By Ken McDonald / Part 2 of 3-Part Series
In a previous post, we discussed how technology solutions that empower cooperation, review, and approval by key stakeholders are now the standard for global organizations – and we talked
about how those tools can enhance compliance controls in remote work environments. We showed that work from home (WFH) mobilization has intensified the need for this technology so that marketing organizations can maintain accurate insights into policy compliance and transparency across all critical business operations.
Companies that implement collaborative marketing tools advance many steps forward as they enable remote teams and suppliers to work together on reviewing, approving, and distributing marketing collateral. The use of these tools to support single sign-on and permission-based access for data sharing and workflow is now essential for remote workforce optimization.
Fortunately, marketing execution technology already exists that is capable of improving visibility into policy compliance, streamlining supplier engagement, and boosting the productivity of remote workers. It also supports the management of regulatory compliance, which has long been essential to business operations.
Reinforcing Compliance Practices and Controls
The rapid pandemic-driven pivot to remote work means that compliance professionals and their colleagues have had to adapt almost overnight. These teams must ensure that everyone, everywhere follows federal, state, and local regulations and maintains visibility into operational controls as they respond to regulatory audits.
Larger remote workforces, increased regulatory pressures, and a spotlight on breaches have put compliance teams under heavy pressure to eliminate sub-optimal processes and unnecessary risks. Companies are obligated to review compliance practices to assess strengths, uncover weaknesses, and develop more robust controls with a strong awareness that regulatory compliance will never be optional.
Marketing organizations need effective, real-time collaboration tools that improve transparency and enable teams to monitor, capture, and report on all campaign activities.
Teams need to think carefully about how they handle communications and marketing materials that may contain confidential, personally identifiable, or client-specific information – especially 
when employees are working from home. Integrating technology that simplifies workflows and tracks project details allows teams to adhere to compliance controls and elevate productivity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to change the ways that employees interface with internal and external stakeholders and clients. Deployment of robust marketing execution technology enables everyone to stay connected and active during this unprecedented isolation. Companies that deploy technology effectively to manage compliance programs and workflows will be the best prepared for the new realities of the post-pandemic world.
In the third part of this series on marketing and compliance (available next week) , we discuss how organizations are adding new employee benefits like improved work-life balance as they embrace work from home policies and describe how they have creatively adapted their workflows to support remote workers. You can view Part One here
Ken McDonald is the founder of SourceSCM Consulting LLC, dedicated to partnering with businesses to drive cost optimization, accelerate organizational transformation, and execute innovative, customer-focused solutions. A trusted sourcing and supply chain expert with 30 years of Fortune 6 leadership experience, Ken focuses on sourcing, negotiations, contracting, supplier relationship management, risk, compliance, supplier diversity, distribution, and logistics operations in highly regulated industries. He began his career in retail and moved from there into lead roles in manufacturing and distribution. Ken volunteers as a sports coach and with various groups benefiting children’s charities, food banks, and struggling families.