks to support

their users. For example, an information

system today is already able to efficiently

manage the purchasing process and

reduce the resources tied up in inventory,

or it can make personalized, data-driven

recommendations for the eshop basket

and therefore increase the company’s

turnover. I like this approach because it

gives the customer the opportunity to

use these technologies without having to

develop it themselves.

You mention on your website: He who still

ploughs with horses is sleeping through

time. It’s time to get a tractor. Those who

fall asleep will have to sell their fields. It’s

inevitable. So, in your opinion, companies

that do not digitize and automate their

processes cannot survive?

It will in fact be very difficult to survive.

Do you know a commercial farmer who

still ploughs with horses? This analogy is

of course meant in hyperbole, but it sets

a mirror quite well to business owners

who are still hesitating. Of course, there

will be industries or activities that, by their

very nature, will work without “deploying

ones and zeros,” but there will be just few

of them.

What are the biggest mistakes Czech

companies make in terms of adopting

new technologies?

They are afraid of change, afraid that it

will ruin them and afraid that it will bring

them nothing. Change always hurts and

any such change needs to be well thought

out and planned in advance so that it does

not jeopardise the business. That’s why I’m

a fan of smaller, incremental changes that

gradually transform a company without

employees noticing. This is, of course,

the ideal situation, but it is still important

to keep this in mind. We prefer to simulate

and test the deployed solutions (especially

in the company’s core processes) several

times before deploying them into daily

operations. It is also good to have a backup

plan in case we have to take a step back.

Even the idea of being financially

challenged is a common obstacle.

In the past, companies have been

approached by vendors selling expensive

ERP solutions, and even a tiny company has

heard quotes that were in the hundreds of

thousands or millions. Such information

systems and their vendors still exist, but

few people know that better and even

significantly less expensive solutions also

exist today. Personally, I do not have

a partnership with any information systems

or applications provider. I am independent

in this respect and can can therefore

recomend exactly exactly the solution

that matches the company’s requirements

and it will be priced accordingly.

What would you recommend to

companies that feel the need to go digital

but don’t know how to get started?

Hire an expert. An outsider who can

evaluate the current state, propose

a solution and help the company with an

implementation that will save the company

a lot of money in the end. Today’s world,

and digitalization in particular, is fastpaced and it’s not so easy to keep track

of new trends or be able to evaluate

the benefits of opportunities, which

are countless. Therefore, I recommend

carefully selecting an expert for planning

changes within the company that will lead

to a long-term perspective and focus on

employee satisfaction. It’s not an easy

path, but it’s one that should be embarked

upon today.

Jakub, thank you for the interview.

Text: redakce

Foto: archiv Jakuba Brady

www.positiv.cz ǀ 13