Automation shapes digital transformation
Published on 02 Sep 2020
Digital transformation has become a driving force of change that it is fundamentally altering how businesses operate:Why? Because digital transformation requires sweeping modernization of old systems to keep up with the demands of the customer. But digitally reimagining the business is no easy task. Digital transformation efforts span multiple channels, websites, and mobile apps. In turn, automation technologies, specifically robotic process automation (RPA), have emerged as the best solution as they imitate actions and key strokes of workers executing on rule-based tasks.
The digitized worker is quicker, cheaper, and more reliable. RPA significantly increases worker productivity, helping employees focus on more strategically relevant tasks. This study also found additional incentives for automation across various departments and discovered how automation impacts employees. In March 2018, EdgeVerve commissioned Forrester Consulting to evaluate automation strategies, specifically RPA, which are relatively cost-effective and efficient. This study explored the best operating model practices for RPA to deliver long-term value to stakeholders. Forrester conducted an online survey with 306 business and IT leaders at the director level or above to explore this topic.
Forrester’s in-depth survey yielded several important recommendations:
Key Findings:
- Firms must build an assessment model to guide the process of RPA platform selection. Proofs of concept enable both business and IT to work toward a common goal and, finally, the implementation of technology.
- Automation influences employees’ roles for the better. Automation technologies clearly impact people across the organization. Human/machine interactions are invisible and buried; others are front and center.
- Firms must look beyond RPA. RPA is not the be all, end all of enterprise digital transformation efforts. It should be part of a wider range of solutions.
RPA Continues To Propel Digital:
Transformation Forward Digital transformation is a top corporate strategy, yet business and IT leaders struggle to show progress. Complex business processes and legacy systems are too difficult to change and lack a solid business case to do so. Enter RPA, a digital antidote or elixir that has allowed enterprises to progress rapidly toward a fully digital business. According to Forrester’s research, in many enterprises — from corporate offices to back-office administration to the contact center — humans toil with low-value, repetitive tasks and rote work.
RPA automates many of these activities, improving productivity and freeing up worker time for higher-value work. In 2018, RPA-based digital workers (i.e., bots) will replace and/or augment 311,000 office and administrative positions and 260,000 sales and related positions. As a result, the RPA software market will remain heated and exceed to $1.06 billion by the end of 2018, and climb to $2.9 billion in 2021.1
The common notion is that RPA solutions automate highly repetitive and rule-based tasks, which, in turn, creates a digital workforce that executes on repeatable processes faster, more accurately, and more cost-effectively. Our study confirmed this but also revealed a few surprises along the way for both the business and employees
