{"id":43594,"date":"2023-05-31T07:31:18","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T11:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=43594"},"modified":"2023-07-07T15:27:51","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T19:27:51","slug":"wondering-how-chatgpt-will-impact-businesses-look-to-rpa-as-an-example","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/wondering-how-chatgpt-will-impact-businesses-look-to-rpa-as-an-example\/","title":{"rendered":"Wondering How ChatGPT Will Impact Businesses? Look To RPA As an Example"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this segment of \u201cOffice Optional with Larry English<\/a>,\u201d Larry discusses how ChatGPT is changing the workforce and uses RPA as a referential starting point.<\/h2>\n
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Eighteen percent of work \u2013 amounting to 300 million jobs \u2013 could be automated by artificial intelligence, predicts a recent Goldman Sachs report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That sounds dire, until you consider what else the report says: Most companies will use AI such as ChatGPT<\/a> to complement rather than replace jobs. Implemented thoughtfully, advancing technology can improve employees\u2019 experience, unshackling them from draining menial work and freeing them up for more meaningful, satisfying tasks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The widespread adoption of robotic process automation<\/a> (RPA) \u2014 the use of bots to automate repetitious tasks and processes \u2014 provides a good window into what may happen with continuing AI progress and how leaders can implement new technology in a way that minimizes employee anxieties and maximizes improvement to their daily life.<\/p>\n

Use Tech to Repurpose, Not Eliminate, Jobs<\/h2>\n

My company, Centric Consulting, has helped many clients implement RPA initiatives. A few years ago, there was a lot of nervousness around the technology and the implications around job loss \u2014 exactly how people are looking at ChatGPT now.<\/p>\n

Leaders typically want to explore RPA to become more efficient. That doesn\u2019t have to mean cutting jobs, however. Instead, leaders need to think about how to help their people grow without adding headcount \u2013 and how to scale by adding technology resources.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Say you have 10 employees performing lower-level tasks that you\u2019re automating. Instead of letting go of half of them, can you repurpose their roles so they\u2019re engaged with more strategic, collaborative and creative work and thinking about meatier issues? Effective companies use automation as a growth catalyst instead of cost removal.<\/p>\n

Companies often struggle to fill openings for menial work such as data entry, and turnover is high. The employees they do retain become overworked. When companies implement tech such as bots to take care of a portion of their work, two things happen: Employees feel immediate relief and the company doesn\u2019t need to constantly try to hire new people \u2014 saving funds without the need to cut headcount.<\/p>\n

A study conducted by UiPath and Forrester<\/a> backs up this idea. Among leaders surveyed, 66 percent said RPA restructured existing work, leading to more human interaction for employees. Sixty percent said the tech freed up employees to focus on more strategic, meaningful work. More than half said RPA improved employee engagement. \u201cInstead of being a predictor of mass unemployment, automation is increasingly being identified as a mechanism for mass empowerment and job creation,\u201d the report concludes.<\/p>\n

A practical example is World Wide Technology (WWT), a technology services provider that leveraged RPA to automate manual data gathering and entry processes previously handled by its procurement operations. By implementing RPA effectively, the company eliminated the need for procurement teams to search for information on vendor websites and manually transfer data received via email into the procurement system. RPA has enabled the team to onboard multiple vendors monthly without additional IT development, resulting in improved supply visibility and customer service, reduced delivery time, and increased productivity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The benefits of RPA go well beyond automating tasks. \u201cRPA is particularly valuable for connecting disparate systems, providing plumbing between applications and networks without requiring special firewall rules, exposure of APIs, or navigating complex inter-organizational politics,\u201d said Dave O\u2019Toole, a Senior Director at WWT. \u201cMoreover, RPA solutions can be developed and implemented faster than traditional projects, making them efficient and effective for organizations looking to streamline their processes and increase productivity. With UiPath’s cutting-edge RPA technology, WWT is well on its way to achieving its goals of greater vendor integration and improved supply chain efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider the Psychological Impact of New Tech<\/h2>\n

Proactive, strategic change management<\/a> is essential for getting employees on board with a new tech implementation, especially one with the potential to eliminate jobs.<\/p>\n

Leaders need to craft and share their vision for how the new tool will be used and how it will affect employees, their jobs and the entire organization. For example, when my company helped an auditing firm with RPA implementation, leadership kept the message simple and clear: Instead of doing menial audit tasks all day, employees would be identifying risk at a higher level and thinking about accomplishing audits in more creative ways. The auditors embraced the idea of doing away with the parts of the job they didn\u2019t like and getting to engage in more meaningful work. Overall costs were also lowered as departing employees (retirees, voluntary turnover) weren\u2019t replaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy embracing the possibilities of automation, leaders can empower their teams to work more effectively, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately achieve greater business success,\u201d O\u2019Toole said.<\/strong> \u201cAs leaders, we must recognize and appreciate employees’ value and strive to help them unlock even more potential by adopting innovative technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture plays an important role in how well employees take to new tech, as well. Companies with a culture rooted in trust<\/a> between management and staff, with a strong \u201cwe\u201d environment, often see a smoother transition with minimal employee anxiety. On the other hand, companies with a more distrustful environment where employees feel leadership prioritizes cutting costs and headcount, are going to see significant resistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking time to understand employees\u2019 perspectives on their tasks and concerns about automation is crucial,\u201d O\u2019Toole shared. \u201cEmployees take tremendous pride in the value of their daily activities. As change leaders<\/a>, it is essential to appreciate their point of view and help them understand that eliminating manual processes doesn\u2019t equate to eliminating the value they bring to the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tools Will Never Beat Humans<\/h2>\n

At the end of the day, technology like RPA and ChatGPT are just tools<\/a>. Companies will always need to customize these tools \u2014 there are listings for ChatGPT prompt engineer jobs paying more than $300,000<\/a>, for example. Customization can\u2019t happen without real experience of a company\u2019s unique situation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take RPA bots. They\u2019re only as good as you can program them. As soon as real thinking comes in, you need a human. People have an edge when it comes to creativity, empathy, intuition and all the related soft skills. So far, that appears to be the case with ChatGPT, as well, which has been criticized for producing inaccurate and biased content. Companies that use ChatGPT for marketing material are going to end up with bland content that is only as good as what\u2019s already out there. Something rooted in real experience can\u2019t be replicated.<\/p>\n

It’s all about how companies harness new technology. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said<\/a> recently, \u201cThis next generation of AI will unlock a new wave of productivity growth: powerful copilots designed to remove the drudgery from our daily tasks and jobs, freeing us to rediscover the joy of creation.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, the world continues to move forward, and companies that don\u2019t figure out how to live and thrive with new tech will be left behind.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\n Our white paper explains an effective system to ensure you always keep a human in the loop when implementing AI.\n <\/div>\n
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This article was originally featured on Forbes.com.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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