The Automated World: How Technology Can Work for You
From smart assistants scheduling meetings to supply chains coordinating global logistics, automation is streamlining both mundane chores and mission-critical business processes. As technology continues advancing at a rapid pace, let‘s explore how we can harness automation to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and create more time for meaningful work.
What is Automation?
Automation refers to having technology perform tasks and workflows instead of humans. Often this involves configuring hardware and software to handle repetitive, routine responsibilities that previously required manual work.
The key benefit is reducing the need for human effort on predictable, consistent activities so people can shift attention to more complex assignments requiring judgement and creativity. Organizations automate to boost productivity, lower operational expenses, enhance quality control, and scale operations efficiently.
Common examples of automation include:
- Smart home devices controlling lighting, temperature, appliances
- Supply chain and logistics coordination of manufacturing and distribution
- Business process workflows for data entry, reporting, notifications
- AI chatbots handling simple customer service inquiries
- Robotic process automation (RPA) completing digital administrative tasks
As a data analyst and machine learning specialist, I see automation adoption accelerating across industries based on various research forecasts:
- The RPA software market is projected to reach $13.74 billion by 2028, expanding at a 37.7% CAGR [Grand View Research]
- 72% of business leaders say automation technologies are very or critically important to organizational success [Appian]
- 63% of IT leaders agree automation has generated the most business value compared to other technologies [Cisco]
- 58% of companies use automation for finance processes, 54% for HR, 54% in customer service [McKinsey]
This data highlights automation‘s expanding role creating business value – a trend that shows no signs of slowing down.
Areas Ripe for Automation
Nearly any repetitive task is a candidate for automation. Thanks to advancements in AI and machine learning, even sophisticated responsibilities involving analysis, communication, and decision making can occur without direct human oversight.
As a rule of thumb, look for patterns ripe for automation:
Repetitive Manual Tasks
Automating repetitive manual work provides the clearest payoff. Structured physical tasks with predictable output are simple targets. Examples include sorting mail, filling orders, moving materials, store cleanup, field mowing, and facility maintenance.
For instance, an automation success story…
Mitchell Plastics in Charlestown, Indiana installed robots to tend injection molding machines used for manufacturing plastic parts. This cut machine idle time by 50% while reducing staffing needs by 2 full time positions per shift. [Press Advantage]
Data Tracking & Analysis
Collecting performance metrics and generating reports commonly relies on automation. Dashboards connected to IoT sensors, websites tracking traffic analytics, social media monitoring campaign effectiveness, aggregating sales numbers, compiling employee hours — these examples all leverage automated data feeds and algorithms rather than manual tallying.
At McKesson, the pharmaceutical giant automated sales data integration from acquisition Propimetrics Rx into its data warehouse, cutting reporting time from 9 hours to just 3 minutes while boosting data quality. [Infosys]
Communication Workflows
Staying on top of notifications and messages coming from multiple platforms like email, IM, CRM systems, and social media channels makes automation a huge time saver. Automatically forwarding specific inquiries to the right people, sending scheduled notifications, or creating follow up tasks based on message content improves response efficiency.
For example, ChatMeter‘s customized bots handle 80% of repetitive inbound questions for many social media marketing agencies, letting staff focus on higher value client services. [venturebeat]
Transactional Requests
Standard requests like password resets, account changes, RFPs, support tickets, and more can funnel through automated assistants instead of overloading human agents. Chatbots and robots can gather the necessary information and trigger downstream workflows to complete transactions without staff involvement.
BlackRock‘s Aladdin robo adviser handles 40,000 client support requests per week, resolving routine inquiries through natural language AI. The automated solution delivered 35% cost savings over previous outsourced support operations. [Business Insider]
Additionally, the enterprise automation category called robotic process automation (RPA) targets streamlining repetitive digital tasks performed through user interfaces, like data transfers between systems, PDF processing, email handling and more. Leading vendorsUiPath, BluePrism, Automation Anywhere, Microsoft, SAP, and IBM provide platforms used by IT groups to develop software robots handling swiveling between multiple systems replicating administrative work efficiently at scale.
Let‘s explore a few more domains ripe for impactful automation…
Automating the Smart Home
A smart home contains internet-connected devices and appliances that can operate autonomously based on schedules, usage patterns and your commands. Nest thermostats automatically adjusting temperature when you leave the house, smart lighting turning off at bedtime, robot vacuums cleaning when you‘re away become possible with home automation systems.
Major players in the smart home automation space include:
Amazon Alexa – The virtual assistant inside Amazon Echo smart speakers can control lighting, thermostats, security systems, and other devices through voice commands. Alexa features automation capabilities like morning and bedtime routines to trigger sequences of home devices.
