Investing in automation can increase productivity, create more consistent products and services, and speed up digital transformation. While it can be intimidating to business owners with more traditional methods of doing business, the benefits of automation far outweigh the costs and initial investments. To remain competitive in 2021, it is important to understand automation trends and stay on top of these changes. Automation is key to creating premium solutions for your customers’ problems. Keep reading to learn more about the latest trends in automation and how to implement them in your business.
Automation can reduce human error. A McKinsey study found that 57% of respondents already automated business processes, and another 57% are planning to scale up their efforts. Gartner estimates that by 2024, 69% of managerial work will be automated. Streamlining processes will reduce time and effort spent on administrative work. An average office worker spends about 12 hours on administrative tasks each day. Automation solutions can help you complete administrative tasks in a more efficient and error-free manner.
By 2022, robotic process will be more commonplace in the workplace. Not only will personal assistant jobs go digital, but service businesses will also invest in robot workers. These robots are designed to perform tasks in demanding conditions such as scanning inventory in tight aisles. In addition, they can even eliminate sanitation issues related to food prep. These automation trends will help businesses solve worker shortages and enable them to focus on higher-level positions.
AI will augment human skills and improve processes. The goal of any automation project is to increase productivity by combining human skill with automation. Studies by the Harvard Business Review have shown that businesses with a combination of AI and automation see the highest ROI. Artificial intelligence in content production, for example, will become a huge business automation trend this year. By combining AI and automation, you can save money and increase output while improving user experience.
Hyperautomation is the next step in digitization. This new trend integrates all of the most popular technologies into one system to improve productivity. The goal is to automate as many tasks as possible, while still maintaining a human-like touch. Hyperautomation, on the other hand, brings separate automation systems together to create an end-to-end process. This makes the entire process more reliable, scalable, and adaptable.
Voice-activated automation has made its way from the consumer market to the workplace. Voice-activated automation simplifies business processes. It can turn on lights in storage rooms, schedule important events, record notes and summaries in meeting rooms, and even unlock doors and access points. Not only is this automation trend improving productivity but also enabling businesses to accommodate customers with disabilities. So, if you want to keep pace with the latest innovations in automation, don’t wait any longer.
The impact of COVID-19 has spurred an unprecedented innovation in business automation. According to the new State of Business Automation report published by Zapier, 88 percent of small businesses say that automation has helped them compete with larger corporations. Further, 65 percent of knowledge workers say that their stress levels are lower as a result of automation. This trend is set to continue to increase in 2022. The CIO role will play an even bigger role in driving innovation in the future.