With labor shortages continuing throughout multiple industries, businesses need to revisit automation as a way of “filling” unhired roles or even eliminating tedious tasks that create worker dissatisfaction. Thoughtful automation can improve the work experience by granting employees the freedom to focus on more meaningful aspects of their jobs or by reducing the stress of repetitive tasks.

While technologies like robotic process automation (RPA) have made headway into the repetitive tasks in the back office, there is similar drudgery in the “front office” with customer-facing roles. In fact, the front office is potentially a far bigger, more transformative opportunity for most businesses and has the potential to more than double the market for hyperautomation. In addition to solving labor shortages and job satisfaction, customer experience automation can lead to a new level of service and competitive differentiation. Gartner has identified hyperautomation as one of the top 10 strategic technology trends and forecasts that the worldwide market for hyperautomation-enabled technology will reach $596.6 billion in 2022.

Taking businesses to the next level of productivity is achievable by combining AI tools with hyperautomation tools, like RPA, low-code application platforms (LCAP), and more.

Breaking Down Hyperautomation Tools

RPAs are for the back end of legacy systems and focus on automating repetitive or administrative human tasks. Usually, these tasks can include moving files, copying and pasting data to fill out forms, and more, which can reduce staffing costs and human error. RPAs come in handy when employees are struggling to find time for more complex “human” tasks, like decision-making.

Another hyperautomation tool being widely adopted is low-code, which delivers streamlined applications in less time than traditional coding. These systems will prove invaluable for busy customer support teams designing modern experiences and will empower companies to quickly launch customer-facing digital applications that save time and money.

Sometimes used in conjunction with low-code or no-code technology is AI, which automates data and processes, and is used to extend the capabilities of existing automations. AI also makes chatbots and virtual agents possible.

Customer experience automation (CXA) is one of the newest areas of automation, which focuses on automating the workflow of customer interactions where sales or service reps would need to pull or push data into customer platforms. CXA powers customer self-service delivered over digital channels from voice, text, web, or app.

Hyperautomation and Digital Self-Service

Without hyperautomation, legacy infrastructure can cause a company to lower its productivity output, and in turn, hurt its chances of remaining competitive. By implementing hyperautomation, companies can lower the cost of automation, align IT and business processes, and help measure digital transformation efforts.

Hyperautomation is enabling a variety of digital self-service tools and use cases. For example, in health care, the various hyperautomation tools have continued to make strides in paperless intake, patient scheduling, COVID response, digital payments, and more. Insurance has utilized them to make the customer enrollment and claims automation processes a bit less painful and lengthy. Retail has initiated digital payments via chat, subscription management, and mobile opt-in. All things made possible by hyperautomation, and all things that have become expected from consumers.

Every year, especially since the start of the pandemic, companies have had to continue to innovate by implementing new technologies to remain competitive in the market. Hyperautomation is the next technology trend to go through this massive adoption. RPA, low-code, AI, and CXA aren’t optional anymore – without them, and the new technology to follow, providing self-service to meet business and consumer expectations will be unattainable.

So, how can companies get started? The best thing about most of these hyperautomation tools is that they’re made to be built into existing systems. The first step is evaluating where those productivity pain points are inside a business: the closer the use case is to customers, the more value. Once the problem is identified, modern tools will enable users to build solutions within hours to days using low-code and template libraries. Best-in-class tools will also allow for easy customization and enterprise analytics, security, compliance, and scalability. From there, businesses will be able to distinguish which tool is right for them, opening the door to innovate and improve in the way they need most.