Google Assistant – Google‘s voice-activated assistant performs similar automation functions as Amazon Alexa. Embedded in Google Home products, it controls smart devices and can learn usage patterns to automatically adjust home environment.
Apple HomeKit – Allowing centralized control over appliances from Apple devices and Siri voice commands, Apple‘s HomeKit framework enables connecting third-party home automation devices into a cohesive ecosystem.
Beyond convenience, home automation also brings security benefits through functionality like automated alarms, remote monitoring, sensitive areas motion detectors and real-time tracking of conditions like water leaks or equipment failure. Systems from ADT, Vivint, Brinks and others focus on security automation.
Smart home automation comprised nearly 50% of the wider IoT device market last year according to Statista, demonstrating strong consumer demand. We can expect capabilities to rapidly improve as technology advances, withprojection showing 1.3 billion household using home automation products within the next 3 years. [Juniper Research]
While flashy gadgets capture headlines, arguably automation‘s largest impact comes from transforming enterprise operations…
Work Smarter with Business Process Automation
Streamlining daily operations and cutting unnecessary expenses results from applying automation best practices in the workplace – an approach called business process automation.
Structuring workflows in areas like data processing, customer interactions, reporting, content management and inventory can drastically reduce manual involvement. Benefits include:
Increased Efficiency – Automated workflows process higher volumes faster than employees while working 24/7 with greater accuracy.
Improved Data Quality – Automation diminishes human error while providing analytical-grade reporting metrics.
Enhanced Scalability – With fixed infrastructure costs, automation allows easy expansion without proportionally growing expenses.
Lower Operational Expenses – Reducing manual labor saves money previously spent on employee wages and benefits.
Boosted Productivity – Automated tasks enable staff to focus on high-value responsibilities better suited for human skills.
Examples of business process automation include automatically…
- sending invoices to customers
- assembling sales reports weekly
- updating product database when inventory changes
- alerting technicians of detected equipment failures
- reconciling appointment calendar with service roster daily
Purpose built automation platforms provided by leaders like Microsoft, IBM, SAP, and Salesforce allow both easy integration with existing infrastructure and customization to address specific organizational requirements.
Let‘s explore a few illustrative examples of process automation improving enterprise efficiency…
Order Processing
Quad Graphics automated the processes for reviewing print orders and proof return handling. By eliminating manual touchpoints across 120+ plants, their order accuracy improved from 82% to 99% while lowering labor costs over 60% and slashing throughput time by 93%. [Automation Anywhere]
Invoice Management
Marsh McLennan automated processing and archiving for their 400k monthly supplier invoices, saving 90k staff hours per year. Automating document intake, data extraction, vendor communication and record lookups accelerated processing time from 7 days down to 24 hours. [Kofax]
IT Operations
Netbank streamlined IT operations by employing software robots to manage things like user access rights and system monitoring. Automating mundane yet mission critical tasks delivered a 62% efficiency gain while lowering risks and boosting infrastructure reliability. [Automation Anywhere]
The right automation makes teams more nimble, productive and analytical – an competitive advantage every modern business should harness.
Now let‘s explore low-code platforms enabling automation superpowers for organizations of any size and technical skillset…
Automate Workflows Without Coding Using Zapier and IFTTT
While flashy home gadgets and enterprise-wide installations might seem out of reach for solopreneurs or small teams, options exist to automate mundane work without software development skills or major capital investment.
Web platforms Zapier and IFTTT allow anyone to quickly build automated workflows called Zaps and Applets that connect web apps and smart devices.
Think automatically saving Google calendar appointments to Evernote, sending Slack messages when your website gets a new sign up, attaching Gmail attachments to Trello tasks, or turning lights off when your Nest Protect detects smoke.
These consumer automation services only require basic configuration like "When X event happens, then trigger Y action." No coding needed.
Plus Zapier and IFTTT integrate with over 1000 popular software platforms and hardware devices, so you likely already use compatible services ready to automate.
The intuitive approach makes automation accessible for small business, freelancers and entrepreneurs at an affordable price – no need for in-house developers. Zapier plans start free for 5 Zaps and 100 task runs monthly, while IFTTT offers a free tier enabling unlimited Applets.
Roll Your Own Automations With Scripts and Programming
For more advanced system integration or unique circumstances, you may want to create custom scripts and programs handling automated tasks instead of relying on third-party apps.
Python and JavaScript rank among the most popular and versatile programming languages used for scripting automation.
For example, Python can automatically pull data from APIs to compile reports, while JavaScript scripts inject code managing user flows on websites.
Beyond writing standalone scripts, developer skills allow tapping automation capabilities inherent in many major platforms. Salesforce Process Builder, SharePoint and PowerApps workflows, AWS Lambda functions, and Azure Logic Apps illustrate options from top tech providers.
