The pandemic forced us to reimagine the way we work. Businesses and employees created an evolving environment that accelerated digital transformation of work and the use of information technology tools.
Experts predicted the pandemic would accelerate digital transformations by several years — and it’s not hard to see why. Those organizations that changed too slowly, fell behind or no longer exist.
So, what were some of the solutions that came as a result of this drastic change in the way we work?
Digital workers are one such way that businesses have adapted to the new normal by arming employees with advanced robots (bots) that accomplish automatable tasks, allowing human employees to address more valuable and complex tasks. The goal of a digital workforce is to take away processes from humans to allow employees to address more difficult tasks.
Read on to learn more about how digital workers have become the go-to solution for organizations looking to modernize and scale their workforces.
Making the Case for Digital Workers in the New Workplace
Having a comprehensive digital workforce can be an extremely valuable part of the organization, but they can also quickly become overwhelming for your business. Poorly managed digital workers can overwhelm both the employees that use them and the technical infrastructure since bots may consume too many resources when not properly managed.
In order to truly reap the benefits of digital workers, your organization needs a quality digital workforce management (DWM) solution. We’re past the initial scramble to remain in business caused by the pandemic – it’s time to settle into managing your new digital workforce properly.
Approximately 79% of organizations are pursuing new initiatives to address gaps in the tightening IT labor market. How can the digital workforce help these organizations remain competitive when hiring an IT specialist is increasingly difficult? While a digital worker likely won’t replace a skilled IT specialist, having an adequate digital workforce in place will make the new specialist’s job much easier.
How can DWM solutions help get a handle on your digital workforce? This is achieved by providing a holistic vantage point of interoperable digital workers that allows human employees to easily understand the current state of the digital workforce.
What is Digital Workforce Management?
Digital workforce management (DWM) can be described as any software that aims to manage the entire digital workforce. A DWM solution empowers the entire company with a high-level view of the digital workers throughout the organization. Nobody in the business should be wondering if their bot is still working or how many bots are in existence.
A DWM solution should be required to truly make the most out of digital workers. Without the right overarching management solution, your organization will struggle to stay on top of all the activities of these scripted robots. Without proper management, these bots will likely become detrimental to your business instead of helpful.
Digital Workforce Management is a Vital Tool
Your digital workforce can be customized to meet the needs of your business. For example, a digital worker could be designed to repeatedly audit and submit invoices. A human employee would then manage the bot and ensure it is functioning properly.
Let’s take this further – how can someone manage every bot in the organization? They would need a higher-level view than the bots within their control or department. That’s where a quality DWM comes into play.
Each of the following benefits of a DWM helps paint a picture of how this software can transform how your organization uses digital works.
End Fragmented Efforts and Departmental Silos
Silos are generally bad for company-wide initiatives and digital workforce management is no exception. Bots that are only known to people within a certain department will lack the regular updates and monitoring that is possible with a DWM. The goal of a DWM is to provide a centralized location for managing every bot in the organization, immediately destroying the fragmented efforts of individual departments.
Mitigate Risks with Digital Workforce Solutions
Having a single governance environment significantly reduces the risks associated with digital workers. Security and resource management are the primary concerns with digital workers that are addressed by the right DWM platform.
The DWM platform provides managers and IT specialists with a dashboard to manage every bot in the company. Every bot can then be managed individually, including addressing security or resource concerns in an easily accessible dashboard.
Bots are software, and software needs to be updated. The DWM dashboard makes keeping bots updated an easy task that can be planned by IT to minimize disruptions. Regular updates help ensure the security of each bot.
Create a Holistic Vantage Point of Workforce Activities
Your enterprise must have a single platform that shows every bot in the organization, their current tasks, and any other relevant information specific to your organization. Having a DWM platform allows someone to assign the exact right worker to the task in question, along with immediately knowing which human employee needs to be involved (if any).
Sophisticated DWM platforms allow for the creation of new bots with custom code or provide a modular way for non-coders to create their own bots. Additionally, advanced platforms make heavy use of artificial intelligence to keep improving bots as new data is generated and analyzed.
Digital Workforce Solutions are Within Reach
Your business doesn’t have to develop its own way to manage digital workers, there are multiple existing solutions that can be plugged into your existing operation.
It’s time to end fragmented efforts by enacting a digital workforce management system that provides ultimate security and functionality.
Are you ready to take your digital workforce to the next level, or create one, to begin with? Reach out to us today to see how we can accelerate your automation strategy with industry-specific digital worker solutions.