Coronavirus and business uncertainty

The coronavirus pandemic has quickly turned the day to day lives of citizens around the world upside down. The full impact this will have on the economy and business world is unknown, but we can all agree it's not looking as bright as it was at the start of 2020 – a hopeful new decade. For some, it signified a new beginning or clean slate; for many, it was a time to set optimistic new business goals and ambitions.

While many businesses have brilliant business continuity plans in place, few could have anticipated just how much change we are currently experiencing, particularly the emphasis on social distancing and working from home.

Back in February, this Bloomberg article referred to this period as the “world's largest work-from-home experiment”. There's no denying that working from home can be fantastic and, under the right circumstances, hugely productive. We have seen so many businesses adapting to this unforeseen change flawlessly, quickly and efficiently enabling their entire workforce to work remotely.

Some employees will be able to carry on as normal and be as productive as if they were in the office. However, in this unique situation, the distractions are many as everyone is encouraged to stay home.

Suddenly your workspace must be shared with your children and your partners/roommates. Working from the couch may be your only option if your apartment/living quarters are in tight confines. The point is there's likely to be a dip in productivity.

See also: Balancing Employee Engagement and Digital Disruption with RPA

The Concern of Senior Executives

This raises broader questions for business leaders and employees: is this sustainable? How do you effectively measure performance and employee development? How do you keep engagement high for this extended period? How do you create a collegial and helpful environment?

As we head towards a recession, many business leaders expect productivity to drop and the quality of work to suffer. How long will your customers accept lower levels of service? Where do you think they will go if service matters more than price?

Automate the Mundane

How can your business survive a recession? If your company has a lot of highly repeatable tasks with little decision making, robotic process automation (RPA) is the first step on the journey to becoming more resilient. For example, you may be bogged down with processing invoices, sending claims acknowledgement letters, parsing medical forms, etc.

RPA or better yet, Cognitive Process Automation (CPA), can automate each of these mundane, administrative activities. CPA is powered by artificial intelligence, making the capabilities even greater. Roots Automation can work with you to automate these processes and relieve pressure from your team.

This will allow your team to focus on high-value tasks and important projects that need attention. Your team will concentrate on improving their skills and experiences and ultimately ensure your customers are getting the best possible service. All the while ensuring “business as usual” is maintained as the less stimulating, but critical, admin tasks are being taken care of by Roots Automation's bots (or “Digital Coworkers” as we call them).

Furthermore, we offer free Proofs of Value/Concept that are up and running in three (3) weeks. If you decide you like your Digital Coworkers, we can get them ready to work full-time in another three (3) weeks. The entire process can be done in a remote work environment; from the initial demo to training and onboarding your Digital Coworkers. Best of all, you don’t need to make any changes to your IT solutions or infrastructure.

Reach out to learn how Roots Automation can help you navigate and support your company’s needs in uncertain times. Get in touch today.

See also: Automation and Return on Investment