CXO today In an exclusive interview with Hardik Gandhi, Zvolv CEO
- Hyperautomation is often touted as the future of work. Can you explain how hyperautomation differs from traditional automation and why it is becoming increasingly important for enterprises?
Historically, companies have been good at solving problems with partially automated solutions. Problems are typically narrowly defined by a single business function, and point solutions in the form of niche SaaS tools or single-purpose platforms such as robotic process automation (RPA) or business process management (BPM), or analytics has been used to solve problems. As businesses grow and processes become more dynamic to meet customer demands, these point solutions quickly become scarce. There are limits to the value realized through single-purpose automation, and most companies will have already reaped the potential. True business value in today's world is finding ways to stay relevant in this dynamic world by looking at processes holistically, across team and business boundaries, and tackling problems end-to-end. can only be derived by. This requires using a combination of technologies, refining processes where possible, and keeping solutions up to date to drive adoption across teams. When your only tool is a hammer or screwdriver, every problem looks like a nail or screw. Hyperautomation platforms are like Swiss Army knives, choosing the right combination of technologies to solve ever-evolving problems in nature.
- Generative AI integration is highlighted as a key feature of Zvolv. How is Zvolv leveraging Generative AI to fundamentally transform workflows and unlock new possibilities for automation?
As LLM capabilities continue to improve, AI orchestration that seamlessly brings the benefits of generative AI to business workflows becomes increasingly important. There are three main areas of improvement. Leverage data intelligence for real-time operational decision-making, improve user experience with human-like conversational interfaces, and eliminate many human activities for data ingestion and content generation with LLM capabilities. By connecting Zvolv's hyperautomation microservices to Gen-AI orchestration, Zvolv enables better and faster data analysis, making decisions and workflows, and triggering automated actions with minimal human intervention. and so on. Some of the more common use cases today revolve around accessing knowledge bases via chatbots, ingestion automation to extract data from documents and emails, reporting, and predictive analytics.
- One of the key components of hyperautomation is the integration of multiple technologies. Can you give me some examples of the types of technologies that are typically integrated into hyperautomation solutions?
Consider a complex process that most companies need to optimize: supply chain management, specifically procurement. There is no single solution that meets all business needs, so a lot of customization is required. An end-to-end solution typically includes a web portal for supplier onboarding and employee capital and operational requests, workflow automation and business rules enforcement for vendor selection and expense approval, invoicing and Automate and integrate robotic processes for document extraction linked to purchase orders. Use core financial systems like SAP and Oracle to trigger orders and payments, and use analytics solutions to track vendor performance, spending patterns, and more. Additionally, we create and manage contracts, manage RFP/RFQ processes, track budget lines and annual contracts, and manage supplier relationships. Partially automating such a process could require six different solutions and different platforms. For most companies, there's still plenty of room for Excel and email to take off. Efficiency losses of easily 30-40% can be attributed to the lack of an end-to-end customized solution.
Zvolv's hyperautomation platform provides BPM, RPA, analytics, integration, digital app building, and AI orchestration capabilities in a single platform, delivered as a service. Zvolv can handle these complex processes as well as many others, such as new store openings for retailers, new product development for brands, and employee lifecycle management.
- What do you think are the most important benefits that hyperautomation can offer businesses? And how do you think these benefits contribute to overall business success?
Hyperautomation for growing businesses is not a one-time activity, but an ongoing process of improving and refining business solutions to drive continuous results. Zvolv provides Hyperautomation as a Service to enterprises to help drive continuous results, but goes beyond solution implementation to mining and optimizing processes, accelerating adoption and value realization, hosting the platform, We also help handle all the heavy lifting regarding administration, scalability, and security. Business process owners can continue to refine and optimize their solutions to meet their operational needs each month without having to worry about which technology to adopt or which vendor to work with for each individual process need. can do. Zvolv's hyperautomation-as-a-service allows businesses to create a center of excellence for automation without building large teams of developers or making huge capital investments. His HaaS service at Zvolv features a pay-as-you-go and pay-as-you-go construction model, making it easy for any company to get started on this journey.
