Automation in the Workplace

Integrating automation into workplaces is now a reality rather than an aspiration for many businesses. So how is it being implemented in factories, offices and warehouses, and what impact is it having? 

Though automation is now being used for different purposes in many teams across the world, there are some common pros and cons that these businesses face during implementation. 

The advantages of integrating automation into the workplace include: 

• Greater productivity: while manual and basic tasks are taken care of by automation technologies, human employees can focus their attention on more complex work. This doesn’t just make their daily activities become less mundane (increasing their engagement with their work) but means they can get more done and add more value every day too
• Lower costs: with automation, more tasks can be completed by a single system. This means businesses need to employ fewer people to complete them. Plus, machines don’t take sick days or have unexpected dips in productivity, meaning they offer a great return on investment
• Better consistency: having automated technology run basic tasks eliminates (or at least significantly reduces) the incidents of human error, meaning the final result is more consistent. This is particularly true if performance data is reintegrated into the system
• Increased business growth: integrating new systems into a business means they can scale faster than if they’d need to recruit more employees or establish new teams. Plus, their current human workers can focus on delivering value rather than basic tasks, opening up new possibilities for growth and innovation
• Improved customer experience: the efficiency of automated systems means customers will get consistent, high-quality delivery, greater responsiveness and potentially lower-cost products

Some of the challenges businesses have experienced when integrating automation into the workplace have included: 

• Cultural changes: with automated systems taking on certain tasks within the workplace, the scope of employees’ occupations will change. Managing this transition while reassuring human employees is key to the successful adoption of these technologies
• Cost of investment: although automated technologies do bring a good return on investment, their upfront costs are significant. This can be an obstacle for small to medium-sized businesses and makes it essential for corporates to choose the right automation software for their needs the first time
• Reskilling employees: as well as changing workers’ daily activities, integrating automation into a business means employees will also need to perform new tasks. Teaching teams these skills will require time and potential cost
• Operational flexibility: though you might think integrating this technology will enable greater flexibility, automation can only be used to complete particular tasks. Restricted to performing repetitive or basic activities, there’s little flexibility in how they can be used
• Cyber security: with each form of automation introduced into the business comes a new set of data that needs to be protected. This means companies transitioning towards greater automation may need to enhance their IT security to ensure this information isn’t left vulnerable

There are a variety of ways in which automation is being introduced into workplaces, with the following business departments experiencing significant change.

Operations

Within factories and warehouses, in particular, industrial automation is having a great positive impact. From fetching the right products off shelves to completing repetitive manufacturing tasks or performing heavy lifting, robots and automated systems take away the menial work from employees, allowing them to improve efficiency and perform higher-value jobs.

Customer Services

Particularly in corporates or businesses with small teams, responding to customers in a timely manner can be difficult and negatively impact retention rates. Chatbots are automated technology that can talk to customers at any time of day. By asking questions, they can either solve customer queries or gather appropriate information for a human advisor to use later on. This doesn’t just improve response times but reduces agent workload.

Human Resources

Several different HR processes can be automated, including:

• Reviewing applications
• Completing new hire onboarding
• Delivering training
• Processing timesheets or expenses
• Collecting and organising employee data

This means HR teams can spend less time on these tasks and take on more challenging work such as improving employee engagement and retention rates.

Marketing and Sales

Particularly if marketing and sales processes are integrated together, significant portions of the customer journey can be automated. From sending out social ads to collecting customer data and fulfilling orders - automating these tasks and having all this information in one place means sales and marketing teams can use the extra time to review and optimise the whole lead generation process. This doesn’t just make their operation smoother but means they have additional time to work on converting leads too. 

Legal and Accounting

Although most of what these departments do requires human expertise, there are some repetitive tasks which can be automated. Approving invoices, tracking orders, and signing contracts can all be done through automated systems. This doesn’t just free up the time of high-value employees but also helps to reduce paper waste by digitising these processes. 

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with automation technologies is where the future of automation in the workplace lies. By combining these innovations together, businesses won’t just be able to automate their basic tasks but capture and reintegrate data into the system to make their processes more efficient and teams more productive. 

This doesn’t just make businesses more effective in the short term but helps them to future-proof their operations by being more agile, competitive and innovative.