There have certainly been easier years than 2022 to try to start a business. Compared to larger firms, smaller companies have a harder time absorbing shocks such as inflationary changes, supply chain disruptions, and changing workplace demographics. We see evidence that investors are starting to see evidence of profitability rather than growth, a paradox for startup founders of just a few years ago. At the same time, founders who embrace technological innovation have enormous opportunity.
Through our work with companies of all sizes in industries around the world, we see the convergence of these trends explain the growing focus on “intelligent automation” as organizations embark on digital transformation journeys. By applying artificial intelligence (AI) to IT operations (AIOps), robotic process automation (RPA), decision making, and business automation, companies can reduce costs and do more with less. Intelligent automation also helps combat the global skills shortage by allowing employees to work on more engaging, value-adding tasks, while also helping companies deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Nine out of 10 employees who use automation-based tools have improved their work-life balance. In short, process automation makes companies healthier – with the important caveat that they are applied thoughtfully, focus on the user and employee experience, and provide a deliberate understanding of how a particular process is performing. Automation affects the organization as a whole.
With this background as context, the role of Chief Automation Officer (CAO) becomes a critical investment in a company’s digital transformation. Not only is the role of the CAO rapidly evolving, but its importance is growing due to the positive impact automation is having on businesses across industries. The CAO will be responsible for implementing business process and IT operations decisions across the enterprise to determine when and what to do for each business imperative, working with a broad range of leaders across all business pillars. The automation strategy is the best fit.
As part of a collaborative process, the CIO identifies areas of automation and modernization, the Chief Data Officer (CDO) gathers data insights from automated workflows, the Chief AI Officer (CAIO) automates processes. Implements the latest AI methods and algorithms, and align on COO change management.
With the right automation processes and team in place, CAOs can measure success on the following indicators:
1. Every industry vertical and use case can benefit from AI and automation.
AI-powered automation enables organizations to apply intelligence to their business, bridging the gap in workflow between business and IT. For example, IBM uses this approach to actionable intelligence to help organizations automate IT operations and business processes to reduce costs and improve user experiences.
The CAO can use AI and automation to understand relationships and correlations, gain deeper insights, and establish key KPIs. Without AI, data discovery associated with automation is mostly limited to structured processes and structured data. With AI, the discovery process is not hindered by a lack of structure. By using AI, businesses can move from discovery to decision-making in a more natural and collaborative way, increase employee engagement and productivity, and foster a more collaborative relationship between AI and employees. can.
There is no industry vertical where the relevance of AI-powered automation does not apply today. For example, take manufacturing. Automation supported by visualization algorithms can help detect defects in components produced on an assembly line. In electronics, automation is used to detect break-in sounds or to automatically control electronic devices, in financial services to automate payments or customer behavior data, and in retail to change the customer shopping experience. Can be taken.
2. To combat the widening skills gap, a deeper focus on high-value work is needed.
As baby boomers leave the market, about 2.4 million fewer workers are entering each year. The pandemic has also affected many companies’ ability to recruit and overall values around work-life balance, affecting the skills available in the workforce.
In fact, according to IBM’s recent Global AI Adoption Index 2022, data shows steady AI adoption as organizations seek to address skills shortages and automate processes. For example, by automating tasks for skilled workers to be more productive, or using AI-assisted learning or employee engagement. Nearly one in four companies are adopting AI due to labor or skills shortages, and 30% of global IT professionals say their organization’s employees already save time with new AI and automation software abd tools. have been.
3. IT operations and core business processes are ripe for change.
As I mentioned, AI and automation can transform IT and business processes to improve efficiency, save costs and enable people—employees—to focus on high-value work. can be made
Issue avoidance and issue resolution are two of the most important areas of IT operations in an enterprise because they have major impacts on cost, productivity and brand reputation. Rapid digital expansion among enterprises has spurred demand for IT leaders to adopt AIops tools to increase workflow productivity and ensure proactive, continuous application performance. With AIops, IT systems and applications are more reliable, and complex work environments can be managed more proactively, potentially saving millions of dollars. This can enable IT staff to focus on high-value tasks rather than laborious, time-consuming tasks, and identify potential problems before they become major problems.
In addition to applying AI and automation to help improve IT operations, business automation is also suitable for streamlining processes in nearly every area of an organization. A few examples include sending marketing emails to a client distribution list on a predetermined schedule, automating job application processing, scheduling interviews, job offers, onboarding, managing payroll, and benefits in human resources. Automate repetitive tasks like managing or qualifying leads, assigning prospects to sales and accounting, and automating invoicing.
As organizations of all sizes continue to digitize and modernize their workflows, the CAO can help guide how AI and automation are used to modernize legacy IT systems and streamline business processes. , so that employees can focus on projects that are truly impactful.
CAO is important because their experience is versatile. Not only can they use AI to power automation across many industry verticals and use cases to address the growing gap in skilled workers, but they can also drive fundamental change for CIOs, CDOs, May work closely with CAIO and COO. Business functions that affect the bottom line.