“Automation, or labour-saving technology is the technology by which a process or procedure is performed with minimal human assistance. Automation or automatic control is the use of various control systems for operating equipment such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers and heat treating ovens, switching on telephone networks, steering and stabilization of ships, aircraft and other applications and vehicles with minimal or reduced human intervention.” Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation
Is the world becoming more automated? Answered simply, yes. When researched, it is easy to see that many tasks or activities that are automated today we take for granted, whether it’s at home or in the workplace, that 50, 60, 70 or 80 years ago would have been a manual task. For example, the simple task of washing clothes, today is automated through technology and machinery. We have the washing machine that we simply fill up with dirty washing, pour in our desired washing liquids and fabric softeners and press start.
As the world entered the 1900’s, Motor vehicles were becoming more and more popular and eventually, car manufacturers adapted the very common manual gearbox a lot of us are familiar with today. The automatic gearbox was invented in 1921 and although it got off to a bumper start, early models and even up until the 1970s and 80s were very clunky. Now in 2020, we see that most manufactures are starting to phase out the manual gearbox in favour of the automatic, because of better performance, better fuel efficiency, more durable, more accurate and it takes a manual task away from the driver, making driving more relaxing. Tesla is even working on autopilot for cars, yes, a car that will drive you to your destination, so you can focus on checking your social media or sleeping on a long journey.
The task of cutting the grass these days has never been so easy with the introduction of automatic robot lawnmowers. Being able to mow your lawn as many times a week as you program, having the ability to monitor its current battery status and if low, putting itself on charge. You may be thinking “argh but who empties the lawnmower when it’s full?” Designers thought of this and designed automatic lawnmowers to mulching grass instead of collecting it resulting in n0 emptying needed. So in 10 or 20 years will nobody be cutting their lawn anymore?
Another example of automation is something that almost all of us will walk through at some point in the week. No? Automatic sliding/opening doors. Most supermarkets large and small and other shops, petrol stations, garage doors at home, some car doors are now auto open and close, and a lot of businesses will use automatic opening and closing doors.
So here we have a few tasks that have been automated, are currently being automated, and most likely will be automated in the future. The benefits are easy to see, with washing machines washing clothes is quick and easy, an automatic gearbox making driving easier not having to use a clutch and manually select gears and a robot lawnmower will keep on top of your lawn for you eliminating a manual task. But what about automation for businesses?
From day one, businesses have been trying to cut costs, improve efficiency and maximise profit. By the end of the 18th-century businesses were using water and steam-powered machines to improve productivity. At the beginning of the 20th-century businesses adapted production lines to streamline processes further improving efficiency, productivity, and maximising profit. The 21st century saw the use of robotics to streamline production further, massively increasing efficiency and minimising human error. Leading up to where we are today and with the world facing new challenges, businesses are starting to see the benefits and cost savings by automating internal business processes and having the ability to access, input and track information on the go, anywhere, anytime, on or offline.
Automating day-to-day routine and repetitive tasks is a great way to improve efficiency and productivity. Business processes such as payroll, invoicing, holiday requests, compliance, sales forecasts, customer helplines, HR processes and some Marketing tasks such as E-marketing… Businesses can offer customers improved customer experience while operating more efficiently, saving costs and better utilising available resources.
Excelpoint helps to take organisations through successful digital transformations to achieve new levels of efficiency and flexibility by implementing its no-code product to automate tasks that would normally take up valuable time and resource. Typically ten times quicker to implement than bespoke software and easier to achieve and better future-proofed than low-code software, Excelpoint’s no-code platform enables users to self-build a software solution to their exact requirements. Excelpoint’s team of consultants provide in-depth training and guidance and are available to configure and implement a solution on behalf of the customer.
It is clear to see that people are working out ways to automate labour-intensive tasks in every aspect of life. Day to day and work-related tasks are slowly becoming more and more automated freeing up more time to do other things. By automating work-related task’s, employers can save costs, increase efficiency, improve customer service and importantly customer experience.
So what do you think, is the future automated?
