From May 14th-16th, KeyMark hosted its brand-new customer conference: Insights. There were great times at our night events and training sessions, but most importantly opportunities to learn about the latest in intelligent automation from industry experts. Though it’s hard to narrow it down, here are 10 of the most important things I learned this year at Insights:
1. Intelligent Automation is Already Here
Whenever the phrase ‘Intelligent Automation’ comes up, there are certain trepidations that usually follow. There is uncertainty about its capabilities, and often fear of a complete overhaul within an organization’s operations and procedures. While these may be concerning issues, the truth is that intelligent automation has been around for quite some time, and many organizations already have it in place.
KeyMark, for example, has helped organizations with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for many years, which is a form of Machine Learning. Under the umbrella of Intelligent Automation, things like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) are just further additions to Machine Learning that can completely automate a process.
Simply put, Intelligent Automation isn’t something to be afraid of; we’ve been doing it all along!
2. Digital Transformation Impacts Real Life
This year’s keynote speaker at Insights was Greg Dixon, CTO of ScanSource. Much of Greg’s message was about the practical, real-world effects of artificial intelligence. AI can often be made more complicated than necessary, but Greg’s definition was simple: artificial intelligence consists of computer systems that are able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence.
An easy example is online translators, which translate languages in real-time within a text box. These are incredibly powerful and intelligent tools, and they only scratch the surface of what AI can do. Whether it’s used in a sensor in an industrial freezer that alerts workers to food temperature, or a monitor within a pacemaker that can analyze sensory data and automatically alert 911 in the event of an emergency, AI’s practical applications are almost limitless and can provide organizations, and people, with incredible value.
3. Follow the Forms
OnBase is a powerful content management system with many different features, solutions, and capabilities. Sometimes, knowing where to begin can be a bit overwhelming. Some advice from Colleen Alber, Hyland’s OnBase Product Evangelist, makes things easy; just follow your forms. In other words, simply find the places where paper forms and manual processes are slowing you down, and OnBase can step in with a solution.
With improved features like ImageForms and BrainWare, along with updated Workflow and Case Management capabilities, OnBase has never been more capable of making your processes easier. And all you need to do to get started is to follow your forms!
4. KeyMark Can Translate
Insights is a conference completely centered on KeyMark customers, so it is always great to hear them talk about their solutions. This year, Dee Bennett from Shriners Hospitals talked about her experience implementing OnBase, and the many ways it has provided value to her organization. When thinking about creating a solution, Dee mentioned that her team knew exactly what they wanted but weren’t always sure how to describe it. That’s where KeyMark stepped in.
“KeyMark was incredible at translating what we wanted into real solutions.” – Dee Bennett, Shriners Hospitals
If you don’t have a deep understanding of technical processes or jargon, but rather simply a big picture idea of what you want, there’s no need to worry; KeyMark can translate.
5. Processing Documents is a Breeze with Cloud Capture+
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a machine learning tool that automates high-volume document processing, classification, and data extraction. In 2019, this technology has evolved into a cloud-based solution, providing an all-around better experience for users and placing much more responsibility on the vendor.
By handing over tasks to the vendor like scanning, data validation, and export to workflow, organizations give their employees the chance to focus on value-added tasks, while the vendor takes care of the rest. Through the cloud platform, the vendor can also handle all the infrastructure, maintenance and dynamic scaling required. This means your organization doesn’t need any in-house expertise, and the burden is taken off your IT staff. All of this adds up to more documents being processed, and less time spent working on them.
6. Case Management is Life-Changing
Colleen Alber joined us again on Wednesday afternoon to discuss Case Management and its powerful capabilities. During this time, she likened the implementation of Case Management to an event like having a child or traveling the world; it is truly a life-changing event for an organization and its employees.
“Every customer that uses Case Management comes back and says, ‘I wish I found this sooner’.” – Colleen Alber, Hyland
To prove her point, a case study was presented by Wake County, NC about their Case Management solution. In 2015, one department processed over 1,900 contracts, each of which had to be manually scanned and attached to the proper file. After Hyland’s Case Management was implemented, the entire contract development process was automated, with integrations creating electronic contracts within Wake’s ERP system. Without the pain and frustration of manual processing, employees are now free to get more work done, and departments are functioning more efficiently than ever before.
7. RPA Requires a Plan …
One of the biggest topics at Insights was Robotic Process Automation, or RPA, a technology that implements intelligent digital workers to automate repetitive tasks without the risk of human error. We heard from KeyMark’s latest partner, Blue Prism, about the amazing potential of RPA and the ways that it will change organizations across the world for the better.
One of the most important aspects of RPA actually occurs before it is ever implemented, during the planning stage. Michael Marchuk, Chief Technology Evangelist at Blue Prism, emphasized how crucial it is for an organization to plan ahead when implementing RPA. A proper plan will allow an organization to view their processes from all angles, discover how they can maximize their use of RPA’s digital workers to provide the most possible value and create a clear way to measure success. Without planning, an organization simply won’t get the most out of its RPA solution.
8. … And Produces Amazing Results
Once a plan is in place, RPA is free to use its full power to transform an organization. Intelligent digital workers can be scaled to any process size, and work 24/7 to complete tasks. There is virtually boundless potential for this kind of technology, and the value it brings to an organization can be realized very quickly. In one case, a U.S. trucking company implemented digital workers to monitor their vehicles, and in just one year went from 650 critical engine failures to zero. That is the power of RPA, which is set to grow exponentially. In one survey of business leaders, it was revealed that:
“By 2020, 86% of companies say they will need intelligent automation to keep up.” – ServiceNow
It’s clear to see why there is so much excitement surrounding RPA. Through the proper amount of planning, this technology can be implemented to work alongside humans, empowering them to do more value-added work and helping them bring success to their organizations.
9. The Hyland Cloud is a Game-Changer
We were privileged to hear from Marc Cianciolo, Director of Cloud Services at Hyland about the latest in Hyland’s Cloud offering. This service is a world-class hosting platform for OnBase and Hyland’s other content services offerings. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies and security-driven policies, it gives organizations full functionality of OnBase, but rather than being hosted on-premise it resides in a cloud deployment option.
One of the first concerns with a cloud platform is security, but with the Hyland Cloud users can be totally sure of the safety of their data. For over 14 years, Hyland has stored information in the cloud and protected the data of over 4.3 billion documents through the strength of its security standards. More benefits of a cloud-based solution include a lowered total cost of management, increased service levels from Hyland, and less pressure on your own IT staff. Now more than ever, the Hyland Cloud should be considered the best place to host your OnBase solution.
10. The Time is Now
Ultimately, Insights proved that the time for intelligent automation is now. With rapidly growing technology like Case Management and RPA, there has never been a better time to explore opportunities to automate processes within your organization. With the proper amount of planning and the right partner to guide you along the way, intelligent automation has the power to bring a vast amount of value to an organization.
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