Even before COVID-19 became the biggest challenge to operational resilience in a generation, organizations were struggling with a gap between digital transformation and internal processes that felt decidedly "pre-digital." Automation presents a solution, connecting new tools to old, legacy systems through three key shifts in technology.
The disconnect between front-end and back-office experience
Too many enterprises have great mobile and web experiences, but rely on slow, error-prone and manual processes to send out bills, address complaints or onboard customers, for instance. Financial and cultural investment in legacy systems underpinning operations means that throwing them out and starting afresh just isn't practical. That's where business process and task automation tools come in - the subject of a recent webinar co-hosted by analysts IDC and Appian.
Automation and business process tools streamline work, connect old systems to new ways of working, and reduce the amount of low-value, mundane work left to administrators by leveraging three key shifts in technology:
- They're cloud-based and deliver high-quality experiences across web and mobile, both for those building systems and those using them. Apps that drive operations become available anywhere and anytime.
- They can make the most of AI and machine learning (ML) to free up employees to work more quickly and effectively. Rather than only being applied to 100% automation use cases, these tools can provide automated assistance while keeping humans at the center, making predictions, recommending actions and flagging issues.
- They use low-code to make it easier to bring more people into the process of redefining operations. That means less reliance on specialist developers, as well as being able to create automated processes faster with the direct participation of the people who will be most affected by the changes, making change management easier.
Learn what it takes to turn the power of automation into operational resilience
The best approaches to business automation built on low-code tools, the use of AI and ML, and modern platform foundations are truly platforms for building business resilience. Watch the full IDC webinar on-demand to find out more.
