Automation is critical for creating frictionless customer and employee experiences, yet many initiatives have focused only on automating distinct processes. Tyler Suss, product marketing director at Kofax, discusses how in order to fully support the rapid adoption of end-to-end automation, business owners – the ones closest to the operations – and IT must collaborate.
Today’s uncertain times are creating new operational realities for organizations. As remote and hybrid workforce models continue to evolve, technology use cases and the pressure to do more with less is increasing. Automation is critical for creating frictionless customer and employee experiences, yet many initiatives have focused only on automating distinct processes.
An intelligent automation platform will put organizations on the fast track to digital workflow transformation. But to support the rapid adoption of end-to-end automation, business owners – the ones closest to the operations – and IT must collaborate.
Business owners bring a new perspective to automation requirements. These “citizen developers†understand how processes fit into the broader strategic operations. Working with IT, they can offer insights to speed the design and deployment of intelligent automation across the organization.Â
Automation at Scale Requires a New Mindset
Many organizations start the automation process in one area and then proceed from there in a piecemeal fashion across departments, functions, and regions. This disjointed approach creates very real challenges for the business.
In a recently commissioned Forrester Consulting study, respondents revealed that a siloed approach resulted in high technical debt (46%), delays in successful outcomes (35%), and difficulties solving large operational challenges/scalability (34%). The good news is organizations know how to overcome these obstacles, with 99% of respondents attesting to their belief that a single-vendor platform approach to automation is the answer.Â
Moving from a point solution to a platform may seem daunting, but it’s a necessary move if businesses want to adapt to ever-changing market conditions and customer expectations. Automation needs to spread rapidly throughout the enterprise; this calls for a platform solution. But IT cannot do it alone. The demands for automation are simply too great for technology teams to tackle traditional coding approaches.Â
Enter the citizen developer. Business line managers have a unique perspective on automation needs, making their insights an important element to factor into the process. When IT and citizen developers work together in a collaborative relationship, automation initiatives move faster, and the business becomes more agile.
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Build a Bridge With a User-Centric Platform
When asked what an intelligent automation platform capable of meeting the needs of a broad user base would look like, automation and AI decision-makers listed the following as most important:
- Intuitive and easy to use (80%)
- Support for advanced users who need to work on the more technical and complex design (78%)
- Easy navigation and support for emerging technologies (75%)
- A modern, cloud-first architecture (71%)
Business line managers support these responses, with 74% looking for strong integrations with current technology and more than 70% seeking a platform that’s easy to learn and use. An intelligent automation platform capable of supporting this broader user base should contain very specific features and functions, such as:
- Low-code capabilities enabling citizen developers to play an equal role with technology teams in the design and development of automation solutions
- A non-programmer interface so citizen developers can build their own automations
- Visual modeling
- Reusable components and connectors
- Mobile device support
- An intuitive drag-and-drop design environment
- Training enablement resources
In addition to the above capabilities, the automation platform should also have native cognitive capture capabilities to identify, extract, process, and transform structured and unstructured data. The majority of data within most organizations is unstructured, existing in PDFs, emails, and social media posts, yet it’s crucial to achieving true digital workflow transformation.Â
One final word of caution when assessing intelligent automation platform vendors: include your citizen developers in the selection process. They have valuable insight into automation needs, and they’ll be spending a lot of time working within the platform. When they’re involved in the purchase process, 71% report being satisfied with the technology. That number drops to 56% when citizen developers are brought in after a decision has been made.Â
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An intelligent automation platform supporting IT and non-technical citizen developers fosters the collaborative partnership needed to automate at scale. There are substantial benefits for enterprises able to automate quickly:
- Increased productivity
- Improved collaboration
- Enhanced customer experience
- Better customer service
- Improved operational efficiency
- Less internal pushback when new technology is implemented
Embracing automation at scale will help you weather current and future crises more effectively. A cross-functional collaborative approach will accelerate digital workflow transformation and promote agility. When you identify and deploy the right platform, your team can begin working like the digitally enabled company of tomorrow, today.Â
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