Programming languages like RPA tools from UiPath and Blue Prism specifically target automating common digital tasks normally requiring manual user interface interaction. These "software robots" rapidly complete tasks like data migration between systems, PDF processing, email handling and more hands-free.
Let‘s look at some programming techniques powering impactful automation initiatives:
Inventory Management
Leading fast fashion retailer SHEIN automated warehouse and inventory updates by building RPA bots tracking stock data from its logistics platform and ERP system. Keeping inventory status current across systems boosted fulfillment accuracy to 99% during peaks processing 100k+ orders daily. [ UiPath]
Mortgage Document Automation
JPMorgan Chase bank created an automated mortgage document workflow integrating RPA softwware handling data entry and document transfer between its various lending systems. The automation eliminated 230k staff hours per year allowing for loan officer productivity gains up to 200 percent. [NICE]
Automated Reporting
Python scripts enabled Morningstar to automatically pull investment data from online sources into SQL databases for consolidated analysis dashboards instead of relying manual compilation methods. The automated reporting system sliced data processing time by 80 percent. [Qubole]
While ready-to-use apps can jumpstart basic automation, custom programming unlocks versatility tackling advanced use cases.
Let‘s explore what becomes possible when adding AI‘s predictive capabilities…
Harness the Power of AI and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and its subfield machine learning unlock new possibilities for predictive analytics and adaptive responsiveness – taking automation to the next level.
Smart systems can independently modify actions based on analytical data and usage patterns without ongoing human supervision. For instance, AI underlies innovations like…
- Search engines displaying results proven most relevant for the query
- Video streams automatically continuing with recommendations that align to your taste
- Voice assistants booking appointments or ordering household items when supply runs low
- Chatbots handling customer service inquiries completely autonomously using NLP
The robust data and complex algorithms powering AI require significant technical specialization to create, but cloud platforms put these capabilities within reach. Services like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services allow developers to tap ready-made AI for use cases like automated image captioning, intent detection, predictions, recommendations, and speech processing.
Let‘s examine a few case studies showcasing AI elevating process automation:
Predictive Maintenance
Mitsubishi leverages AI-enabled sensors to track equipment performance and predict failures before they cause plant shutdowns. By combining automation and predictive analytics, their model cut maintenance costs by 8 percent already within the first year. [ McKinsey]
Automated Document Processing
Enterprise AI software extracts unstructured data from diverse document types like forms, statements, ID cards, invoices and more – eliminating slow and inaccurate manual data entry. For example, invoices take under 5 seconds for 80 percent + accuracy rather than 1 minute per document manually. [HyperScience]
Automated Contract Analysis
Bechtel employed ML algorithms trained on past project data for reviewing construction bids and contracts. The AI tools rate risk factors and provide recommendations in seconds, replacing weeks of human analysis time and reducing costly pricing errors up to 80%. [Wipro]
As these examples illustrate, artificial intelligence multiplies what‘s possible with automation – limited only by ideas and initiative putting these exponential technologies into play driving innovation and efficiency.
Now let‘s shift gears to discuss overcoming common automation hurdles…
Overcoming Obstacles to Automate
Automating tasks holds obvious appeal, yet struggles can arise around execution. Being aware of common hurdles helps address challenges proactively.
Upfront Costs – Budgeting for software, hardware, development, training and maintenance requires justifying ROI, which could stall adoption, especially at large organizations. Starting small helps.
Integration Difficulties – Linking platforms and datasets together to construct cohesive workflows takes strategic planning and technical skill. Patience navigating learning curves pays off.
Maintenance Needs – Automations demand ongoing governance to keep running. Change management processes for updating configurations and improvements should become standard practice.
Unplanned Consequences – Even well-designed automation risks unexpected bugs or incidents. Failsafe data backup and rollback procedures bring peace of mind should issues emerge.
Job Losses – Operational efficiencies from employing software robots inevitably reduce headcounts for those tasks. Sensitivity helps workers transition to new roles.
While recognizing pitfalls, recall that automation aims to augment human capacity – providing more opportunity, not less.
The Automated Future Has Arrived
Automation stands poised to reshape nearly every domain as advances in sensors, software, semiconductors and AI fundamentally change how business gets conducted.
As brilliant engineers push boundaries on autonomous vehicles, robotic manufacturing, predictive analytics, automated warehouses, augmented reality interfaces and other innovations, automation integration will continue permeating across industries.
Rather than a threat, view automation as an opportunity – a chance for greater creativity, increased impact and technology enriching people‘s lives. Through automation, the mundane gives way for humanity to reach full potential.
