
Inventive? Really?
Historically the UK has revelled in its ability to come up with some of the world’s most pioneering inventions and be at the forefront of emerging technological trends. The lightbulb, the jet engine and the World Wide Web are just some of the leading edge innovations the UK can take credit for. The same however, cannot be said of our demand for robotics. Research has shown that only 64 per cent of organisations in the UK see Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as important to their overall IT strategy. This is compared to three quarters of organisations in the US. If used properly, a demand for robotics can bring a number of advantages to the way businesses operate. From improving efficiency to streamlining operations, there is no industry that would not benefit from the implementation of automated technology.Nothing can replace us
A growing belief is that the rise of the robots will signal the end for the human workforce as we know it. Within just the next ten years it has been predicted that four million jobs in the UK’s private sector will be carried out by robots. But it’s not all doom and gloom. This demand for robotics is in fact an enabler, and will assist people in the tasks that they are already carrying out. Similarly as the mundane and back-office tasks become automated, people can focus on the tasks that bring real value to the business. Business leaders need to rethink the way that they view different job roles. By doing the activities that require empathy and understanding, people can help organisations grow and achieve their wider business targets. A shift in attitude is needed if robots and people are to work successfully together. With effective leadership, the workforce can embrace automation and accept it as a technology that can improve, rather than threaten their job. [rb_inline_related]Leading the change
Senior business leaders have made significant progress in their journey in making their organisation digital, with research from KPMG revealing that the proportion of organisations with an enterprise-wide strategy has risen by 52 per cent in just three years. The finish line is in sight but businesses still have a way to go in fully realising the benefits of automated technology.A helping hand
So the C-suite is on board, the employees are convinced, what’s next? Businesses need to ensure that they implement robotic technology properly and apply it to the areas where it will really make a difference. For businesses looking to scale up, investing in robotics can be a big step in the right direction. Automated systems embody standardisation and control which brings flexibility to the tasks they can carry out Rather than just mimicking the actions of humans in activities, smart software robots can be programmed to handle each step of a wider process. The robots can then acclimatise quickly to the situation in hand, and carry out each step of the end-to-end processes. For businesses not looking to scale up but merely improve their business operations, robotic technology can be used to carry out the behind the scenes, repetitive tasks that people often resent. This leads to increased productivity, as the number of employees that carry out manual tasks is reduced and their time is freed up to focus on adding real value to the business. The robots are already proving a huge help – with 82 per cent of organisations using Robotic Process Automation to automate their business processes. But if every business was to put robots at the top of their priority list – failure would not be an option. Neil Kinson is chief of staff at Redwood SoftwareShare this story