- The concept of “citizen developer” is gaining traction in the context of hyperautomation. What role do citizen developers play in implementing and evolving hyperautomation solutions?
Low-code and no-code are the fundamental build methodologies that underpin the Zvolv platform. With the introduction of Zeno, his AI-assisted builder co-pilot for Zvolv, the task of building solutions on Zvolv is becoming faster and easier by the week. With a few hours of training, business users can build more than 80% of the solution on their own, with no coding skills required. Areas that require flexibility, such as automating certain business rules or custom integrations, can be handled by low-code developers with basic Python expertise. This combination allows us to build bespoke business solutions, typically within 100 hours. Zeno helps further reduce travel times with AI assistance.
Zvolv supports your business with three development models. Zvolv's Academy program can train and help you set up an in-house center of excellence to manage continuous development within your company. A large GCC like Samsung has built over 80 apps within a year using his fully owned CoE setup. Another model that Zvolv supports businesses with is its Hyperautomation as a Service offering. Zvolv works with business process owners to drive results every week. Customers such as Lenskart and JSW are building evolving solutions in collaboration with Zvolv's HaaS model. And finally, customers with specific automation needs to replace chaotic or outdated solutions can be offered a solution that Zvolv (or a partner) owns entirely. Customers such as Adani group and Dominos choose to build many impactful solutions on Zvolv.
- Hyperautomation has the potential to impact a wide range of industries. Can you talk about specific industries or areas where hyperautomation is particularly suitable or has been significantly adopted?
Combining hyperautomation and GenAI orchestration can improve efficiency, strengthen compliance, and accelerate growth for businesses across all sectors. Zvolv has worked with a variety of companies, including Indian retail giants like Tata Group and Aditya Birla Group, to automate new store openings, vendor management, franchisee management, and more. Zvolv has provided procurement automation solutions around the world to clients such as his ENS in the UAE and his Topdrill in Australia. Manufacturing companies automating their finances, U.S. healthcare customers driving improved patient engagement and optimizing clinical processes, and field service and logistics companies automating work, travel, and asset management all benefit from Zvolv's hyperautomation solutions. I am receiving These businesses range from fast-growing startups to global Fortune 500 companies.
- Data plays a critical role in hyperautomation, driving insights and informing decisions. How can businesses ensure that the data they use in hyperautomation processes is accurate, reliable, and secure? How does Zvolv ensure the security and privacy of sensitive data? ?
Reliability, predictable accuracy, and consistent, reliable performance are important considerations for large enterprises, and are becoming increasingly important now that GenAI has become an integral part of the solution. Zvolv's AI orchestration middleware (aptly named Z-wall) ensures that corporate data stays within the enterprise. Z-wall RAG solutions enable enterprises to manage knowledge bases and operational data that can access AI solutions. Role-based and access-based controls ensure that data is not inadvertently leaked through solutions developed by business users. Z-wall's human-in-the-loop feedback and training options ensure consistently improved yet predictably accurate solutions. Z-wall's LLM configurator allows you to choose the best privately hosted LLM or public API, such as OpenAI, and add specific controls on ethics, tone, PII data masking, and most importantly, usage controls to reduce costs. can be made easier to manage.
- As hyperautomation continues to evolve, what do you see as the most promising areas for future innovation and advancement in this field?
We see two major trends developing across the industry. The past decade has been all about software as a service (SaaS) and do-it-yourself (DIY). AI has taken on a more prominent role in recent months, with customers demanding outcomes as a service rather than just software solutions. And business users expect solutions that get things done through AI rather than DIY. Businesses are currently feeling the pain of having to deal with dozens of different SaaS solutions deployed by individual business units. They work with different vendors, have different licensing terms, have different support SLAs, and often increase costs as usage increases. By investing in an integrated platform approach, companies can use an in-house COE or Zvolv-driven HaaS model to achieve consistently optimized processes with minimal management overhead. As his IT and developer teams across the enterprise continue to shrink, enabling business users to define and build applications without having to deal with technology and vendor selection challenges for each individual solution is a unique It's a scalable model.
