Intelligent automation (IA) technology is moving from being practical to being highly strategic. When it comes to revenue, it's even more impressive.
The SS&C Blue Prism study, conducted by Forrester Consulting and released in April, brings together composite organizations representing five customers interviewed. The bottom line was that over three years, significant gains were made in IA, from increased productivity to avoided compliance costs to improved employee experience and retention. This equates to an overall net present value of $53.4m (£42.5m) per customer for him.
But this may be just the tip of the iceberg. Dan Segura, his manager of enterprise sales at SS&C Blue Prism, conservatively estimates that for one of his healthcare clients he has achieved over $140 million in overall savings in cost avoidance and recovery. mentioned. Another healthcare client provided a use case that independently claimed his $43 million profit. The bot that collected overtime pay for nurses and staff during the pandemic.
“They built it in an afternoon,” Segura explains. “This is a perfect example of being in the right place at the right time. And having the right skills and technology in place.”
Many of the technologies that make up intelligent automation have been around for a long time, such as the classic RPA (robotic process automation) and OCR (optical character recognition). His SS&C Blue Prism's document automation capabilities, which form part of the latter, are described by Segura as a “game changer.” “There are a lot of these processes, whether they are performed by robots or humans,” he says. “First of all, we need to get the data from the document.
“With the introduction of AI and generative AI, automation is no longer just performing simple tasks,” he added. “We now have a better understanding of how to evaluate information from documents, evaluate information from messages, and structure semi-structured or unstructured things to drive or complete processes.”
Meanwhile, Segura describes the broader business process management (BPM) and process orchestration tool Chorus as “one of the world's best-kept secrets.” Or at least, it was. In November, his Everest Group of analysts named the tool a leader and star performer in its process orchestration product PEAK matrix.
This tool is now being used outside of traditional finance and insurance fields. “This drives millions of transactions and tasks every day,” Segura said. “We are currently hiring [elsewhere] Orchestrate work in parallel with automation, delivering end-to-end work orchestration, visibility, and increased efficiency no matter what's going on. ”
So how do use cases come to fruition? It's often a mixture of inspiration and perspiration. SS&C Blue Prism is here to, as Segura puts it, “help our customers catch lightning.” “We've all been in a situation where we say, 'Oh, this is what I would do if I ran this place,'” he says. “Intelligent automation gives us the opportunity to rethink processes and transform the way we get work done. Once the light is switched on and the first use case is built, that’s exactly what SS&C Blue Prism’s secret sauce is. It's about recognizing and recognizing what intelligent automation can accomplish.
“We are always learning from our customers,” adds Segura. “It’s at their command because they know their business and processes better than anyone else. When you combine their business expertise with the transformative power of intelligent automation and their digital workforce, That’s where the magic happens.”
Segura argues that there are change agents and citizen builders waiting in the wings for every organization, regardless of industry. Don't think that's a misnomer. The term is definitely “builder”.
“When you hear about these citizen developer programs, you say, 'We have 500, 1,000 citizen developers here.' What I don't hear is, 'And with this army of citizen developers, we're going to We accomplished this,'” Segura says. “On the other hand, some of my clients are basically citizen builders with two people taking a more solid approach.” A $43 million healthcare single use case A good example. “That's exactly what we believe at SS&C Blue Prism,” adds Segura. “We are designed to pursue more advanced value chain automation that can have a tangible impact on some of the company's key objectives.”
So you have an idea, a value proposition, and the ability to build it. How do I make it stick? Every organization is different. However, if your company has a continuous process improvement department, that's a good place to start. Segura likens this to an offshoring process. “Just saying goodbye doesn't mean you'll never think about it again,” he explains. “At the end of the day, it still has to work.
“You are not just “digital shoring” [automation] And it will basically be handled digitally. Someone has to continually improve the process. When something changes with business rules or regulatory compliance, someone has to care. Someone has to be responsible for ensuring those changes are maintained in an agile manner. ”
SS&C Blue Prism has a large, long-standing retail customer in the US that combines the right internal culture for lightning capture and automation. The company has 72,000 employees and his 60 “digital workers” who run more than 150 automations. One such automation is the use of OCR technology to automate the processing of customer orders received via digital fax.
Overall results: 6.2 million transactions have been processed and 250,000 hours of work returned to the business to date. But there's one additional element you need, especially if you're a large company. It's discipline.
“It took a while for them to reach a stage of maturity,” Segura explains. “When it comes to the Intelligent Automation team, they have very central capabilities. [but] Keep in mind that one of those processes is in the supply chain. The process involves regularly reviewing 4.2 million purchase orders. We are considering an inventory case volume of 50 million cases. We process 2 million SKUs for 8,000 suppliers.
“It's very iterative, but it's a process that uses lightning rods to capture requirements and provides people who aren't necessarily technical with a platform and methodology to iterate closely with intelligent automation teams,” Segura said. adds.
So think of what SS&C Blue Prism is doing as offering the mantle of a superhero to those who don't get a chance to be in the spotlight. That's the message the company is considering broadcasting at its June 5-6 Intelligent Automation event in Santa Clara.
“SS&C Blue Prism opens the door for citizen builders to make a real impact and bring strategic benefits to their companies,” says Segura. “You're not just playing around with pilots, you're not just fooling around with something. You're really committed to the company's strategic goals.”
Photo credit: Tara Winstead
Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out the AI & Big Data Expo in Amsterdam, California, and London. This comprehensive event will be co-located with major events such as Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.
