Automation isn’t automatically better!
I have been looking at the role of automation in BPM over the last few weeks and have to admit it is taking me longer than I had hoped because there are a lot of issues involved. I received an e-book from a software vendor as part of a recent mailshot and suddenly something struck me right between the eyes. The e-book was using a sporting metaphor to expound the virtues and values of a suite of products that included process automation and made some connections to sporting quotes and anecdotes. What struck me was the statement that some things simply had to be carried out by humans, such as sporting activity. This isn’t true any more. We have just seen the end of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa with Spain beating the once more unfortunate Dutch and this was all human activity. Did it have to be? The answer is of course no. It could have been automated, it could have been played out by computers with the results based on the performance of the players in real life. It is already possible in a number of games. It would have saved millions upon millions. The electronic automated games could have been played out and watched on the internet by anyone with the most basic access, the results published on news programmes as they were. Even the commentary could have been pre-recorded and the pundits could have stayed at home with their families. But, and it is an enormous great but with flashing lights and alarm sounds. It would have been rubbish, it would not have been engaging, there would have been no human side to it at all, the drama of the event would have been meaningless. So would automation have been the right thing to do?
This may seem like a silly argument, but is it? Too many businesses are being pushed towards automation as the answer to their problems, save a job here, a few pounds there. The reality is automation comes with some costs of its own, costs which are often overlooked. Take banking as an example, there are plenty of banks with no human interaction at all, some are actually quite good. But what happens when you need advice? Try getting in touch with a real person and suddenly the automatic bank doesn’t seem so great. Better yet, try complaining. One major UK building society says on its web site ring this number and we will do everything we can to help you. The problem with that is that the number is an automated call handling system with no option for complaints so even if amongst the variety of options available you can find one that gets you to a real person they can’t handle your call anyway. Hmmm.
What about supermarkets? Shop on the internet, buy from pictures, pay online all you have to do is be at home at the agreed time and put it all away. If this is so great then why are all the supermarkets still full of people? If the express do-it-yourself checkouts are so great why do people walk past them to the tills with queues? There was a time when you could leave a note out for the milkman and order an extra pint but even that is now an internet activity, automating the process for loading the milk float with just the right amount of bottles. So why do people continue to reject these options?
The answer isn’t all that hard to see. People like to deal with people. We are sociable beings who crave contact and connection. Just look at the rise in social media and networking if you need the slightest shred of evidence. The trouble with automation is in rushing to do what we can, we forget to think about whether we should. The answer is not automation all the time, it is not automatically better. Just think about it