By Johan Potgieter, Cluster Industrial Software Lead at Schneider Electric
04 October 2024
What is a digital worker? A “software-based employee”, “category of software robots”, “a virtual employee” – all names which pop up if queried via search engine. And it’s somewhat ominous, anthropomorphising technology to make it sound more human, which it isn’t.
But there’s more to it. Unlike generalist technologies, digital workers are trained to do specific jobs and become valuable members of human teams. Furthermore, digital workers often have unique names, faces, "memories" and skill sets which make then seem more like true colleagues rather than software products.
So, if you look at it soberly, digital workers are there to make our lives easier, not take it over. They are bona fide team members, augmenting and even simplifying our daily work lives by handling repetitive and mundane tasks. This frees up time for us, the non-digital, carbon-based lifeforms, to focus on more strategic, creative, and value-added activities.
And there’s more. As employees become more motivated, the likelihood of staying with the organisation increases, reducing turnover, the associated recruitment costs and, importantly, loss of knowledge and expertise.
The hamster on the wheel
The mundane and repetitive are silent productivity killers. Digital workers don’t have any qualms operating at 24/7 without breaks, offering a level of consistency and reliability that is unmatched by human staff.
This continuous operation reduces the need for shift-based staffing, allowing organisations to utilise their employees in a more strategic manner. By reallocating human resources to areas that require creativity and strategic thinking, companies can achieve significant cost savings while maximising the potential of their workforce.
Digital workers can also become customer facing, particularly in areas that can be trying to the calmest amongst us. They can handle routine customer inquiries, process orders, and manage data, ensuring faster response times and improved customer experiences.
Human employees, in turn, can then focus on more complex interactions and relationship-building, enhancing overall service quality and customer satisfaction.
Adapt on repeat
Digital workers are also agile, which is a must in many industries. These software-based lifeforms can quickly to adapt business needs, scaling up or down as required. This helps organisations to respond more effectively to market fluctuations, unexpected challenges, and new opportunities.
Whichever way you look at it, digital workers are more advanced and versatile than traditional bots, capable of handling complex tasks, processing unstructured data, and incorporating machine learning (ML) and AI algorithms for decision-making. They are simply more intelligent.
Digital workers augment human capabilities by automating repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on strategic work. They can learn from human interactions, improve over time, and provide valuable support in decision-making processes.
Ultimately, the relationship between humans and digital workers will continue to evolve; establishing a partnership which optimises work and encourages continuous innovation.
