Published in SME Tech Guru, 15th July 2020
By Ryan Falkenberg
Across the world, companies are realising the benefits of automating processes. Done properly, it can improve productivity, reduce costs, and free up staff to provide the best possible experience to customers.
But in order to maximise these outcomes, processes have to be automated across the organisation. While many businesses may find that daunting and think end-to-end process automation will be a costly exercise, or result in them having to completely replace existing technology, that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
Using the right combination of front and back-office digital workers, companies can realise end-to-end process automation without the need to rebuild multiple operational systems.
Eliminating errors and backlogs
Before digging into how this can be achieved, it’s worth remembering why end-to-end process automation is so important.
If, for example, you’re struggling to automate front office processes across all your staff assisted and digital channels, it will have a negative effect on your RPA workers. Critically, their ability to automate back office processes without errors and breaks will be compromised. This means that whatever benefits your organisation can accrue from automated processes will be limited. And those benefits can be significant.
According to a Deloitte study, for example, a global manufacturer which automated thirty end-to-end processes saw immediate performance improvements in reduced working capital, reduced days sales outstanding, and improved compliance with customer payment terms.
Rise of the front-office digital specialist
Fortunately, realising those benefits can be achieved fairly simply. All that’s needed is the right team of digital specialists. This team includes specialists in reading and interpreting forms, diagnosing customer issues and needs, advising customers on optimal solutions and then actioning resulting decisions across multiple systems.
Team members will not only ensure the right questions are asked, but that the right information is gathered, the right answers are given, and the right actions are triggered. This, in turn, means that operational systems and RPA digital workers receive the right data in the right format for efficient back office processing.
Properly built, these digital specialists will use a combination of technologies to adapt to the changing needs of customers and staff. As such, they can ensure that every digital worker operates off the same version of truth even if the rules keep changing. They should also be able to interact directly with operating systems, allowing them to shape journeys based on known data.
Pivotally, it’s possible for digital workers to do all of this in a legacy environment and work directly with RPA robots to ensure the required back office processes are actioned immediately.
Cost-effectiveness and agility
By using digital workers that can easily integrate with all your existing automation processes, you can achieve end-to-end process automation in a cost-effective way. After all, you’re investing in a single new technology, rather than starting from scratch. And, because it integrates with your existing tech, you won’t have to train your staff in an entirely new technology stack.
Additionally, this kind of end-to-end process automation is agile, so it can readily adapt to the needs of your customers and the business as a whole, enabling your organisation to more fully realise its benefits.
Not only will productivity increase and workflows become more efficient, your customers will also have their problems solved faster and your human staff will be able to concentrate on providing them with the best possible experience. That, in turn, results in increased loyalty and, ultimately, revenue.
Now, why would you choose any other approach?
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