2020 has been a challenging year for many of us — furloughs, job losses and hiring freezes created a climate of uncertainty for professionals across industries, at varying stages of their careers. However, it also created an impetus for fresh thinking and greater flexibility in the way we approach work.
The pandemic triggered a surge in freelancer registrations on Flexing It as the number of highly skilled independent consultants doubled — this included top talent from leading companies who had been furloughed or lost their jobs as a result of Covid-19. Among them were experienced management professionals with cross functional…
Flexing It’s recent research on the professional or highly skilled gig economy in 2019–20 showed that COVID-19 had significantly accelerated demand for the best freelance talent across sectors. The overwhelming success of WFH has led to many organizations piloting new ways of working, including longer term planning to leverage distributed global teams and a mix of full-time, flexible and freelance talent. Further, as a result of COVID-19, over 80% of projects on the platform have been remote, with growing acceptance amongst blue chip corporations for remote freelance work, and sharply defined projects.
Alongside this, there has been an undeniable mindset…
As global demand for skilled freelancers grows, Flexing It’s recent research reported a 2x spike in consultant registrations signalling a significant mind set shift amongst professionals as they increasingly see freelancing as a smarter strategy in an uncertain global job market. As a result of the economic uncertainty Flexing It has also seen a much sharper focus among its consultants on upskilling and business development in order to differentiate themselves amidst an increasingly competitive landscape for the best freelance talent.
Consultants are aligning business development strategies to meet demand, and focussing on current clients, and shorter projects. Overall, consultants are…
Originally published on Flexing It
Chandrika Pasricha (Founder & CEO, Flexing It) left a career as a management consultant at McKinsey to freelance. In her search for a more flexible career path she found that though many of her peers were a similar journey, and clients were keen to work with independent talent, there was a lack of awareness and access on both sides. She founded Flexing It to bring them together, a platform which now supports over 60,000 vetted business consultants and more than 3000 clients worldwide.
Empowering top freelance talent is at the heart of Flexing It’s mission…
Originally published by Flexing It
The days of bulk outsourcing (of entire transactional departments to offshore locations) are over and those jobs are not simply going back home either. If they haven’t already come back to the country of origin, those previously offshored jobs are most likely being automated. According to World Bank estimates, almost 69% of the jobs outsourced to India are likely to be directly impacted /under threat from automation.
So is that the end of offshored outsourcing? It is certainly complicated!
The businesses that will thrive in the future will be those that can elevate their leadership…
Access to customer data allows businesses to optimise their resources for greater operational efficiency
As firms that are part of a supply chain or part of an ecosystem innovate and change their models, others in the ecosystem are forced to do the same to stay in the game.
In the supply chain and logistics world, the advent of the ‘digital supply chain’, one that breaks down the inefficiencies associated with the lack of transparency across the supply chain, is a game-changer. The goal is to have all information visible to all players (including the customer) in the supply chain real-time. Advanced analytics and algorithms built over this data will enable every player in the…
Customers willing to share behavioral data to receive personalized experiences
Today’s consumers are increasingly more connected, better informed and tech-savvy than ever before.
Accenture research in the insurance industry 6 notes that “customers crave personalized offers and experiences from their providers. Eighty percent of insurance consumers are looking for personalized offers, messages, pricing and recommendations from their auto, home or life insurance providers. In fact, 77 percent of insurance customers are willing to provide usage and behaviour data in exchange for lower premiums, quicker claims settlement or coverage recommendations.”
Customer expectations of hyper-personalized service, anywhere-anytime multichannel interactions and support, and “smart” or digitally enhanced product features are forcing businesses to…
Pathbreaking technological advancements and positive ROI causing adoption across industries
The last few years have seen several pathbreaking and disruptive technological advancements, not limited to the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented reality and virtual reality, 3D Printing, Blockchain, Big Data and cloud technologies. Combinatorial effects of these technologies are powering new business models that are challenging traditional ones.
The World Economic Forum’s DTI notes that “Return on investments in new technologies is positive overall, with a 3X productivity increase realized when technologies are deployed in combination.”
Evolution of standardized frameworks, open source solutions and multiple cloud-based service…
Digital Transormation — A key priority for business leaders across industries
Digital Transformation’ (DX) is the new buzzword that has caught the attention of CXOs and management across industries and geographies over the last few years. However, this phrase does not have one common, concrete definition — it is being used and interpreted differently by every organization, specific to its own context, industry, market, and digital maturity.
What is more agreed-upon, however, is that digital transformation is not purely a technological or IT transformation within an organization, but a much broader journey of re-imagining or transforming business models and business processes within the organization, that has been made possible because of…
For entrepreneurs looking to capitalise on India’s new found digital dividend, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) is a truly attractive sector. The rise of e-commerce platforms, as well as social media marketing, has made it possible for new brands to make their case to the Indian consumer, without having to navigate the barriers of brick & mortar sales channels dominated by large conglomerates. Research by the Boston Consulting Group(BCG) and Google, estimates that digitally influenced FMCG purchases could touch INR 45 bn by 2020[1]. …
