Article | 19.4.2021
Intelligent Process Automation: Maximizing productivity and agility
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In today’s competitive world, companies that do not keep up with the times are at risk in their future existence, that’s why it is so relevant to consider automation as a way to achieve greater efficiency and allow employees to focus on adding value. Sisua Digital was interviewed in Chile’s leading C-Level magazine, Gerencia. Read on as our CEO in Latam, Alan Berstein, describes how chilean organizations are facing changes and how intelligent automation can help with their digital transformation.
Today many internal and external factors pressure companies to do things a different way than what they are used to. In addition, recently the premise is to reduce operational costs and do new things, that is, “do more with less.” In general, the more traditional or older companies with a track record have been more reluctant to change in order to protect their financial statements and, at the same time, they must continue to advance their employment, offering their products or services, in addition to generating new and innovative ones. If they don’t, most likely others will and sooner or later and their position in the market will change.
This is where automation stands out as a great ally. "When I see cases in which they perceive that robots threaten employees and prefer to leave things as they are, I ask: what is the favor they will do to their shareholders and employees if the company ceases to exist?,” says Alan Berstein, CEO of Sisua Digital Latam.
Nowadays, how many companies are really investing in freeing people from tedious and repetitive tasks and processes that they do every day, weeks or months, that neither people like and, to top it off, do not add value to the company or your clients? Those employees, who have been at this for years, could do something much more valuable and purposeful, but without working extra hours that take up time with their family. How much knowledge do those people have who have been in the organization for so long and could help with the new tasks and processes that the business requires today?
According to the Sisua executive, if a company can intelligently automate as many processes as possible in all areas, and remain agile towards the market and its clients, it is a tremendous benefit, “that is, greater productivity, happy clients, satisfied employees working fewer hours and even with better salaries, being able to have a more balanced life ... How is that not beneficial for everyone? It is a tremendous opportunity!”.
As he recounts, it is similar to what happened in 1914 when Henry Ford decided to pay his workers double and also cut working hours. This action was not popular with companies, but it increased productivity and profits doubled in just two years, so others later replicated it.
Some obstacles
“Recently, in a company, a project area showed us what a couple of people do every month in relation to getting information from the ERP, putting it on spreadsheets, and preparing the progress report to management. We were told that everything ‘runs like clockwork’ and clearly looked great when presented to us in detail. We asked them: what would happen if that team could see every day in real time, all the information, the deviations and risks, be part of the solution and improve success, and not make ends meet only by showing the management of what happened days ago. The comment was simply: "I totally understand now." This is the power of information and robots helping people within the organization”, emphasizes Alan Berstein. He adds that “this example is what happens in most companies: nobody really believes how automation can help them. It is as if they were blind to it, but we put some filters, as is done in the eye doctor, and we show them clearly, then the magic begins”.
In their experience working with areas of innovation, which in general take on new initiatives that are not the current responsibility of any area within the organization or that other areas are unable to carry out due to time or resources, Sisua has detected that “commonly the problem is that after the success of the first pilot process, it is difficult for areas to take this technology seriously for the reasons mentioned above. For this reason, our methodology includes a person in charge, whom we call “champion”, who can lead and manage internally with our team ‘side by side,’ enabling very good results: in a short time the real transformation takes place in which the company manages to be much more agile and its employees prefer to do things of greater value ”, he adds.
What is key in staying competitive that any company today must understand?
– Focus your resources and employees on the core competencies of your business. These may include customer service, product and service development and invocation. Customers today have many alternatives and are quite eager.
– Use the human intelligence of your employees for higher goals that add value. Not only will this help you save a lot, it also provides efficiency, lowers risk by eliminating errors, and allows the highest flexibility in the face of new challenges ahead.
What is it like to be part of a Finnish multinational in Chile?
Finland is known worldwide for its education system and its environmental and social responsibility, and a derivation of this is the development of certain capacities and technologies, which is why Sisua Digital enjoys great prestige worldwide. For this reason, our reach to customers has been very good and we are here to add value and accompany them in their development without resting until they achieve the benefits.
What impact does Process Automation have on employment?
Automating adds an important value to the operation, because as the processes are executed much faster, people have time to analyze and think, but in the current reality of companies, most of the collaborators today are only focused on the “day to day” and this is the 180 degree change that needs to be made. People are not robots, but they do tasks as if they were. Ultimately, people are not eliminated, but rather they should work on things of greater value.
Given your experience, do you see resistance to change?
In Chile there is a lot of talk about innovation and technology, but I feel that many companies are quite conservative. In the larger ones it is very difficult to manage certain changes and the medium and small ones are molded to work in the same way as long ago. In this context, Sisua Digital offers an opportunity with its pioneering methodology, which has proven to be very successful in Chile since it can achieve the impact that is needed with a very high level of satisfaction of the client’s internal team and without risk.
How do you see the possibilities of moving forward in 2021, a special year for Covid?
We thought that this beginning of the year would be slow, however, it has been the opposite. We see that many companies have the need to accelerate certain decisions that would allow them to improve their efficiency, to better navigate in these turbulent times. For this reason, Sisua Digital, within the framework of a suite of tools and with a first-rate team, helps companies to improve their way of operation considerably with a relatively smaller investment than that required by other types of automation or developments, and that is why we have been growing considerably and steadily.
Automation benefits
Improve work quality and lower risks.
Lower costs and increase income.
Real-time information to streamline decisions.
Alan Berstein, CEO at Sisua Digital Latam