Tech firms respond to Nordic government calls

Nordic techs firms have responded to a call by governments for innovation to support efforts to re-boot their economies, by helping companies re-emerge and resume operations post Covid-19 lockdowns.

Specifically, Nordic governments want tech developed that can enable enterprises to restore normal business activities, by merging improved virus screening with flexible digital solutions that facilitate managers and employees who need to work on-site or remotely from home. 

Nordic companies operating in the artificial intelligence (AI) and digital domains have been quick out of the blocks, offering companies greater choice in running core parts of their operations remotely. Remote working technologies are being eagerly sought by Nordic companies, especially businesses that are experiencing difficulties in persuading employees to return to work in the absence of a Covid-19 vaccine or authorised effective treatments.

As a result, more Nordic companies have turned to AI, telecommuting and smart virtual assistant technology tools to deliver the stopgap they require to navigate their businesses successfully through the continuing pandemic. 

The fear of business failure is very real, said Jyri Häkämies, the director general of EK, Finland’s confederation of Finnish industries. A business survey conducted by the EK among 1,873 Finnish firms revealed that over 20% of employers fear the prospect of bankruptcy in the next 6 to 12 months due to the Covid-19 crisis.

“The survey indicates that we could see even a higher rate of bankruptcies and mass unemployment than was the case during recessions in the 1990s,” said Häkämies.

The Covid-19-linked lockdown disruption caused to business continuity across the Nordic region has created new avenues of opportunity for tech companies with a surge in interest for innovative cost-efficient business support services.

Identifying its own window of opportunity, Sweden-based Artificial Solutions expanded its AI-driven business support virtual assistant offerings. In April, the company launched Tiva, an AI virtual assistant modelled on its Teneo Intelligent Virtual Assistant chatbox technology, which is targeted at public and private sector organisations.

Tiva is designed to provide an added layer of human resources (HR) support to enterprises working in multiple languages across different time zones. At its most fundamental, Tiva delivers a rapid deployment of automated HR and IT support to employees working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The enhanced automation in Tiva means that HR and IT departments are better able to focus on core duties while using it to handle mundane and repetitive tasks. Such tasks range from dealing with routine employee-related requests regarding available telecommuting resources, basic IT support to help establish hotspots, as well as liaising on leave and bonus payment issues.  

“Tiva is more than just another dumb chatbot tool spouting Covid-19 advice. It fulfils a vital need for enterprises forced to adopt a work from home strategy almost overnight, and with no real infrastructure to support the vast number of queries and issues that employees are encountering,” said Andy Peart, chief marketing and strategy officer at Artificial Solutions.

The rapid take-up of technology by pandemic impacted companies has also accelerated digital transformations in Nordic companies.  

Pressured to respond to economic challenges posed by Covid-19, Nordic companies are rolling-out plans to increase the pace of transformation in services and solutions by implementing tech-led efficiency improvements.