What Is Hyperautomation and Why Is It a Must-Have in 2023?

In the swiftly evolving digital landscape, one term frequently dominates boardroom discussions and C-suite strategies: hyperautomation. Its meteoric rise isn't just coincidental. Businesses have quickly recognized the unparalleled potential of hyperautomation.

Its power lies in swiftly discerning, assessing, and automating an expansive range of business processes. The impact? It unlocks untapped potential, saving companies precious resources while elevating employees to tackle more strategic endeavors.

Notably, Gartner acknowledges it as a pinnacle strategic technology trend. And if figures speak louder than words, consider this: by 2028, the hyperautomation market is projected to skyrocket to $82.2 billion, boasting a growth rate of 16.4% CAGR.

So, what exactly makes hyperautomation the linchpin of future-ready enterprises? Keep reading as we dive into the intricacies of this transformative technology and explain why your organization can't afford to miss out.

Hyperautomation is a concept that goes beyond traditional automation methodologies. It isn't about just picking a single tool and automating a single business process. Hyperautomation represents a holistic approach to automation, weaving together multiple advanced technologies to create a tapestry of interconnected, efficient, and largely self-driven processes.

Hyperautomation is about creating a symphony where artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning, event-driven software architectures, and other tools harmonize to automate nearly everything conceivable in an organization.

Hyperautomation vs. Automation

At its core, automation is about using technology to execute repetitive tasks without human intervention. On the other hand, hyperautomation goes several steps further. It's not just about replicating human tasks but enhancing, optimizing, and interconnecting them.

Automation is usually applied on a small scale to handle individual tasks. For instance, traditional automation might deploy a single RPA tool to handle data entry. On the contrary, hyperautomation would leverage RPA with AI and ML to process the data, make intelligent decisions based on it, and then use event-driven architectures to trigger subsequent processes.

Furthermore, hyperautomation doesn't limit itself to just operational tasks. It delves into decision-making processes, data analysis, and even customer interactions, ensuring the entire business ecosystem is optimized.

You can use intelligent document processing (IDP) as part of your business's hyperautomation initiative. IDP serves as the initial step in many automated workflows by extracting data from various document types and sources. Once extracted, this data is then funneled into the hyperautomated ecosystem, where it's leveraged to drive various processes.

If you're considering this transformative journey, here's a detailed roadmap to get you started:

Dive Deep into Current Processes

Before revamping anything, understand your playing field. Employ process mining techniques to investigate your existing operations, uncovering where slowdowns, inefficiencies, and bottlenecks hinder progress.

One approach you can apply at this stage is creating a "digital twin," which is a digital replica of your business processes. This enables a granular examination of how operations progress, highlights areas demanding attention, and forms the foundation for precise, tailored hyperautomation solutions.

Recognize Your Data Landscape

Every automation journey thrives on data, and hyperautomation is no exception. Start by identifying your data, both structured (like databases) and unstructured (like emails and documents). Knowing what information is available ensures you're leveraging all available insights when automating.

Envision the End Game

What does success look like for you? Maybe it's heightened efficiency, a lucrative ROI, or both. Visualizing your desired outcomes will steer your strategy in the right direction.

Handpick Your Technological Arsenal

Hyperautomation isn't about using one tool but rather an amalgamation of several tailored to specific requirements. Furthermore, there's no one-size-fits-all in hyperautomation. You'll want to select a mix of technologies tailored to your needs.

Consider tools like RPA for repetitive tasks, AI for decision-making, OCR for data extraction from images, and ML for predictive analytics. By aligning tools with your specific requirements, you ensure that each bot or algorithm you employ serves a purpose.

Organize Your Staff

Pinpoint the main individuals responsible for distinct business areas and those who will approve the automation procedures. These individuals will help you determine and structure processes for automation and will be keenly interested in efficiency improvements within their domains. Since they might be confused, guide them in setting up new practices that capitalize on automated workflows.

