Tim: The concept of empowerment is one
that we at Atrion have been exploring for
quite some time. To that end, I could not
be more excited that we’ve been able to
assemble a powerhouse panel to discuss
the topic. To begin, why don’t you each
detail some of the top challenges you face
in your organization today.
Mike: I think you’ll all agree that being
tasked to do more with less is a common
challenge. But aside from that, what we’ve
also found is that over the years, there
has been a growth in business users in
terms of their maturity. They are hungrier
for data and we are sitting on an ocean
of data that I am not entirely sure we are
totally tapping into yet. Moving forward, IT
will have to bring the business user along
and have them tell IT what they need so it
can deliver exactly what they need.
Dave: Mike, we too see this new generation of consumer, and it is literally changing
the face of the planet. This generation and
their connection to technology are creating a force that’s causing business models
to change. And that change has the best
companies leveraging technologies like
“omni-channel,” “integration,” “big data”
and “mobile” to deliver the next generation
guest experience.
So for us, in retail, our biggest opportunity
is to create a positive guest-centric experience. We actually conducted a survey
at the National Retail Federation—Chief
Information Officer Council—and found
that among the top three areas of focus
for CIOs is creating that cross-channel
experience. CIOs are investing in this; it’s
becoming the new normal. So our commitment remains delivering an amazing
guest experience and making sure we have
the systems in place to help to deliver on
that commitment.
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