Automation Is Powerful, But Not Perfect
With the right approach, robotic process automation (RPA) can empower insurance organizations to meet client needs faster and with greater accuracy, as well as free up employees to focus on higher value activities. But RPA isn’t a silver bullet. In addition to the high cost of developing and maintaining bots, there’s a key ingredient that keeps everything rolling smoothly: people. Not just automation developers, but insurance experts too.
Here are four reasons why a human in the loop is critical to reaping the benefits of automation in insurance.
1. Ensures High Accuracy
One of the biggest benefits of deploying automation is reducing human error, but that doesn’t mean the technology is error-free. Many bots require some form of human input in order to carry out their assigned task, so mistakes can still happen. And while bots can be programmed to recognize specific errors, such as an empty field in a form, they can’t catch everything. That’s why it’s critical for human insurance experts to identify and correct any errors that fall through.
2. Maintains Alignment with Current Processes
Automation works best when the process being automated is relatively stable, meaning that the steps and systems involved aren’t likely to change. Yet, insurance procedures are constantly evolving, whether in response to shifting rules, regulations, or other factors. Some procedures can change up to several times in a single month, and when they do, humans need to be on hand to ensure each affected bot is updated to comply with the new requirements.
3. Enables Continuous Improvement
Bots are sometimes thought of as a “one and done” solution—right up until the moment they break. Ongoing monitoring and maintenance are essential to keeping any automation functioning as intended. This requires a coordinated effort between the insurance experts utilizing the bot(s) and the automation team. Together, they can identify known or potential issues, opportunities for improvement, and even identify new areas where automation can be applied.
4. Handles Steps the Bots Can’t
In the future, AI and machine learning will drastically expand the types of tasks bots are capable of handling on their own. Today, however, most bots are only able to perform highly standardized tasks that involve a small number of steps. In addition, many tasks simply require human judgment to perform correctly. Because of this, automation is ideal for streamlining smaller parts of an overall process while a human expert handles the rest.
Try a Different Approach to Automation
Automation can empower people to achieve more, but the road goes both ways. Even as the technology advances, human experts will continue to play an important role, using creative thinking and human judgment to keep the business—and the bots—running smoothly.
If your insurance organization is looking to leverage RPA so your teams can better focus on customer engagement and business growth, consider an approach that combines the strengths of both people and technology. ReSource Pro uses RPA as a tool rather than a standalone solution. Our human experts handle your mission-critical processes and are equipped to maximize the value of RPA, enabling you to gain the benefits of automation, without the additional costs and complexities.
Interested in finding out more? Lets’ talk.