Start Automating

It's time to automate! And sometimes, that means automating the automations for that extra layer of efficiency. With the groundwork laid, initiate the transformation of both simple and intricate business processes, streamlining operations and minimizing costs.

Augment with AI and Low-Code/No-Code Platforms

Enhance your automation with AI-driven tools that offer cognitive learning, optical character recognition (OCR), and NLP capabilities. For those without a coding background or looking for swift deployment, turn to low-code or no-code platforms. These intuitive platforms simplify the automation process through user-friendly interfaces, ensuring you achieve your goals faster and with minimal tech hurdles.

In the whirlwind of today's fast-paced business environment, merely keeping up is no longer sufficient; leading the pack is the goal. As a result, intelligent automation has transitioned from a competitive edge to an absolute necessity. The rationale is straightforward: the pace and demands of modern business dictate a shift from traditional operations to agile, responsive, and efficient systems.

The recent pandemic underscored this, acting as an unexpected catalyst that pushed organizations worldwide to pivot and adapt rapidly. As entire industries grappled with unprecedented disruptions, organizations were compelled to rethink their operations. Hyperautomation emerged as a beacon, not just to navigate through the crisis but to thrive in a newly reshaped environment.

So why is this technological advancement important today? Hyperautomation, powered by advanced AI, unlocks avenues for businesses to gain an edge, elevating their operational efficiency to unprecedented levels.

This technology enables companies to intelligently utilize their vast accumulated data. This way, it facilitates proactive, real-time decision-making through event-driven software instead of merely retrospectively analyzing past data.

For instance, a retail store can use computer vision to automatically restock shelves, maintaining optimal inventory levels without manual monitoring. In a healthcare facility, intelligent character recognition can swiftly scan patient records and prescriptions, ensuring the correct medications are administered while flagging only specific cases that need a medical professional's attention.

This extends to fields like finance, manufacturing, and online retailing, all of which can achieve elevated customer interactions. From anticipating stock needs in supply chains to auto-completing forms and suggesting subsequent actions, hyperautomation is reshaping industry norms.

Here are some of the benefits you can expect from hyperautomation:

Supercharging Your Efficiency

Hyperautomation integrates tasks, gets rid of repetitive steps, and accelerates your operations. When you harness this power, tasks that once took days can now be achieved in mere hours, pushing your business productivity to its peak.

Achieving Unparalleled Accuracy

How many times have minor errors impacted your bottom line or customer satisfaction? When you introduce hyperautomation, you can drastically minimize these manual mistakes. This ensures that the outputs you deliver are of the highest quality, building trust with your stakeholders and setting a high standard for your deliverables.

Empowering Your Workforce

With hyperautomation shouldering the burden of routine and mundane tasks, you can allocate your team's efforts towards more strategic, value-driven endeavors. This doesn't just optimize your resource utilization; it also uplifts employee morale, letting them engage in roles that truly leverage their skills and passion.

Harnessing Your Data Like Never Before

Your existing data and IT infrastructure hold untapped potential. Through hyperautomation, you can make the most of this data, drawing deeper insights, predicting market movements, and formulating strategies firmly rooted in facts and actionable intelligence.

Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Hyperautomation lets you monitor operations in real-time through AI, adapting and tweaking them based on real-world data. As you learn more about your operations' strengths and areas of opportunity, you can consistently refine them, ensuring they align with best practices.

Elevate Your Customer Service Game

With tools like intelligent chatbots and automated response systems, your customers can experience faster query resolutions, tailored interactions, and unmatched service consistency. This meets their expectations and often exceeds them, solidifying their loyalty to your brand.

While hyperautomation emerges as a significant force in reshaping business operations, it's not without potential challenges. Here's a look at the hurdles you might encounter and the considerations you must be aware of:

Business Process Reengineering Expenses

Realigning your business processes for hyperautomation demands meticulous planning, strategic time allocation, and considerable buy-in from all stakeholders, especially your employees. It’s like setting a skyscraper's foundation: it requires significant investment and patience. Furthermore, a robust change management strategy, characterized by transparent and frequent communication with affected workers, becomes crucial to ensure seamless transition and acceptance.

