Robotic Process Automation
At Infosys BPM, human-ware enablement is all about "best of people and domain capabilities blended with best of technology to deliver services, co-creating business value and enhanced customer experience". We intend to augment business value with digital solutions in business processes, through human-ware.
Alisha: Hello listeners, this is Alisha; thank you for tuning in to yet another exciting and informative podcast from us at Infosys BPM. Today, we are discussing about human-ware enablement. And to talk about this, we have here with us, Gopal D Kulkarni, Head – Technology Solutions Group at Infosys BPM. Welcome Gopal. How are you?
Gopal: Thank you, Alisha.
Having already completed 3 podcasts, and now as we start my fourth podcast, I feel like this has become a habit now.
Alisha: Its’ always a pleasure to catch up with you. Today we are here to discuss the concept of human-ware.
With the everchanging business dynamics, it is now more important than ever for organizations to embrace human-ware service delivery. What are your thoughts?
Gopal: In my last podcast on “Human Bot Collaboration” we discussed about digital BPM evolving into technology-integrated operations, where both the human workers and “digital” workers will be working in tandem on the floor and how employees are getting reskilled and empowered to take up new, more creative, and innovative roles. That’s how we are ensuring their relevance and co-existence with bots in the era of digital transformation.
At Infosys BPM, human-ware service delivery is all about "best of people and domain capabilities blended with best of technology to deliver services, co-creating business value and enhanced customer experience". We intend to augment business value with digital solutions in business processes, through human-ware.
Infosys BPM has embarked on a journey of human-ware enablement over the last few years. While preparing our organisation for human-ware service delivery, we also drive democratisation of business process automation, where the process executives are enabled to not only work with low code/no code platforms but also create bots on their own. This is in line with our overall human-ware service delivery strategy.
It’s essential to have a comprehensive skill enhancement plan to enable employees to adapt to this change positively. We call this human-ware enablement.
Alisha: Yes, it’s quite important for employees to develop these skills.
As we know, the BPM industry is going through a paradigm shift. In this regard, can we know more about the current business dynamics and how human-ware enablement can be a game-changer?
Yes, human-ware will be a definite game-changer. We are reimagining digital BPM wherein digital + human-ware will bring significant shift from effectiveness and efficiency to business value, customer experience, and resilience.
The BPM industry is evolving faster than ever from the human-driven cost arbitrage model to RPA and AI/ML-driven touch-less operations. 97% of bots were seamlessly enabled during the pandemic, and the New Normal will increasingly see innovative hybrid models to deliver the services – human-ware + distributed virtual ODCs + process automation.
In this paradigm, each operations floor is unique, with varying degrees of maturity across processes and stages of the automation journey. Human-ware enablement helps organizations and operations address various aspects, including handling of digital bots through onboarding –> training –> performance management -> maintenance –> retirement.
The readiness and maturity of human-ware service delivery will provide a competitive edge to BPM organisations in the era of digital BPM.
Alisha: I agree, the competitive edge of human-ware is pathbreaking.
I assume you would have set the ball rolling, and instituted some targeted learning & development programs for employees. Could you give a better idea on the human-ware enablement programs at Infosys BPM?
Gopal: Great question, Alisha.
Today we have an array of human-ware enablement programs. The programs focus on various aspects:
Recently, we embarked on a large automation democratisation program, which is a collaborative effort of our Technology Groups, L&D, Operations, and our RPA partner, with a unique blend of automation assessment and RPA bot creation. This will bring a sharp focus on human-ware enablement across our hyper-automation accounts, and we are quite optimistic about accomplishing the desired outcomes.
Alisha: I agree, those steps seem so important.
And so I guess Digital BPM needs both automation and human workers performing hand-in-hand. In this model, what does the future look like?
Gopal: Of course. the interplay of the best of technology and human talent is increasingly becoming the need of the hour. Democratization of automation within organizations whereby they empower operations teams and supporting associates to not only identify automation opportunities but also be able to build bots, wherever possible. This will surely give them a strategic advantage over their competitors in coming years.
Leading automation partners have invested heavily in citizen developer programs, making it possible for laypersons to identify automation opportunities and build their own bots. These bots will work as digital assistants to process executives on the floor making it a true human-bot collaboration.
I will talk about two key factors, which will influence digital BPM.
1. RPA operation with a touch of human-ware: Enterprise roll-out and sustenance of RPA programs require strong process knowledge with empathetic mindset towards human-ware service delivery in addition to technological prowess, across six phases of RPA operation - discovery, planning, on-boarding, bot operation, bot performance, and support and maintenance.
This forms the key pillar of hyper-productivity in our Live Enterprise model.
2. Future and readiness: Readiness for future robotic economic impact is crucial, and coexistence of humans and robots is inevitable. The human-ware enablement program is a step in that direction not only to achieve the organizational vision of hyper-automation but also to align better with changing industry demands towards intelligent automation.
Alisha: Through human-ware enablement programs, we are surely moving towards the next stage of digital BPM. At this juncture, what is your message to employees on the journey ahead?
Gopal: In the context of digital BPM, “digital workers” and “human workers” are two sides of the same coin. With rapid technological innovation, digital workers are a certainty. Human skills, such as strong domain knowledge, problem solving, design thinking, and high-impact communication, will also come into the picture. Hence, it’s imperative for humans to reskill. So, my message would be: Learn – Unlearn – Relearn
Alisha: That sounds great Gopal. Thank you so much for taking this time to connect with us today.
Gopal: Thank you, Alisha. It was a great pleasure to be back here.
Alisha: Dear listeners, if you enjoyed our podcast today, please don’t forget to share and like it on social media. Our social handles are mentioned in the podcast page. The podcast will be available on various platforms like Google Podcasts and Spotify, in addition to our website.
Also, if you have any queries, do reach out to us through the email address on the podcast description. Watch this space for more exciting podcasts coming up. Once again, thank you for tuning in, stay healthy and socially distanced. Have a nice day!
