Brian Hesse, Product Director, SS&C Blue Prism
The proper tool for the job is essential in any industry, whether it’s a socket set or software. But imagine having access to a versatile, all-in-one toolkit that functions like a digital ‘Swiss Army Knife’, quietly integrating operations and intelligently automating daily tasks.
Businesses striving to streamline their technology setups and minimise the number of vendor relationships can integrate a unified platform to expedite their growth. Recent studies show that Generative AI (Gen AI), driven by machine learning (ML), is transforming decision-making and collaboration. Professionals in different fields are experiencing increased automation of tasks thanks to Gen AI’s ability to predict natural language patterns.
The incorporation of AI and ML on platforms, especially Gen AI, to exploit extensive sets of data, seems to be increasingly favoured by businesses. In alignment with the demand for efficiency along with accelerated innovation, process orchestration meets both requirements, as the aforementioned platforms provide simplified deployment and management, enhanced visibility and control, and streamlined automation.
Understanding the bigger picture
Disparate systems can lead to service gaps, with each department focusing on its specific needs rather than considering the organisation’s overall requirements and goals. Retrieving necessary information becomes time-consuming and cumbersome because front-end sales, middle-office operations and back-end processes use different systems.
When collaboration doesn’t happen, businesses don’t make good data-driven decisions and the customer journey becomes disjointed. Taking a holistic approach through one centralised automation platform can help you use in-house resources more wisely, reduce manual processes and collect more reliable and timely data.
Global insurer Allianz Group initiated automation to eliminate repetitive tasks, enabling teams to concentrate on customer-centric and innovative activities. Initially focusing on underwriting, pricing, finance, IT, compliance, and back-office functions supporting 126 million customers across 70 countries, the automation team operated within operations for broad visibility.
Integrating robotic process automation (RPA) with optical character recognition (OCR) and natural language understanding optimised high-volume processes, notably enhancing claims and operations initially, before extending automation across the business. Success factors included starting small, investing in people, establishing robust governance, and implementing structured change management. Initially targeting six processes within six months, Allianz swiftly scaled the program, adding eight trained staff and implementing a comprehensive framework and governance. Presently, 60 digital workers automate over 100 tasks , reclaiming 10,000 hours monthly for employees. Key success factors in scaling their automation program have been starting small, investing in people, establishing robust governance, and implementing structured change management.
Bringing automation processes together
Rather than standalone RPA offerings, organisations increasingly favour platforms that feature multiple intelligent automation technologies for seamless integration and enhanced user experiences to ensure clear communication of necessary changes. Unified platforms reduce obstacles for customers, allowing them to leverage broader portfolios and technologies from a single vendor.
One example is Zurich Insurance Group, founded in Switzerland in 1872, which operates globally with 55,000 employees. Despite its scale, Zurich UK faced challenges with legacy processes and operational complexity, prompting a focus on team alignment and customer experience improvement using automation software. Intelligent automation unified process gaps, enabling rapid claims reporting, accelerated payments, and streamlined document processing. The digital workforce managed over 120 tasks , processing three million transactions, freeing frontline staff to provide exceptional customer service.
How IA fortifies and enhances your business toolkit
Intelligent automation (IA) consolidates BPM, RPA, IDP, no-code app development, AI, ML, and other cognitive technologies into one platform, enhancing control and optimisation for organisations. It establishes standardised processes across units, reducing errors, ensuring consistent customer experiences, and mitigating regulatory risks. By streamlining integrations, IA accelerates scalability.
An integrated platform guarantees transparency and alignment, leading to smoother operations and enhanced collaboration across teams through end-to-end automation. This holistic approach prevents unacknowledged process additions, which is critical as processes often extend across multiple silos.
Integrating a unified intelligence automation platform proves transformative not only in terms of growth but also synchronises operations throughout departments. Its utility is unparalleled, with enhanced customer experiences, effective compliance, and reduced chance of errors to name a few.
Pioneering technologies and automation orchestration proficiency reformulates what should be considered excellence in operations, transcending business improvement to redefine business principles.
