There is a reason Robotic Process Automation and software automation is taking the world by storm; it increases our ability to get more done with fewer people. When implemented correctly and in the right place, RPA allows you to deliver more with less. Combining fantastic customer service delivered most efficiently is the magic combination we all strive for, and RPA is the tool that allows us to do just that. Robots (RPA) can be used in any environment, helping us to improve communication both with clients & internally. Front/Back office Operations & IT are becoming ever more entwined and will become the new normal very quickly.
We are at the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution and RPA technology will redefine the way we think about how we work. Businesses of today must continually strive to improve or be left behind by the competition. With the advent of software robots & AI, continually reviewing your business’s ability to deliver is paramount or your business will not take advantage of the opportunities of RPA.
Strategically reducing human touchpoints where possible through RPA has major benefits:
- Lower cost to deliver
- More governance
- Capacity
- Standardisation
- Resilience
To do this properly, your company needs the internal capability to plan on a short, medium, long term basis, and the capacity to manipulate / support processes are paramount. Who, how and what do you use to do this properly?
Businesses must keep abreast of new robotic capability as their capability is increasing exponentially. Reading, writing, calculating, talking are all possible, and with this comes an abundance of use cases that will help us deliver more with less.
We must focus even more now on combining IT with business strategy and operations. We have seen first-hand how much more can be delivered when people and bots work together in both front & back office.
To do this properly you must have the internal capacity. Without this, it is not possible (or extremely expensive). Make sure you maximise this new way of working, with an internal RPA COE using the Nine Pillars.
Taking a short-term view of automation and then wondering why this new superpower is not delivering is not uncommon. We have all seen the bots work, its breath-taking but why am I not seeing the benefit in my business? Short term wins are there but they should be an addition. We need to be strategic and embrace change, the reality is businesses will look very different soon and you must keep up.
In five years, the way we run our business will be a mixture of Intelligent Automation, people, and associated IT. Not accepting this and making the necessary changes in understanding & developing some internal capability is a mistake. Internal capability does not mean just to code, it is to explore how this new tech can add value to your business.
Much like other “mature software” we need to create internal business operational intelligent automation capability – an RPA COE to make this possible. Managed by both business operations and IT. You must have a mechanism internally to maximise this new way of working. Ensuring your people and technology are both doing what they are best at and what is best for the business.
Strategically, allocate the right work to the right places. Free people to be creative and add value in different ways they did not have time to do before, find new ways to communicate and add value.
Use the robots for what they are built for, running our business’s admin and operations. Drive down cost to deliver, increase resilience, deliver more, remove errors, and create the capacity to scale when required at a moment’s notice. An RPA COE using the Nine Pillars will provide the foundation to deliver this and allow you to plan for the short-medium and long term.
You must accept the way we work has already changed and its better. Embrace the challenge and make sure your business is fit strong lean and capable of competing in this new world.
