Companies are investing in tech solutions for a hybrid workforce: Leo Joseph, MD – India, Xerox

Xerox’s recent global ‘Future of Work’ survey of 600 senior IT decision-makers found that 56% are increasing technology budgets, and 34% are planning to speed up digitisation efforts. “From banking and insurance, education, healthcare to the public sector, we see many enterprises transitioning from paper-based processes to a more productive, secure, digitised workflow,” says Leo Joseph, managing director – India, Xerox. “Almost every process can be digitised and automated in some way, making it possible to do more for less in time and money,” he tells Sudhir Chowdhary in a recent interview. Excerpts:

What has been the impact of pandemic on the printer industry in India?
The pandemic has catalysed digitisation efforts. Xerox’s recent global ‘Future of Work’ survey of 600 senior IT decision-makers found that 56% are increasing technology budgets, and 34% are planning to speed up digitisation efforts. From banking and insurance, education, healthcare to the public sector, we see many enterprises transitioning from paper-based processes to a more productive, secure, digitised workflow. Discussions with our customers focus on how Xerox and its channel partners can help them ramp up their digitisation journey and take their operations to the next level.

One of our biggest strengths is our ConnectKey technology, which turns a device into a key enabler for digitisation and translates, shares and creates electronic documents as well as copying, scanning and printing. Additionally, consumers are looking to invest in the latest connected printers and the A4 printer market has got a boost.

How important is the India business for the company?
India is one of the key growth markets for Xerox and plays a crucial role in the company’s global roadmap. Demand for tech and IT services in India has been growing and with it, our partner and client footprint. Xerox has built a reputation in India for innovation and client dedication that extends beyond any particular technology— helping businesses communicate, connect and work better.

How is Xerox helping businesses address the technology gaps?
Almost every process can be digitised and automated in some way, making it possible to do more for less in time and money. That’s absolutely critical in a time when every rupee must be accounted for and the creativity of every team member must be maximally engaged. Organisations are actively supporting and investing in technology solutions for a hybrid workforce. Our survey shows 58% of respondents plan to change their work from home policy within the next year. This new acceptance of a hybrid workforce has also revealed technology gaps, with companies increasing investment in remote technology resources (55%) or a hybrid of remote and in-office resources (40%). Globally, we’re helping businesses and governments digitise data, secure it in the cloud and automate into workflows, modernise their IT infrastructure with cloud services.

With work from home becoming the new normal, companies are facing numerous challenges like employee availability and location. How will Team Availability app overcome these challenges?
Xerox’s Team Availability App is a quick-to-deploy, real-time solution for organisations that need to understand employee availability and location. Knowing where and whether employees are working is critical to managing flexible work environments, where the percentage of employees sharing time between home and work locations grows. Unlike other attendance management tools, which need to plug into IT infrastructure and take weeks to implement, the Team Availability app is ready in just hours. Once populated, the app provides authorised users with customisable and privacy-protected data for strategic decision making.

The UK’s prestigious Imperial NHS Trust was the first organisation to pilot the Xerox Team Availability app to access the status of essential workers across the Trust and its newly assigned locations at the height of the pandemic.

From which sectors/ industries do you expect demand for Team Availability app in India?
We anticipate the banking, financial services and insurance, IT/ITeS and healthcare sectors to benefit greatly from automation and digitisation.

What is Xerox ’s focus in India given the changed market dynamics? What will be the brand’s strategy in the wake of Covid-19?
Our customers need technology solutions that help sustain and grow their businesses in the wake of the pandemic and beyond. Our focus is on developing and introducing solutions that work as business enablers and help accelerate our customers’ digital transformation journey securely in a sustainable, cost-effective manner over the long term.