Automated check in kiosks now dominate at the airport. Pilots steer aircraft for a short time only, with autopilot guiding the rest.

As more and more tasks are automated, we start to debate the impact of automation, multiplied many times across different sectors of the economy. Is this going to be a threat to jobs? Will this lead to vast improvements in productivity, freedom from mundane, repetitive jobs, and an overall improvement in quality of life?

Benefits of implementing automation in an IT company:

  • Cost reduction: Automation helps to reduce operational costs by eliminating human errors, greater efficiencies and greater output of work.
  • Enhanced productivity: Automation eliminates the need for manual work, so skilled workforce in the company can apply their knowledge and skills to more important tasks and projects.
  • Greater availability: One of the main priorities of an IT company is implementing the highest level of availability, can be achieved with automation, making system monitoring and remote communication possible and reducing network downtime.
  • Optimized performance: One of the challenges faced by IT companies is the need to perform tasks faster and more efficiently. Automation helps ease these situations.
  • Reliability: IT companies need to deal with expensive errors caused due to humans. They can be eliminated with automation thus improving reliability.

Research shows that as high as 46% of the repetitive tasks that individuals perform are eligible for automation. Automation benefits are typically three to ten times the cost of implementation. The findings prove that the future is less about automating individual jobs, but it is more about automating the activities within the occupations and refining roles and processes. Another advantage of automation is to provide new opportunities to individuals to explore and adopt new skillsets by eliminating these repetitive tasks.

The magnitude of automation potential reflects the speed with which artificial intelligence and machine learning are challenging our assumptions about the activities that could be automated. It has been found that automation can sometimes exceed the average level of human performance. Robots and artificial intelligence systems are generating documents better that human authors and in the medical field they are suggesting treatments for ailments.

Automation in IT industry will necessitate significant job redefinition. For example loan officers, in banking industry will need to spend less time on processing and examining paperwork but will spend their quality time communicating with clients and processing their loans, thereby improving customer engagement.

Machines can augment human capabilities to a great extent and help amplify the human expertise by allowing the individual to focus on tasks that require their skill. Automation can generate leads for organizations, helping salespeople increase their interactions with customers and convert to more opportunities.

It is argued that automation cannot replace emotional intelligence and creativity. Research shows that the amount of time, individuals spend on activities requiring these capabilities is extremely low. This leads us to explore the vast possibility of time that can be spent on doing meaningful work. Automation replaces routine and repetitive tasks, thus allowing individuals to utilize their creativity and enhance their emotional intelligence.

A company with strong automated processes will be more innovative and gives them an edge over their competitors. Automaton helps in streamlining the processes of an organization.

Organizations are usually concerned over the short-term impacts that automation could have. It is advisable for organizations to pay close attention on the speed and direction of automation and then decide when and how much to invest in automation.

As technology develops, artificial intelligence and robotics will make greater inroads into activities that today have a low potential for automation. One of the biggest technological breakthroughs would come if machines were to develop an understanding of language and emotions on par with humans. This would cause disruptions in finance, insurance and healthcare industries, in-turn creating new opportunities to grow. In marketing too, artificial intelligence has helped generate leads like never before. “Today’s mantra in marketing is to disrupt and grow”. Artificial intelligence will bring in a new wave of technological disruption with accurate ads, higher ROI combined with increased trust and transparency

IT companies need to think strategically about which parts of their existing operations could benefit from automation and then develop a framework for implementing the automation. Every company needs to prioritize customer service. Automated phone lines have allowed small and big companies to look after a huge customer base with optimized performance. Companies that use automated phone lines can take messages for inquiries and provide customers with information that a human operator might struggle to remember. Websites are now having Chatbots that are able to use AI to provide instant answers to visitors and prospective clients before human intervention.

Taking the benefits into consideration, it is tempting to dive in head-first and automate every domain of the business. Here are a few tips to consider before automating your business

  • Completely understand the process you wish to automate
  • Test the tools before fully implementing them
  • While calculating the return on investment, always think long term
  • Plan and discuss required security issues

Implementing automation in an IT company involves a collaborative discussion of the teams to pool in the repetitive tasks performed by individuals & teams. This has proven to enhance customer experience. It is imperative to the organisational and business heads to slowly learn to work “on the business” instead of work “in the business”. Your time is worth much more, hence all other tasks could  be strategically automated.