Planning For The Future Of Robotic Process Automation – Forbes

As businesses look to the future, they should turn their eyes toward intelligent automation as a key component of their technology infrastructure to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business. Confronted with challenges like managing an ever-increasing volume of data without hiring additional human workers, organizations that dont incorporate automation into their long-term strategies may fall behind. A company that has developed a digital workforce has the potential to not only fill the hiring gap and space left by retiring employees and business growth, but to also augment the skills of an existing workforce.

Working in the robotic process automation (RPA) industry myself, over the past several years, Ive seen plenty of fear around the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) replacing human workers. I do expect some of that apprehension to continue into 2020. However, as business leaders and their employees learn how to work alongside digital co-workers, I believe they will recognize the strategic benefits of building a multiskilled, multitalented digital workforce to augment the human workforce.

Part of the allure of digital workers is the ability to rapidly add new capabilities. For example, you can have the same digital worker with visual skills read resumes in the morning for human resources (HR). They can have the machine learning capability to search and categorize contracts for the legal department at lunchtime. In the afternoon, they can help out in the call center performing as a chatbot. And, you will still have time remaining for the digital worker to perform other jobs.

The Need For Digital Workers In The Coming Years

With unemployment at a record low, there are fewer skilled workers for the newer jobs being developed. And many of the workers who are available are not interested in companies with heavy concentrations of old IT infrastructure and jobs requiring intensive manual, white-collar tasks. It will be important over the next several years for human workers to continue to advance their tech skills alongside their digital co-workers in order to take full advantage of the market.

Further, baby boomers are heading into retirement in large numbers. According to the Pew Research Center, The U.S. labor force is declining by about 5,900 boomers daily on average, and roughly 10,000 boomers turn 65 each day. This shift is likely to reshape the workforce, and many organizations are simply not equipped with a succession plan.

An organization that has a digital workforce in place has the potential to reskill its human workforce in a more efficient and effective way. With a workforce that is made up of both digital and human workers and utilizes other automation technologies, businesses can focus on succession planning and building the workforce of the future.

Integrating A Workforce With Digital Workers

Business leaders must first ensure that the human workforce is fully aware of the transformation taking place. Leaders must commit to helping them be a part of the transformation, participate as much as possible and teach their digital colleagues. Again, this is all about business outcomes and change, not technology.

Focus digital workers on the parts of a process that can free up their human teammates to work on the more rewarding, stimulating and gratifying parts of that process, when possible. Start by automating the proverbial low-hanging fruit. We all do these tasks to test, learn and gain muscle memory, but eventually, human workers will take on more end-to-end processes that touch external customers, regulators, etc. This is where the power of the digital-human workforce really shines.

Just like a human workforce, the digital workforce needs infrastructure and looking after. This is invaluable to grow some or all of the competency required internally. Understanding the needs and the capability of your digital workers is no different than understanding your human workforce. How much of that you entrust to someone else is up to you.

Over the next few years, well likely see every organization utilizing a digital workforce as an integral resource, not only for succession planning but also for their ability to process information, execute processes and mimic how humans work faster and with fewer errors. These digital workers will be integrated with existing teams and free up time for employees to focus on higher-value work and interact more with their customers.

The way I see it, intelligent automation and connected-RPA have the potential to transform businesses and will be staples for successful businesses in 2020 and beyond.

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Planning For The Future Of Robotic Process Automation - Forbes