Digitalisation in my work

I work as a sales representative. I have been working in my current role for the past eight years. An older colleague has told me that about 30 years ago, the main tools for the job were a pen, paper and a calculator. They had paper maps to help them find the customer. Their orders were usually sent by post or fax. Digitalisation has completely changed the job description of sales representatives. The work can be called mobile work, since nowadays we work in different locations, using electronic technology / mobile devices. Digitalisation is important for my job, as mobile devices can be used for working in a café or in a car, for example. And all the information required for the job can be found on mobile devices; customer data, orders, sales data, campaigns and payments. Additionally, reporting is nowadays more efficient with mobile devices. Sales data plays an important role, and digitalisation makes it effortless to collect. It can be used to predict sales and target them to specific customers. Marketing activities are also often based on sales data.

I believe that digitalisation will make the work of sales representatives even easier in the future. Or perhaps the job description will change radically, and sales representatives will no longer physically go to meet with their customers. Smart devices and software will open up countless new opportunities to do the job better and faster. It’s hard to predict what the situation will be in ten or twenty years’ time, but in the shorter term, I think the processes will become more automated, information and data will be more accessible, better calculation software, and employees won’t have to remember so many things themselves.

GDPR

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a general data protection regulation that became applicable in all EU countries in 2018, with the aim of providing better protection for personal data and more ways to control how personal data is processed.

Digitalisation is enabling new, more flexible ways of working. E-commerce aims to provide people with a better service, wherever and whenever they might need it. However, in an open digital society, there is a risk that people’s personal data could fall into the wrong hands and they could become victims of crime. Or leaking business secrets. Most computer users are aware of viruses, and/or may not know what an identity theft is or how they can become a victim to a cyber attack or financial fraud. This is an enormous risk for people who lack basic digital skills.

To understand the risks of digital security, person first needs to understand the existence of such risks. The first step in managing risks of digital security is therefore increasing awareness and knowledge building. Digital equality is built by strengthening skills, increasing educational equality and supporting continuous learning.

The General Data Protection Regulation does not affect my job much. All of the contacts are public but every piece of information from the customers are kept private and won’t be shared to outsiders.

Self-reflection

Digitalisation raises complex feelings; good and bad. It is wonderful that the digital evolution is developing, and I have no fears towards an artificial intelligence. It makes life easier in various ways, but people’s private security is under a threat, if they aren’t aware of how to prevent viruses or cyber attacks. With the help of the course material, I started to ponder my own digital skills and I noticed that there are new things emerging all the time, so I must maintain my skills as the digital evolution develops. I have never written a blog in my life so only keeping the page up has taught me a great deal of new digital skills.

Read more: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/data-protection-reform/

I left my comments on https://blogi.savonia.fi/digitalisedanne/digi-society/ and https://blogi.savonia.fi/paulakivekas/digi-society/ blog.