The COVID-19 pandemic has produced significant public data about illnesses, test results and the impact the virus is having on our economy. However, the scientific sites related to the disease do not answer key business “back to work” questions. Top 25 public accounting and consulting firm Armanino saw a need for actionable data to inform decision makers on what steps it would take to safely reopen and enlisted its Data & Analytics team to create a COVID Recovery Tracker for businesses. With the realization that the pandemic is likely here to stay for some time, businesses are more cognizant of the need for data than ever before to make informed decisions about employees returning to workspaces.
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The Data & Analytics practice was founded in January 2020, as the firm realized the importance data will play in defining and executing corporate strategies over the next decade. The Data & Analytics team, in conjunction with the firm’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, is bringing the latest in digital transformation capabilities to clients. Made up of data scientists with a background in computer science, the Data & Analytics team identifies relevant data points and uses its findings to create actionable solutions for clients to optimize business operations in the areas of customer churn prediction, operational and manufacturing insights, finance operations, fraud and anomaly detection, return-to-work insights and many more.
When the seriousness of the pandemic became clear, the Data & Analytics team quickly produced a COVID Recovery Tracker and made it available to the public. The tracker provides data and analytics on COVID-19 to the county level in each state. This allows business operators to understand the impact the virus is having in every location. Currently, the tracker generates more web traffic than even the firm’s homepage, with users reporting it’s often their first stop when they start their day.
“There is so much COVID data out there, but it’s often measured in a variety of ways that aren’t necessarily useful for business decision makers,” said Matt Armanino, CEO of Armanino. “We went about collecting relevant data from a variety of credible sources and created easy-to-use dashboards that illustrate trends relevant to businesses, such as seven- and 14-day moving averages of new case trends, population foot traffic patterns, statewide testing rates and up-to-date government guidelines.”
The core philosophy of Armanino’s Data & Analytics team is to demystify data and present it in simple ways that guide actionable policies and changes businesses can make to optimize their operations, on any subject from customer relationship modeling to comparing COVID outbreaks throughout the country.
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“If your business has offices or stores across various metro areas, you’ll want to know what’s going on in each territory in order to make informed decisions,” said Armanino.
The success of the tracker and interest from clients has led the firm to expand its offering into a full suite of Return-to-Work solutions – including a mobile application that provides insight and visualization with employee wellness monitoring and a workspace scheduler. Everything from workplace integrity to floorplan distancing to even sick leave policies has been upended by the coronavirus.
“The Return-to-Work App is another way we are empowering businesses to use data to make informed decisions about their workforce,” said Tom Mescall, Armanino partner-in-charge of consulting. “With the application, businesses can securely and discreetly work with their staff to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and create work floorplans that meet CDC social distancing guidelines.”
So, while many companies are sticking with remote work for the foreseeable future, there is a need for the tools that will help the C-suite and HR leaders make informed decisions about reopening the workplace. And Armanino’s data scientists and consultants are working to ensure businesses can do so.
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