Robotic process automation (RPA) tools capable of completing tasks, such as chatbots and digital assistants, are defined as digital workforce. This workforce is supported by modern technologies such as cloud computing, big data, social media and artificial intelligence.
While RPA differs from traditional automation with its ability to integrate various systems and adapt to changing conditions, artificial intelligence support increases the decision-making capacity of these systems and the quality of interactive applications.
Artificial intelligence increases the efficiency of the digital workforce, making it possible to provide more complex and sophisticated solutions.
What are the types of digital workforce?
The digital workforce is shaped by various technologies, with robotic process automation at its center, and is evaluated in three main categories.
The first category, “basic process automation,” includes simple automation tools such as macros, scripts, and workflow technologies. These tools accelerate business processes by automating repetitive tasks.
The second category is defined as “advanced process automation” and includes technologies that can perform more complex tasks, such as chatbots and digital assistants, using artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Finally, “cognitive platforms” refer to software applications that can make sense of context and parse complex meanings. These platforms offer businesses the capacity to perform more in-depth analysis, the most advanced stage of digital labor.
What is a digital workforce and what are its benefits?
While digital workforces and RPA bots share many of the same components and capabilities, the key difference between the two technologies is that RPA bots are typically limited to single tasks or simple processes, while digital workforces are considered autonomous tools that can perform multiple tasks and interact intelligently with other systems.
In its simplest form, digital workforces are defined as systems that do the job automatically and do not require human interaction to do the job.
Being process-oriented rather than task-oriented, digital workforces can easily manage complex workflows that involve multiple tasks. Digital workforces can complete tasks in a very short time that would take a large number of human workers a long time to complete.
For example, a digital workforce that handles invoice processing end-to-end would ensure that the invoice passes through multiple departments, from sales to finance to procurement, whereas a traditional structure would require multiple employees to process the invoice throughout the process.
When the digital workforce is faced with options based on changing conditions, or when something goes wrong or some adjustments need to be made, they may need to make decisions. This is where artificial intelligence comes into play and uses its decision-making ability to ensure that the digital workforce does not experience any disruption.
The contributions of the digital workforce help individuals and institutions work more efficiently. Thanks to the digital workforce, employees can focus on more challenging and creative tasks by getting rid of boring and time-consuming tasks.
The digital workforce, which eliminates the human factor in processes, also prevents human errors. The digital workforce, which works 24/7, performs tasks without taking breaks. Thus, progress is made in business processes even when the staff is not actively working.
Where is the digital workforce used?
Digital workforces are found in almost every sector in today’s rapidly digitizing economy. Chatbots, which are widely used in customer service, are also taking on an increasing role in employee engagement processes. RPA bots manage data repositories used by the internet of things (IoT) and other technologies, taking on tasks such as data collection and integration with other systems.
A more powerful digital workforce is playing a role in large-scale, high-volume systems like banking, finance, insurance, and healthcare. In these sectors, digital workforces can improve the efficiency of processes, make it easier to manage complex operations, and give businesses a competitive advantage.