Navigating Technological Overhauls

Transitioning from basic bot-based automation to advanced hyperautomation mandates significant technological advancements. Investments may flow into acquiring event-driven software, potent integration platforms, and intuitive low-code development tools. Additionally, you need to acquire or nurture in-house expertise in business process automation, and artificial intelligence becomes paramount.

The Imperative of Enhanced Analytics

Hyperautomation revolves around intelligent automation, which is fueled by data. As you embark on your hyperautomation journey, you'll need to amplify your data collection, management and analytics capabilities.

Bolstering Security Infrastructure

Since hyperautomation interacts with multiple systems within an organization, it's like a vast, interconnected web. You must fortify every touchpoint, every bot, and every system to ensure they remain impervious to potential security threats.

The Possibility of Bias

When unchecked, automation can inadvertently perpetuate biases, especially when decision-making processes are involved. Whether it's loan approvals, hiring decisions, procurement processes, or insurance rate determinations, extreme caution is necessary.

The algorithms powering these decisions must be continually evaluated and refined to prevent the inadvertent projection of unintended biases. Continuous evaluation will ensure fairness and equity in all automated judgments.

Hyperautomation, given its vast and transformative capabilities, finds applications across various sectors. Let's delve into some compelling use cases to better understand how it’s making waves in diverse industries:

Healthcare

In the healthcare realm, hyperautomation is redefining patient experiences. For instance, integrating AI, ML, and robotic process automation streamlines administrative tasks like patient scheduling and billing. Hyperautomation can transform unstructured healthcare data from clinical notes, medical records, and lab results into structured data using technologies like OCR and machine learning.

Meanwhile, intelligent bots can analyze patient histories, predict potential health risks, and even assist physicians with diagnosis recommendations, ensuring more personalized and efficient care.

Financial and Banking Services

Financial institutions are capitalizing on hyperautomation for more secure and efficient operations. Automated bots can handle high-volume data tasks like transaction verifications or fraud detection.

Furthermore, AI-driven platforms can offer personalized investment advice, analyze market trends in real time, and predict future financial scenarios, all while ensuring adherence to strict regulatory norms.

Retail

Hyperautomation is transforming retail by streamlining inventory management with real-time stock updates. AI-driven recommendation engines can suggest products based on a customer's browsing behavior, ensuring the shopping experience is more tailored. Additionally, chatbots can assist with customer queries, while predictive analytics can forecast sales trends, helping retailers prepare for demand surges.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing units powered by hyperautomation are often termed "smart factories." These facilities utilize sensors, AI, and robotics to optimize production lines, predict maintenance needs, and ensure product quality. Real-time data analytics can also help in making instantaneous decisions related to supply chain adjustments, production pace, and resource allocation.

Logistics and Supply Chain

In logistics, hyperautomation helps track goods in real-time, predict delivery times, and automate warehouse functions. With AI-driven analytics, it's possible to forecast demand, optimize routes, and reduce fuel consumption. Also, event-driven software can dynamically adjust plans based on external factors, like weather changes or roadblocks, ensuring timely deliveries.

In 2023, hyperautomation is not just a buzzword but a crucial strategy to propel your organization into the future. By harnessing its power, you can boost efficiency, foster innovation, and stay competitive in a fast-paced world. However, many automated processes start with data inputs, and that’s where FormX comes in.

FormX, our Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), solution integrates OCR, ML, NLP, and LLMs into one single platform to help businesses automatically process all kinds of documents. Our low-code solution can be easily integrated into variou software or applications to help you build a completely automated workflow without writing a single line of code.

To truly harness hyperautomation’s potential and navigate its intricacies, connect with us for a tailored consultation.