FACT CHECKED
We’re getting more and more productive all the time. You know why?
Because machines are doing more of our labor-intensive tasks for us.
But with increased productivity and improved technology comes greater pressure to achieve more, go faster, and win bigger.
It’s called a “rat race” for a reason. Our wheels spin quicker and quicker but the battle to achieve more with our time continues.
And so here you are, wanting to know more about the juxtaposition between the Digital Adoption Platform & automation.
They’re both central to supercharging the productivity and performance of your enterprise. Automation has come a long way. There are fascinating and complex developments happening all the time within the field.
But if time is not on your side, there’s a smart way to incorporate process automation into your enterprise right away — and it’s through the DAP.
The evolution of automation
You might think that automation is a relatively new business innovation. But you’d be wrong.
Automation has a long history, from the Mayans automating water transportation via aqueducts, to Henry Ford’s automation of the mechanical assembly line.
But today, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are launching a new era of automation: intelligent automation.
Process automation actually began as far back as the 1970s, when ERP systems were born.
Then in the mid 1980s, “digital workflow” systems evolved into Business Process Management (BPM) software. Eventually, this turned into API-driven process automation.
However, BPM systems have always had their limitations. Humans are still needed to plug holes in the processes that the BPM software leaves behind.
This is where intelligent automation comes in. IBM reports that, it’s changing the way enterprises operate by using advances in technology to “optimize processes, personalize customer experiences and enhance decision making.”
“This shift – moving the burden of processes from humans to technology – has the potential to redesign the way work gets done within an enterprise.”
IBM
What is intelligent automation?
Intelligent automation uses the latest advancements in technology to manage and improve business processes continuously and automatically.
The hallmarks of intelligent automation are:
- AI / machine learning: Systems that simulate human intelligence processes and can learn without explicit instructions. This McKinsey survey shows evidence of lucrative ROI from large-scale AI adoption.
- Natural language processing: Human speech recognition
- Robotics: Robots that can connect with Internet of Things (IoT) components to learn and make independent decisions
- Predictive analytics: Predicting outcomes via algorithms and machine learning
Intelligent automation is different to basic and advanced process automation. IBM’s research shows that only 12% of organizations are currently using intelligent automation, while 9% aren’t using any kind of automation at all.
That 9% is a frightening statistic in today’s digital business world.
All this is important background for learning how the Digital Adoption Platform & automation relate to each other.
The problem with automation
The problem with automation is that it’s incredibly sophisticated technology, which means it can be complex to set up.
Yes, it will save your users time in the end. But typically, a considerable amount of time is required to develop the code, API, or backend integration first.
That’s time lost in development without any ROI.
For most enterprises, this is time that they don’t have to spare. Large organizations tend to change at a slow pace. This places their digital transformation at risk.
Successful digital transformation for today’s enterprises hinges on agility and fast adoption of new technology.
This is causing some experts to predict the rapid extinction of businesses that fail to keep pace with the digital revolution.
“Companies that were [once] able to prosper by moving at a deliberate and slow pace will be extinct within as little as five years. Those companies that stay on the cutting edge of innovation will direct where we are going.”
Dan Lee
Time is most definitely of the essence.
Digital Adoption Platform & automation: the 411
So how does all that evolution feed into the question of Digital Adoption Platform & automation? The answer is, on a few different levels.
The DAP uses automation to eliminate “empty clicks” and auto-complete tedious and/or complex digital tasks for the user. This simplifies the user experience (UX) and boosts employee productivity.
There are a few things to mention about the automation actually within the DAP:
- It’s powered by user analytics and AI
- There’s no coding, API, or backend integration — it’s all built into the DAP
- It can automate processes across multiple systems
The significant benefit of the DAP is that its automation is built into the system.
It requires no backend integration or API, so you don’t need any technical knowledge to create your automations. The DAP’s intuitive, drag and drop interface makes it all really easy to set up.
So if you’re looking at Digital Adoption Platform & automation solutions separately, don’t. There’s no need. The DAP can provide all the benefits of automation for you.
