Digital platforms and robotic process automation (RPA), once ground-breaking innovations, have become commodities in today’s world.

However, the development of low-code/no-code platforms and the addition of intelligence and machine learning have added a new dimension that can potentially revolutionize business operations.

The challenge is that automation is entirely dependent on the underlying processes, and if these are problematic, automation will cause poor processes to happen faster. A strategic approach to automation is critical to leveraging optimization and enhanced productivity.

Automation for the right reasons

While business automation is a rapidly maturing technology field, it must be deployed appropriately to deliver maximum benefit. It is not an invasive technology and was never designed to solve crucial business problems or improve processes. Things will inevitably go wrong if it is deployed to fix data issues.

If the underlying processes are not optimal and are not delivering what they should, automation will only perform the incorrect action faster.

Automation shines in ‘cookie-cutter’ processes that are standardized across organizations, such as payroll and invoicing. For example, automation can match purchase orders, invoices, and proof of delivery to automatically approve a payment. This can enhance turnaround times from a few weeks to almost immediate through a zero-touch process that requires no human intervention.

In turn, this can give the procurement department impetus to negotiate for a discount from suppliers if payment can be guaranteed for the same day as receipt of the invoice. The return on investment in this type of automation can be significant and realized quickly – if the technology is employed correctly.

Enter the world of hyper-automation

Automation aims to optimize operational efficiency, increase productivity, and reduce operational costs. It can apply to multiple business processes. We are entering a world where most solutions and platforms available now incorporate some element of automation.

These technologies work together and create a hyper-automated environment within the digital workforce.

It changes humans’ roles, empowering them and changing the required skill sets. It can have a profound impact on the way businesses operate. Automation is no longer a business enabler but a catalyst for the complete transformation of the digital environment.

Chatbots are now standard, and voice assistants with natural language processing capabilities are becoming viable options for people to speak to and perform certain activities. An example is Google Assistant, which restaurants use to make reservations and take orders.

Changing the future

While hyper-automation applications are currently small, they can all add up to vastly improved efficiency and enhanced customer experiences. As the technology matures, we will see increasingly robotized processes and functions—the drive-thru may one day be entirely operated by automation, and call centers are moving toward being deployed solely in a data center with no human workers.

There are many opportunities, and we are only just beginning to explore the potential of automation. One thing that businesses need to consider, however, is that you cannot automate the front end (for example, by automating invoice payment) without also deploying automation in the back end (if the invoice is posted rather than digitally submitted, the entire automation chain will fail).

Process and function automation must be end-to-end and driven by an appropriate business case. The environment, external third parties, and suppliers must be considered as part of an overall automation strategy.

Umbrella or towel?

Ultimately, automation (and any transformation) must first be informed by business strategy and context so problems can have effective solutions. If a person is drenched, you can give them a towel or an umbrella. Each is a solution, but they apply to different situations—if the person is standing in the rain, a towel will not be helpful; conversely, if the person falls into a pool, an umbrella will be useless.

Processes must also be relooked at and optimized before they can be automated because automating a bad business process will ensure that ineffective things happen more rapidly. Strategy and planning are key, and automation should always be done to transform your business, not just to add technology to the stack.

Finally, data, applications, and legacy infrastructure can all be stumbling blocks on any automation journey, making strategy essential. The right IT partner can be invaluable in ensuring that strategic, end-to-end transformation is the focus and that the appropriate platforms and solutions are in place to enable this.

Sumit Sharma

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