Johannesburg, 04 Oct 2018
Automation is a word on the lips of many a business professional these days. Inevitably, it inspires hope for the future for many a decision-maker, but it's also responsible for raising fears among workers that their jobs might be under threat. With OECD figures predicting that 46% of jobs are likely to be "significantly affected" by automation over the next 20 years, it's not exactly an unreasonable fear to have.
In the midst of our much-vaunted digital transformation, it can be easy to put the thoughts of individual employees to one side as you pursue the advantages of new technologies. However, it's also true that human engagement will remain an essential part of business, so forget your people at your peril.
Customer engagement is a key area where automation is already having an impact, with tools such as interactive voice response (IVR) and chatbots really beginning to make their mark. This might understandably be causing some anxieties among workers, so it's crucial that companies do what they can to show employees how their roles remain a vital part of the business, and do everything in their power to ease these fears by re-training and upskilling their workers.
A major point to make from a customer service standpoint here is that automation in the contact centre focuses largely on solving simple queries, such as when a delivery is going to arrive or an update on stock availability. But, when a more complex issue arises, who do you turn to? You guessed it, a human member of staff with the ability to deal with complicated requests that are beyond the capabilities of, say, an automated chatbot. That's a given, and it isn't going to change any time soon.
To make sure staff is fully aware of this and feel reassured that their job won't be swallowed up by a robot, it's important that they're comprehensively trained to work with and alongside these new technologies, to the point where they feel empowered, rather than threatened, by their presence. This includes giving employees a detailed lowdown on how automation can actually help them to do their jobs more efficiently, by acting as a tool to support them in their daily activities.
Digital transformation
Digital transformation might be a priority, but employee fulfilment and satisfaction should be held in equally high regard. Any organisation is nothing without its people, so it's paramount that the power of automation to be a driver of better productivity is communicated to each and every person at the company. If this can be done, those rumblings of discontent will ease, people will be happier and the entire business will be better off as a result.
To learn more about Aspect's customer engagement software and how it can assist employees, click here.
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