Technology has been the driving force behind innovation across the working world. While recent workplace culture changes have indeed been due to circumstance rather than technology, it is, in fact, our technology that has allowed many organizations not only to survive but also to thrive. Certainly, ThinScale has seen technology massively impact the outsourcing industry, with our Secure Remote Worker solution allowing work at home to be scaled up massively at a rapid rate for global BPOs such as Teleperformance, & more!

In this blog, I wanted to bring us through four of the most exciting technologies that will, without a doubt, impact the outsourcing industry, and that should be on the radar for anyone working in outsourcing.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

RPA is a technology practice that uses computer software that interacts with regular UI to automate repetitive tasks carried out by employees. The intent here is to streamline existing processes and reduce costs overall. Examples of RPA would be generating automated responses to emails or deploying bots to automate more straightforward and more tedious data entry types.

Successful implementations of RPA can reduce staffing costs (bots for RPA practices are low cost compared to typical staffing) and increase operational efficiency (reduction in error). This allows existing staff to focus on more productive aspects of their work and for the company to take advantage of this automation to grow faster.

AI assistance/Knowledge Bots

Considered “Chat Bots for B2B” are “codeless” AI/machine learning-based assistants that can decipher customer issues, ask qualifying questions, make suggestions, and relay contact to live agents in real-time. Knowledge bots receive much of their information from pre-existing company knowledge bases – allowing them to provide much more detailed information to B2B customers on specific topics than typical Chat Bots.

In the outsourcing industry, Business Development can leverage knowledge bots to improve the quality of leads – assisting with qualification and handover and assisting in reducing tedious tasks such as quote generation.

5G networks and Satellite broadband

With the advent of 5g providing faster speeds and more secure network connectivity, we can already see how broadband dependence for enterprise operation in different communities will reduce. With a new focus on mobility, 5g provides an answer for areas where inconsistent broadband speeds may be an issue. Further, innovations such as satellite broadband offer another alternative to the more typical copper & fiber-optic network lines, which can be inconsistent in terms of performance and availability – especially in rural areas.

These innovations will help provide fast and stable connectivity in rural areas and expand the overall hiring pool for outsourcers. 5g is becoming a more viable solution for network connectivity in South Africa than typical line-based broadband. Satellite broadband itself is posed to provide broadband to areas without any pre-existing access.

Productivity & time management solutions

Software allowing employers to monitor better and control their employee’s productivity has surged in popularity, the more advanced of which can tell, exactly, what activity is performed inside browsers and URLs and filter them into pre-defined categories – so employers and managers can tell what time is being spent where at a glance.

These solutions promote increases in employee productivity and often encourages proper time management and allocation of breaks and an overall reduction in overworking on the employee side, resulting in reduced employee burnout.

Conclusion

Technologies mentioned in this blog stand to have a significant impact on the outsourcing industry – whether drastically improving the employer/employee experience with time management solutions, increasing hiring and offshoring capability with 5g networks and satellite broadband, or vastly improving operational processes for the organization using Knowledge Bots and RPA solutions.

Check out the full webinar below for insights into technologies, strategy, and more from outsourcing industry experts: