What is Intelligent Automation (IA)?
May 23, 2022
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Intelligent Automation is the practice of using predictive machine learning technologies to automate a variety of business processes. Using intelligent automation to avoid human intervention, streamline decision-making, and offer scale in real-time can completely change operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. These technologies center around Artificial Intelligence (AI) but also Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Business Process Management (BPM). They help business leaders design solutions that altogether result in Intelligent Automation solutions across numerous industries.
For examples of Intelligent Automation, the healthcare industry uses chatbots to send appointment reminders and confirm or reschedule. The automotive industry uses RPA technology to reduce risk to human factory workers and improve defect discovery. Finally, the insurance industry can eliminate manual rate calculations and streamline paperwork in claims processing.
Rather than being two distinct technology umbrellas, RPA is an application subset within Intelligent Automation. RPA focuses primarily on the automation of back-office tasks. RPA is used to automate repetitive items that offer little to no variation in how the task is performed. Like most all tools in the Intelligent Automation space, RPA solutions leverage a graphical user interface so that its users aren’t compelled to leverage a software development stack. Intelligent Automation can use Artificial Intelligence to tackle more complex tasks.
RPA is rules-based, adhering to set parameters, while Intelligent Automation can leverage machine learning algorithms to "learn" as it goes and become more efficient at a task. As a result, RPA has fewer and more specific applications than the more general category of Intelligent Automation.
Companies incorporating different types of Intelligent Automation are streamlining business processes to the benefit of both customers and employees. With greater efficiency comes several benefits.
Humans are great at many things, but machines are better at consistency in their real-time decisions and at data extraction. Intelligent Automation can improve overall accuracy and quality as a result of the consistency in the solution results. Also, Intelligent Automation can automatically document processes, uncover potential compliance violations, and provide a consistent approach to meeting standards. Most significantly, every interaction is filled with volumes of data and automation, or bot, can extract key data for further improved accuracy.
Customers expect the modern enterprise to respond quickly, provide value, and understand them deeply. Intelligent Automation with natural language processing (NLP) can answer customer service questions, provide direction for new product launches, and even offer personalized experiences based on customer activity.
Machines can take on repetitive tasks without ever growing tired or making careless mistakes. This allows an enterprise to improve performance while maintaining labor costs. People can do what they do best—thinking critically, creatively, and oriented towards problem-solving.
Intelligent automation also benefits from another level of inherent value in that it can integrate with core legacy systems. Building upon different systems, automation can complement existing digital technologies for several key uses. There are several intelligent process automation use cases. Here are some great examples.
Manual claims processing takes weeks of emailing and calling a client to resolve issues and obtain missing information—even in a digital world. It's error-prone and inaccurate data entry can delay resolution, creating a poor customer experience. Intelligent automation can streamline the claims process.
Intelligent automation reduces resolution time from weeks to hours on average. Tools like advanced conversational AI helps reach customers more quickly in their natural language and provide consistent documentation throughout the process. AI can also comb documentation from PDFs and other files, text conversations, and even images to complete information retrieval. It brings simplicity to otherwise difficult process mining. All this happens without extra labor from human teams or customers.
Forrester Research found that while email is by far the preferred way for customers to reach companies, nearly 14% of companies never respond—possibly due to the complexities of unstructured data. The rest rarely respond quickly enough to satisfy customer demand. Intelligent Automation works 24/7 to resolve email faster.
Intelligent Automation can leverage a combination of artificial intelligence capabilities to triage email, social, and even calls; no matter what method customers prefer, AI can respond and resolve instances or engage a customer service agent for more hands-on queries. It scans email content to route it to the correct team member and automates documentation by pulling data into a CRM.
As businesses grow and scale, support teams may struggle to maintain high accuracy in query resolution with an influx of requests. It's frustrating to feel that the number of support tickets only grows, and that true success is always a case away. Intelligent automation leverages AI like another team member—one that never sleeps, needs a break, or takes off work—to facilitate workflows and reduce the load on support staff.
For example, AI can perform email triage to route customer inquiries to the right person the first time. As a result, support staff can focus on high-touch, complex cases and reduce customer frustration. Also, staff can create, update, and modify tickets through a central repository monitored and driven by AI. At the end of the day, automated responses and updates lessen the volume of tickets and improve resolution times—an improved experience for both customers and internal teams.
IA solutions can improve efficiency in an organization without adding to team members' workload and support staff. Instead, it allows them to refocus on creating the best value they can for customers again and again.
Intelligent automation is a powerful tool that can accelerate progress and increase profitability. If you're ready to learn best practices and take advantage of the unique combination of machine learning and intelligent automation that Ushur's platform offers, talk to an expert today.
