The highly challenging global business environment has become even more competitive recently, due to COVID-19. Technological developments and digital disruptions continue to shape the landscape, against a backdrop of political and economic uncertainty. Concurrently, customer expectations are growing, as they demand high quality products and services delivered to a specific timescale. This places pressure on businesses to meet these expectations, especially as customer trust and loyalty is at an all-time low.
To address this challenge, business leaders must look to how they can leverage the âsoftâ skills. These, in turn, can be used to provide a better service. In order to best utilize these skills, the existing workforce should be supported with technology, such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA). RPA can be programmed to carry out labor-intensive and time-consuming tasks. However, care must be taken in the implementation phase to ensure that RPA is utilized to its best advantage and cultural changes are addressed early in the process.
Tasks fit for a robot
RPA is a cutting-edge technology that allows software ârobotsâ to mimic interactions that a human might have with an existing system. The majority of RPA tooling is distinct from machine learning and artificial intelligence. These usually involve a system actively learning from experience, to improve its performance at a task over time. Common applications for RPA include data entry, data manipulation, system integration and the creation of digital documents. These tasks are invaluable given the volume of unstructured and structured data generated by businesses. This can be analyzed to directly inform decision-making processes.
The new integrated workforce
Highly repetitive and time-consuming tasks can be prone to error when performed by a human. Robots, however, will complete the tasks consistently and efficiently, eliminating the potential for mistakes. By assigning these tasks to robots, employees can focus on those high value tasks that previously may have been deemed out of scope, due to lack of resource capacity. Also, in times of high demand, RPA can be scaled, without consideration of factors like sickness or holiday, making it an additional agile workforce that can be recruited and activated as needed.
Using RPA to build customer trust
Implementing Robotic Process Automation into a team alters the role of human employees and dynamics within the team. Once repetitive tasks have been reassigned, employees are able to focus on creative, analytical and critical thinking tasks. This involves reviewing processes to devise new ways to meet client expectations efficiently and even identifying new areas where value can be added. RPA allows space for new thinking that might not be possible at times when teams are focused on delivering challenging projects.
Customers are much less forgiving of mistakes than ever before. They will not hesitate to change supplier if the service they receive is not consistent in quality or timescale. In addition, customers are quite vocal in their displeasure, which can have negative effects on company reputation.
With the new âspaceâ created in the workplace, employees can place a greater emphasis on tasks encompassing emotional intelligence, which is a vital facet for adding value and creating longevity in client relationships. And importantly, RPA can provide more time for training, to ensure that businesses are able to meet and exceed their clientsâ needs into the future.
RPA in action
With increasing demands and seasonal spikes, a top telecoms provider was faced with challenges in meeting service level agreements (SLAs). The business identified an inefficient manual process, which involved the transferring of key data from multiple systems to its destination. This required valuable full-time effort introduced operational risk and slowed down the availability of valuable data.
Using RPA, systems that previously did not interact were able to work together seamlessly. By eliminating the manual tasks, employees could be reallocated to work on more meaningful tasks.  Employees now were dedicating more time to client facing activities.
Addressing internal trust issues
Although implementing Robotic Process Automation provides existing employees the time to build trusting relationships with clients, successfully implementing RPA requires a considered approach. Organizations must be sensitive to the fact that robots represent a change in culture, not just capability.
Anxiety about facing unfair competition and the elimination of roles may resonate with employees, particularly given the recent media focus on how automation may replace jobs. Equally, there might be fears that managing RPA systems could exacerbate, rather than relieve, workloads. The cultural effects must be managed through a strategy that starts at the top.
Itâs vital to secure support from the leadership team, including IT and operational leads. Consider appointing a head of RPA, who acts as a consistent figure throughout the process to ensure a successful transition. Equally, an RPA Center of Excellence can act as a vital resource to provide an organization. RPA centers offer a multitude of benefits and services, enabling the rapid and successful delivery of a digital workforce.
Taking the leap forwards
Implementing Robotic Process Automation presents the perfect opportunity to evaluate and improve on processes, both on a per project basis and across the business. This ensures that the transition delivers significant lasting value. Ongoing education is a key component of the process. This is where employees are taught how to work with the digital workforce and how to respond when RPA sends an exception. By providing these skills early on, businesses can ensure that employees feel prepared for the changes ahead.
RPA plays a critical role in keeping up with client demands, allowing employees to nurture client relationships and build trust. There is also potential to improve the quality and consistency of outputs. Change must be implemented with thought and care. But get it right, and you can keep up with clientsâ demands with a strong, integrated workforce even as these demands continue to evolve.
