Why Successful Automation Strategies are ALWAYS Human-Centric

Many experts believe artificial intelligence (AI) is phasing out the need for human workforces entirely. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Rather than seeing automation as a threat to all jobs, we see AI as an opportunity to future-proof businesses by making them even more staff-focused. What do we mean by this? Human-centered automation is about using technology to augment employee abilities rather than replace them. This innovative automation approach can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and make businesses more competitive.

Here we’ll discuss the benefits of human-centric automation and how businesses can begin implementation.

What is Human-Centered Automation?

According to Christine M. Mitchell 1996, human-centered automation is “…automation whose objective isn’t necessarily to automate previously manual activities, but rather to improve user efficiency and minimize error.” In other words, human-centered automation is about using technology to make work easier for people, not replacing them altogether.

Human-centered automation streamlines various procedures, such as data collection and verification, through machine learning (ML) technology. This gives staff more time to perform higher-value tasks like exception handling and process improvement.

To effectively implement human-centered automation, businesses must consider how users interact with the system and prioritize staff needs above all else. It’s also essential to ensure that the automation is flexible enough to adapt as people’s needs change. After all, what works today might not work tomorrow, so it’s crucial to adjust over time.

Advantages of Human-Centered Automation

Human-centered automation aims to make users’ lives easier by automating either difficult or time-consuming tasks. It can eliminate inefficiencies, speed up processes, and make operations run more smoothly.

Increased Job Satisfaction

Automating manual procedures allows businesses to give staff members new, more rewarding opportunities. Instead of spending time on rote tasks, like data entry, staff can focus on more client-centered roles. Automation helps reduce backlogs and ease stress levels while enabling more substantive customer interactions and allowing employees to use their whole skill set. This benefits the employee and can lead to a more agile and responsive business.

Fewer Errors

When people execute manual processes, particularly those with paper documentation, they work slowly and inevitably make mistakes. These processing delays and errors have real-world consequences, such as inadvertently rejecting a loan or mortgage application or denying disability claim.

A human-centered approach to automation uses Machine Learning with human supervision to introduce a new era of synergistic cooperation. For example, when the system detects data anomalies, it flags them for human review, then uses the findings to fine-tune the underlying models. This minimizes manual labor and error rates and allows workers to devote their attention to ensuring more customers get the services they need,

Examples of Human-centered Automation

Quicker Advancements in Healthcare

Healthcare is not only data-intensive–it demands innovative solutions to solve the world’s greatest medical challenges. Human-centered automation has made this possible by optimizing patient, doctor, and practitioner services. For example, AI-based software can analyze vast swathes of healthcare data, such as pictures, clinical research trials, and medical claims. With that information, it can detect patterns and offers insights that help experts optimize treatment protocols, improve patient outcomes, and discover new drug applications.

More Efficient Green Energy

AI can optimize energy use, balance supply, and demand needs in real-time, and manage storage to reduce costs. Additionally, AI can help renewables reach their full potential through technology such as the internet of things (IoT), sensors, big data, and distributed ledger technology. For example, by attaching sensors to gas turbines and connecting them to AI processing systems, energy experts can discover how to alter fuel valves to minimize emissions. However, AI can’t solve the world’s sustainability crisis overnight. At least for now, automation technology requires human collaboration to manage decentralized energy grids.

Smart Call Centers

For a long time, humans were responsible for all call center operations. They relied on well-written scripts to perform their jobs and received performance scores based on how quickly and efficiently they resolved customer issues. However, AI has completely transformed call centers into a collaborative environment between humans and machines.

Instead of humans answering every call, contact center automation directs inquiries to software bots to help customers resolve their own issues. If the bot can’t help the customer, it harnesses predictive analytics to determine when live agents need to intervene and
escalate the issue. Over time the software improves call matching skills to ensure agents can effectively support the client in question. Ultimately, automated contact centers help customer service agents work more efficiently, help more people throughout the day, and feel more empowered in their roles.

Unlock the Power of Human-Centered Automation with Disqover

The relationship between humans and AI is critical to the future of business success. That’s why strategic organizations must work with automation partners to discover which tasks are fit for humans and which can best be automated through the latest innovations. The best way to begin is by implementing a process discovery tool like Disqover from qBotica. With process discovery, businesses can map out every essential workflow, identifying how to optimize their workforce while maximizing AI opportunities.