Understanding Automation
Automation, a term you’ve likely come across either in a professional environment or in a casual setting, is an integral aspect of our increasingly tech-driven world. Fundamentally, automation involves the use of technology to perform tasks that were previously done by humans. These activities can range from simple routine tasks to complex industrial operations, thereby broadening the scope of application across various fields.
A common depiction of automation is robots at an assembly line in a factory replacing manual labor, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing human error. However, the concept of automation extends far beyond this notion, with applications encompassing various sectors – be it healthcare, agriculture, transport, or the digital sector, among others.
Impact and Benefits of Automation
Primarily, automation aims to make tasks more efficient and less effort-intensive. A key driving factor for automation has been the ability to tackle high volume, repetitive tasks with the same consistency and accuracy – something that can’t be guaranteed with manual effort. From an organizational perspective, automation means higher productivity, enhanced accuracy, lower operational costs, and most importantly – time saved. Automation means fewer human interventions, thus leading to a lower probability of errors.
For instance, businesses nowadays are leveraging automation for a multitude of tasks including but not limited to customer service, data entry, managing payrolls, and even for critical decision-making processes. AI-driven chatbots, for example, have become the frontline of customer service enabling round-the-clock, instant responses, maintaining a uniform tone, and ensuring every user query gets addressed – a feat unachievable with human-led customer service.
In the context of an increasingly digitised world, automation doesn’t just limit itself to physical labor. Digital automation or Business Process Automation (BPA), implying the automation of complex business processes, has seen wide adoption thanks to technological advances. The crux of such system is to articulate the explicit rules to the computer, allowing it to execute tasks, make decisions or initiate an action.
Automation and the Future
A common concern raised with regard to automation is whether it would lead to job losses – an important aspect that merits discussion. While it’s true that automation might replace certain job roles, it paves the way for upskilling and refocussing human effort towards tasks that require critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence – aspects which are beyond machines.
Take the example of ATMs in the banking sector. While it might appear that they replaced the role of tellers, research shows that ATMs allowed banks to operate branches at lower costs, which led to more branches opening, thus requiring more hires. Furthermore, the role of tellers shifted from routine cash handling to more complex tasks such as problem-solving and relationship banking.
Adopting a future-forward approach, automation is likely to act as an enabler rather than a hinderer. By taking over mundane tasks, it allows humans to focus on strategic, thought-intensive roles and will result in new, yet-to-be-imagined jobs, thereby driving overall growth.
In a nutshell, automation holds a great deal of potential in revolutionising the way we work and live. As we stand at the brink of this new era, it is important to embrace and prepare for these changes, rather than fear them. After all, the future of automation holds as much promise as the limits of our imagination.