ISG August 2020

ISG AUTOMATION

DIGITAL REPORT 2020

Guiding the next generation of process automation IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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Guiding the next generation of process automation 03

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I S G A U T O M AT I O N

Wayne Butterfield, Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions at ISG, describes why automation is becoming a modern business necessity

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ounded in 2006, Information Services Group (ISG) has established itself as a global leader in technological research and

advice. With a staff of over 1,300 experts working in 20 offices spread around the world, the company distinguishes itself with an innovative approach 04

based on industry insight, cutting-edge analysis and hands-on experience. ISG’s diverse range of 700 customers is a testament to the breadth of its knowledge - from privately-owned corporations to public institutions and tech providers, ISG has been able to foster positive results and take its clients to a new level of operational excellence.

Wayne Butterfield, Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions, reflects that the company’s focus made a big impression on him when he started there in 2016: “I joined ISG for the people, the strategic direction that they were interested in moving towards and because the automation space is of real interest to me.” Having previously worked for two of the top tech/telecoms companies in the sector - O2 and BT - Butterfield explains that the fantastic opportunities and

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experiences that were afforded to him early on have gone on to influence his work with ISG. Learning various aspects of the industry, including online chat/chatbots, customer services, RPA (robotic process automation) and more, crystallised his experience and formed him into the tech advocate he is today. “It opened my eyes up to the role that technology can play in helping w w w.i sg- o n e. com

I S G A U T O M AT I O N

businesses achieve their goals, cre-

staff of ex-practitioners and early adop-

ate business value and increase

ters means that clients can be assured

operational efficiencies.”

of its credentials as an innovator almost

Although it’s a valuable insight, it’s

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immediately. “ISG is led by people, like

far from a unique one, which is why,

myself, who didn’t learn about automa-

Butterfield continues, ISG Automation

tion from a PowerPoint,” Butterfield

strives to differentiate itself from the

states, “as a really early adopter, I wrote

competition by harkening back to its

the PowerPoint.” When he started work-

roots as a sourcing company. “ISG has

ing with RPA 10 years ago, Butterfield

the leading market share in all advised

says that he was amongst the first

Sourcing deals globally. As a result, it

globally to explore its potential. His

has collated a significant amount of

work resulted in ISG’s concept of the

really useful data; it’s a very data driven

‘RPA Centre of Excellence’ based on

business now.” The importance of data

five key principles: defining team roles,

in an era where information is gold dust

establishing an RPA CoE Council,

cannot be overstated. Moreover, ISG’s

establishing effective governance,

recognition of automation’s value and its

managing organisational change and collaborating with IT. It’s a cogent level

C O M PA N Y FACT S

ISG’s ‘Bot 3.0’ study, which surveyed 321 QTP (qualified to participate) companies, found that only 7% of companies with a dedicated automation strategy included complex cognitive tasks

of expertise that few other companies can lay claim to. In fact, when asked what he considers the greatest achievement of ISG to date, Butterfield proudly says that the “long-standing repeat business [ISG] gets from multiple clients” is at the top of his list.

“RPA is a cornerstone of most organisations’ automation strategies at the moment,” says Butterfield. “It’s generally the technology that most people have started with and I would say that

What Should I Automate?

CLICK TO WATCH

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2:22

07 it’s probably the most mature at the

journeys,” Butterfield explains. “Having

moment.” Governed by software which

the right conversations, from a change

emulates how humans manipulate digi-

management perspective, are what

tal systems, RPA can be revolutionary

will make a programme successful, not

for a company seeking to emancipate

whether you build a small number of

its workforce of mundane, repetitive

bots; this isn’t really a technology play,

functions so that they can focus on

but that seems to get lost in most mar-

more qualitative tasks. The potential

keting messages I read online.”

for RPA’s application makes it a diverse

ISG’s sophisticated understanding

subject and one which requires ISG’s

of RPA is impressive. However, given

level of knowledge to properly leverage.

the mercurial nature of the tech indus-

“The way we help our clients is based

try, the company had to push beyond

around discussing our experiences

traditional RPA and also consider other

and then using the methodologies that

developments in AI (artificial intel-

we’ve developed to help accelerate their

ligence) based automation. After all, in a w w w.i sg- o n e. com

“ I joined ISG for the people and for the strategic direction that they were interested in going in, because the automation space is of real interest to me” — Wayne Butterfield, Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions, ISG

today could be disrupted tomorrow,” Butterfield explains. “Being two or three steps in front of your clients is really important. There’s definitely been a mindset change throughout the organisation that we’re no longer just an RPA practice; we’re an automation practice and we need to make use of different technologies.” Therefore, ISG started engaging in next generation technologies like NLP (natural language

sector where innovation is a key compo-

processing), OCR (optical character

nent, staying ahead of industry trends

recognition), Virtual Agents and chat-

is essential. “We’re living in a world

bots all the way back in 2017. Whilst

where what is seen as state-of-the-art

RPA enables automation of the ‘hand

ISG Helps Banks Harness the Power of Automation CLICK TO WATCH

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3:05

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I S G A U T O M AT I O N

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence CLICK TO WATCH

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42:26

10 work’, these other technologies repre-

as one further example of an automa-

sent a step forwards in achieving the

tion area of interest: conversational AI

same thing for much more complicated

continues to improve, meaning only the

‘head work’. ISG’s recent ‘Bot 3.0’ study

longer or more complex conversations

surveyed 321 QTP (qualified to partici-

will still require agents to handle them.

