Look at any \u201ctop 5 priorities for businesses\u201d or \u201cranking of strategic objectives by executives,\u201d and you\u2019ll\u00a0undoubtedly\u00a0find\u00a0innovation\u00a0near the top of the list.<\/p>\n
E<\/span>ven\u00a0<\/span>if your company isn\u2019t specifically talking about\u00a0<\/span>\u201cinnovation<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0words like<\/span>\u00a0\u201cgrowth<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d \u201ctransformation\u201d and \u201cnew product development\u201d<\/span>\u00a0all mean similar things. They\u2019re<\/span>\u00a0all\u00a0<\/span>variations on\u00a0<\/span>innovation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Centric Consulting is no different.\u00a0We view innovation as a key aspect of our future, making it\u00a0an integral part of our present.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Of course, we recognize\u00a0<\/span>several dimensions of how\u00a0<\/span>innovation will boost our efforts<\/span>, so<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>we are\u00a0<\/span>actively\u00a0<\/span>managing innovation to deliver impact<\/span>. F<\/span>or this piece<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I\u2019ll focus on one of them<\/span>\u00a0–<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>product offerings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The reasons we pursue\u00a0<\/span>the development of innovative products<\/span>\u00a0may seem clear<\/span>. B<\/span>ut<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0in addition to providing new<\/span>, valuable<\/span>\u00a0solution<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>our clients, we also value the opportunity it provides our colleagues<\/span>. It allows them to<\/span> stretch and explore ideas they are passionate about<\/span>\u00a0while helping them<\/span>\u00a0expand their skills and abilities<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Innovation<\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span>when<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>done end-to-end<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span> with purpose is akin to problem-solving and learning<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>which enhances one\u2019s intellectual versatility<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2017,\u00a0we formally established our Innovation\u00a0Advisory Team, designed to encourage innovation\u00a0–\u00a0internally\u00a0and externally.\u00a0This effort\u00a0has\u00a0led to multiple\u00a0programs\u00a0that\u00a0are already live or\u00a0still evolving.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Here\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0glimpse<\/span>\u00a0into some of what<\/span>\u2019s nearing the final\u00a0<\/span>stages of the\u00a0<\/span>incubation<\/span>\u00a0period<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What started as an exploration of how Centric colleagues could be more effective in our own virtual company mindset, led to\u00a0a search for a\u00a0simpler and\u00a0better way to get employees the information they need to be successful in their job.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n From there, a<\/span>\u00a0virtual assistant\u00a0<\/span>took shape<\/span>. This assistant\u00a0<\/span>understand<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0things like:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our vision\u00a0is to use all that information to surface insights and provide automation to help you be successful\u00a0at\u00a0your job.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve been piloting\u00a0<\/span>the AI-powered assistant internally over the past few months,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>we\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>improving\u00a0<\/span>it as we learn more<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Our<\/span>\u00a0targe<\/span>t<\/span>\u00a0launch\u00a0<\/span>date\u00a0<\/span>for our minimum viable product (MVP<\/span>)\u00a0<\/span>is the first\u00a0<\/span>half of 2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our healthcare lead\u00a0has partnered with one of her trusted contacts in advancing a\u00a0hypothesis that patients in palliative care can have\u202fimproved\u00a0experiences\u00a0\u2013 including pain\u00a0reduction \u2013\u00a0by introducing Virtual Reality into\u00a0their\u202fholistic\u202ftreatment plan.\u202f<\/strong><\/p>\n There are more details to come. Our target launch is this year, too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Losing valuable\u00a0contributors from one\u2019s workforce will always be a firm\u2019s challenge.\u00a0But, by harnessing the power of Machine Learning\u00a0and AI, we can help\u00a0predict what resources are at risk of leaving<\/a>\u00a0and help reduce\u00a0staff turnaround rates.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re already putting custom<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>models, built on Azure\u2019s ML platform, to test for some clients. And we\u2019re using these predictions to create<\/span>\u202f<\/span>PowerBI\u202fvisualizations<\/span>\u00a0that will help\u00a0<\/span>highlight trends and w<\/span>atch areas for\u00a0<\/span>human resources<\/span>\u00a0leaders<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The goal was to take this to market in 2019.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As an extension of our Process Excellence practice<\/a>,\u00a0we began to develop this\u00a0service\u00a0offering<\/a> at the beginning of 2018, and\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0created software robots for several clients to date.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The value RPA brings is that it allows\u00a0<\/span>business and IT personnel\u00a0<\/span>the ability to<\/span>\u00a0create software robots that are no-code, low-code solutions<\/span>\u00a0to process repetitive<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0day-to-day operations<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0that have traditionally relied on manual processing<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can run these robots in attended\u00a0<\/span>mode\u00a0<\/span>(typically on a\u00a0<\/span>client\u00a0<\/span>desktop) or unattended (scheduled to run) mode. Both modes deliver the same level of speed and quality to allow a business to focus on more value-added and customer-centric solutions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We are also providing thought leadership on best practices<\/a>, Centers of Excellence<\/a>, process and tool selection<\/a>, and a host of other areas applicable to RPA<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The best part about this solution: It\u2019s already available.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n T<\/span>hese examples are just some of the innovation pursuits we\u2019re excited about.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Developing new\u00a0<\/span>and meaningful solutions for our clients helps us\u00a0<\/span>with our core purpose of delivering unmatche<\/span>d client experiences.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOur Innovative Products<\/h2>\n
1. AI Virtual Assistant for Job Success, By Marc Johnson\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
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2. Virtual Reality for Healthcare Patients, By Carmen Fontana<\/a>, Marcie\u00a0Stoshak-Chavez<\/a>, and Chris Martinez<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
3. Machine Learning to Predict and Manage Human Resources, By Carmen Fontana<\/a> and\u00a0<\/span>Jeff Kanel<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n
4. Robotic Process Automation to Increase Speed and Quality, By Mike Ryba<\/span><\/h4>\n
Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n