Many companies have been caught off guard by the pandemic, and may not be able to respond to the unpredictable demands it presents.
This partly stems from a lack of investment in automation and a continual reliance on manual labor for managing critical business processes.
Wayne Butterfield, Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions at ISG Automation, recognizes this and explores the topic further in his Linkedin article, The Promise of Automation in a Time of Crisis. In the post, he highlights specific research on the lack of automation adoption, despite its business benefits:
ISG research shows that just 7 percent of enterprises have created significant scale in their intelligent automation initiatives, which means most organizations are likely too-heavily reliant on people for their core business processes. This also means they are unable to make rapid changes required to survive at times like these.
When deciding whether to implement automations—and when—, Butterfield urges companies to reflect on their current situation.
Assess your business-critical processes in light of those activities you have stopped and those that are still taking place. Use this to help you prioritize what you automate. Then automate it now – don’t wait. Supply and demand will continue to be exceptionally volatile over the next few months; automation can be implemented quickly to alleviate pressure and stress on your human workers and can be scaled rapidly if demand skyrockets.
Butterfield continues his case for automation by explaining how it can power your organization’s ability to scale. This not only protects your business from a crisis, but it also allows your organization to better serve customers over time.
