Dispelling the fear of robots taking over jobs
Intelligent Automation reimagines how work gets done by enabling people and digital workers to collaborate. These digital workers are designed by humans, for humans, to automate repetitive, manual tasks, so that employees can focus their time at work on challenging and innovating activities.
The business of the future looks completely different when 'peoples’ abilities are augmented with Intelligent Automation. So rather than the fear of robots taking over jobs, the reality is that combined, people and digital workers can deliver dramatic results, mitigate risks while increasing compliance, growth, and profitability.
An Intelligent Automation platform armed with advancements of the latest AI-enabled services pushes the boundaries by connecting people, processes, and technology, creating real tangible value across your enterprise – leading to true Hyperautomation.
“We can automate a process end-to-end and give that time back to employees to handle more critical tasks that cannot be automated, such as creative, critical, strategic thinking, complex problem solving, and more. Our mission is to elevate human potential,” says Max Cheprasov, Dentsu Aegis.
Digital workers: A Simple Explanation
Digital workers or automation digital workers are non-human workers who efficiently complete tasks through automation. Digital workers also referred to as virtual employees or virtual workers, are built using a combination of Intelligent Automation technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).
The roles which digital workers complete vary hugely depending on the needs of a business. Digital workers are different in each organisation, as they are bespoke advancements in technology that are created to help with a business’ specific requirements. Though completely back-of-office job roles are a common use of digital workers, they have many varied capabilities that give businesses the capacity for growth.
How do digital workers differ from RPA?
Digital workers align to specific job roles rather than tasks. Designed to model and emulate human job roles, a digital worker can perform end-to-end activities using automation and AI. The digital worker can understand, decide and act rather than performing pre-programmed specific tasks.
People, digital workers, and Intelligent Automation
When creating a digital worker, different automation technologies will be used depending on the capabilities required. Intelligent Automation enabled workflow automation can be used to build effective and dynamic digital workers to augment the impact of people.
A long-term goal for Dentsu is to arm all employees with a virtual assistant, accessible through a conversational interface, that can carry out manual tasks and tap into a central “brain,” where all of the agency’s processes live. To do that, Dentsu will train staff to use low-code or no-code systems, so they can engineer assistants and document new processes on their own.
Businesses can employ simple-to-use no-code platforms such as the Catalytic Cloud to build their custom digital workflows. An advantage to using no-code platforms is that any employee can use the system, even if they have no coding or workflow experience. Then, if a business requires further bespoke tasks to be automated via their digital worker, they can use low-code technology to embed these within their automated workflow system.
“Ultimately, the focus must not simply be on “automation,” it must be on intelligent automation.” (Forbes, 2018)
The key point here is that Intelligent Automation enables digital workers to work with employees and empower them, not replace their jobs.
10 benefits of people and digital workers, unified and united
For a business to be efficient, accurate, and ready to grow, digital workers are vital to an Intelligent Automation journey. Combining the digital worker capabilities of accuracy and speed, with human capabilities of intelligence and trust gives a business the tools needed to accelerate into the future of work.
1) Better Productivity
Employees will re-gain valuable time that was previously spent on back-office, repetitive tasks as they will be completed through an Intelligent Automation enabled digital worker. Using this time, employees can re-focus their efforts on more challenging tasks and on real-time collaboration with employees, leading to business growth.
2) Absolute Accuracy
Everybody makes mistakes, we’re only human. Luckily, digital workers can prevent the need for data to be checked multiple times for human error, as AI technology can recognise errors in data. Human employees can spend their time verifying the highly accurate work of the digital worker, instead of processing data themselves.
3) Cloud Access
A key feature of Intelligent Automation technology is its cloud-based platform. Any information is accessible to everyone, anywhere, making it easy to work remotely in our new age of work.
4) Time Saved
Digital workers can complete manual tasks in a fraction of the time it takes employees. This is because AI technology lets digital workers learn more, the more they are used.
Compared to other traditional automation technologies, such as RPA, Intelligent workflow automation as a way of building a digital worker is significantly faster. Working together employees can learn how to create a simple workflow in one day, and large-scale business digital transformation can take months (as opposed to years).
5) Real-time Integration
Intelligent Automation platforms allow businesses to benefit from real-time integration of tools. Integration platforms like Catalytic Cloud have a large set of integrations for businesses. The best bit? Integrations happen in real-time, and you can request integration of additional applications if needed.
6) Increased Flexibility and Growth
Digital workers allow businesses to operate 24/7, without asking employees to work unsocial hours. Previously, business growth could stagnate in holiday periods, when much of the workforce could be on leave. However, digital workers allow the workplace to function when employees cannot be present. Imagine how beneficial this would have been to businesses if they had incorporated digital workers into their business pre-COVID.
7) Reduced Operational Costs
Businesses that do not incorporate Intelligent Automation into their journey will struggle to scale. Costs can be reduced hugely through digital workers, as the structure of a business will change. Fewer processes mean fewer errors and less fix times, which saves money. As well as this, significantly less external support is required when businesses automate using their existing workforce, another way of reducing costs, with employees delivering digital process automations.
8) Restored Employee Experience
In the past, just because an employee was skilled, didn’t mean their job role would be free of repetitive and manual tasks. Giving employees more time and energy to use their skills on business growth, and on completing their tasks to a high standard is enjoyable for an employee. Employees will feel needed and appreciated if they are being tasked with challenging and interesting work as opposed to data-entry.
9) Enhanced Customer Experience
Sometimes it can be difficult for employees to manage customer enquiries and complaints, despite their best efforts. Digital workers can be used to provide help to customers when employees cannot be there. For example, AI-enabled chatbots can be implemented to help customers with enquiries.
10) Improved Engagement
When employees feel challenged and wanted in their job roles, they will always engage better with the business and their work. The first step to making sure employees are engaged in their work is to make sure their work is engaging,
Building A Digital Workforce
One of the biggest challenges for a business undergoing a digital transformation is to change employee's perception of automation. Therefore, businesses should prioritise educating their employees on the advantages of building digital workers as part of their team.
Automating work-flows, a process that would previously require traditional and expensive consultants and developers is now accessible to any enterprise. This means that as a business accelerates its digital journey through the implementation of digital workers, employees can spend their day developing and enhancing their inventive and intellectual skills; instead of being trapped in a routine of back-of-office tasks (Gartner, 2020).
“Over 90% of organizations expect AI to increase their workforce capacity.” (Harvard Business Review, 2019)
Digital transformation optimises operations and in doing so minimises and mitigates risk. Technology, such as Intelligent Automation, enables businesses to prioritise their employees in their growth. Digital workers will be key to driving organisational recovery and resilience post-Covid while increasing digital skills and creating more digital opportunities and roles for human workers too.
Aurora in partnership with Catalytic's Intelligent Automation Cloud enhances your business operations by augmenting your teams. Digital workers infused with technological advancements in process automation to deliver the “next-generation target operating model” Mckinsey.
Intelligent Automation will ensure your businesses will remain efficient through digital transformation. Discover how Aurora can help you to start your automation journey.
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