Leverage the Power of Automation Today

Over the past two decades, we have seen technology stride from strength to strength. The question is, are you leveraging the latest tools and keeping up to date with these technological advancements to reduce error, improve morale and maximise profits?  

Today, automation is being adopted by many companies across the globe. From driverless cars to automation assisting call-centre agents, companies across many industries are clearly seeing the advantages of implementing automation as part of their strategic roadmap. In this blog, we will primarily focus on RPA (Robotic Process Automation), how it can be used in an office setting, and the continual benefits it has not only for your customers but also for your workforce.  

RPA is a form of automation that allows users to build specialised routines that can automate business processes at scale. These routines are then run by software programs known as “bots”. Well, I suppose you’re wondering what makes an effective use case for RPA? Any task that is; rule-based, repetitive, or high-volume, makes an excellent opportunity for implementing RPA bots into your workforce. This could be anything from updating spreadsheets with external data during month end, to automatically creating and deleting user logins for applications, or even a fully automated accounts payable process. Let’s look at this further with a practical example we recently conducted for a customer – a data migration exercise:

The customer needed to migrate a large volume of information from one system to another. The information that needed to be transferred consisted of a range of file types held in various folders. If a team of humans was assigned to this task it would have been an extremely long process over several weeks. This would have taken up valuable time for the team as they opened each file, copied out the required information, and placed it in the desired final location. Instead, RPA was leveraged, and bots completed the exercise error-free, in a fraction of the time the team would have taken – this is because bots are able to run 24 hours a day.

Your Workforce 

RPA isn’t just a tool that speeds processes up, it can also boost employee morale. Boring repetitive tasks can now be assigned to the bot, whilst employees can work on non-RPA qualifying tasks, such as tasks that involve emotional intelligence (subjective tasks). This allows employees to work on intellectual tasks that keep their minds stimulated, rather than focusing on repetitive tasks that drain the life out of an employee.

Let’s say you have a team of 10 admin staff completing a particular daily task. By human error, each individual employee will complete that task in a slightly different way, resulting in inconsistencies. For example, one employee may record extra information that another employee doesn’t believe is essential to the task. Over the long term, the constant variation of differences between members of the team and how they complete the task could lead to major data quality issues. With RPA, bots can help increase reliability and efficiency by standardising the process. This is because they execute tasks in the exact same way every single time – no more human error!

A further benefit of RPA is that if you decide to embark on your automation journey your processes remain exactly as they are and can be re-run as many times as needed. RPA technology is compatible with virtually any user interface, application, or system – both modern and legacy systems. This means your business can continue to operate in the same manner. However, the only difference now is that you have a digital collection of bots completing tasks for you.

Your Customers

Automation is widely adopted to assist in providing customers with an improved experience. Gone are the days of customers having to wait for business hours to resolve their issues. Now, customers can have their queries answered day or night, as bots work 24/7. Whether it be directing a customer to help pay a bill or walking a customer through the process of setting up a refund, implementing automation into your customer’s journey means faster turnaround times, happier customers, and improved customer satisfaction.

Attending RPA bots, which rely on triggers from human inputs are very commonly used in call centres, to assist agents when querying customer details. An agent can use a customer key such as an email or ID. This can be pushed into a form that then triggers a bot that can then fetch all the relevant data relating to that customer. Without this functionality, a customer may be placed on hold for minutes whilst the agent navigates from application to application searching for the customer’s details. Now, instead of a customer having to wait, a bot can bring back the relevant results from multiple applications in a matter of milliseconds. This enables the agent to continue to assist the customer with their needs.

Buju Heaton-Adegbile is experienced in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Microsoft Power BI, and Business Intelligence (BI). An experienced, highly skilled professional whose focus is on driving business results using data and technology.

Certified Advanced RPA Professional (AA), Buju uses industry-leading RPA platforms to optimise processes for clients. This includes designing, developing, and implementing software bots that emulate high-volume, repetitive, and rule-based human tasks.

In addition, Buju’s background in artificial intelligence, especially conversational AI, enables him to leverage a combination of Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to develop AI-powered virtual assistants capable of understanding and responding to human language in a natural, conversational manner. Through the use of IBM Watson Assistant, he has been able to build a virtual assistant to help improve the productivity of employees at a multinational corporation.

Highly skilled at data analysis, data transformation, and data modeling, providing valuable insights that support strategic decision-making. Furthermore, his advanced knowledge of PowerBI has allowed him to design and develop reports and dashboards that bring out key insights, helping to drive positive change.

Buju’s expertise in these technologies and his breadth of knowledge in business consulting, enable him to optimise business operations. He can provide customised solutions, and assist clients in achieving their strategic goals.