pate) companies found that only 7% of

“Unfortunately for agents, they still have

companies with a dedicated automation

the pressure of an average handling

strategy included complex cognitive

time (AHT) target on the residual con-

tasks, meaning there is still plenty of

tacts,” he states. “It will then be Assisted

room for development in this field.

Automation (vs RPA) that will further

RPA has delivered a large number

enable swifter contact resolution:

of benefits to organisations who have

quickly retrieving customer data and

implemented it correctly, but it is not

presenting it to the advisor within sec-

a panacea for all areas of business.

onds, ensuring compliance scripts are

Butterfield notes the Contact Centre

read whilst completing arduous manual

tasks in the background and even

company could substitute human work-

adding notes for completed actions.”

forces with relative ease, the truly global

Butterfield posits that this kind of auto-

impact of COVID-19 has highlighted

mation for advisors will be imperative

for many enterprises the necessity of

for more complex enquiries, effectively

maintaining a good human-robot mix to

utilising the best of both human and

ensure business continuity. “I think from

machine intelligence in a way which

an automation perspective, it has really

delivers optimal customer outcomes.

heightened the need for the (nonhu-

This use of multiple technologies, rather

man) digital workforce to be a core part

than a ‘silver bullet’ is where we are see-

of just about every organisation’s strat-

ing increased traction in the market.

egy moving forward,” states Butterfield.

It could be argued that the need for

The other effects of the pandemic on

ever-increasing levels of automation has

ISG in particular have been maintain-

never been made clearer than by the

ing compliance and regulation within a

socio-economic effects of the COVID-

new paradigm of remote working. “It’s

19 pandemic. Whereas previously a

extremely difficult to manage when

E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Wayne Butterfield Title: Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions Industry: Technology research and advisory Wayne is an automation pioneer, thought leader and practitioner based in the UK. He heads up the AI & Cognitive Automation Practice for ISG globally and is responsible for all cognitive automation engagements in ISG, assisting its clients to make the move from basic RPA into the realm of AI Automation and beyond. w w w.i sg- o n e. com

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Messaging Will Never Be The Same Contact centers are evolving.

Virtual and human agents now work together to create superior messaging experiences.

Change the conversation.

You’ll satisfy more customers. www.247.ai

“ We’re living in a world where what is seen as state-of-the-art today could be disrupted tomorrow” — Wayne Butterfield, Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions, ISG

security regulations, NICE is comprised of individuals with a sincere dedication to helping others and achieving the best outcomes for clients.

Founded in 1986 in Israel and currently employing over 6,500 people, the company has established a storied legacy in the software industry. Oded Karev joined NICE in 2012 as Director of Strategy before working his way up to General Manager of Advanced

you’ve got 2,000 agents working from

Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in

2,000 separate locations, predomi-

2016. “All of our focus is around digital

nantly from their home, and that’s not to

transformation,” he explains. “That is,

even start thinking about the bandwidth

everything around managing, optimis-

challenges and the connectivity issues,”

ing and improving the workforce of

he continues. Therefore, working very

customer service operations.”

closely with partners to find solutions to

Reflecting on how the industry

these problems will remain high prior-

has changed since the start of his

ity for ISG in the short-term. Looking

career, Karev says that the meaning of

for partners that will help it investigate

‘digital transformation’ has undergone

specific issues and highlight the right

something of a change itself in recent

solutions plays into ISG’s culture as an

years. Whereas once automation was

organisation of problem solvers at heart.

about removing the human element in

Two collaborators who have helped it

favour of customers interacting solely

attain this result are NICE and [24]7.ai.

with a machine, now it is a far more

Providing customers with the exper-

harmonious synergy between human

tise to increase operational efficiency,

and artificial intelligence (AI). “The old

stay financially protected and ensure

methodology had a great impact on the

their business is fully compliant with

bottom line because you saved a lot w w w.c o mpa w wny w.iwe sgbsite. o n e. com

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I S G A U T O M AT I O N

of service costs, but it had a negative effect on the top line: more attrition, less loyalty, less upselling, etc.” With customer-centrism now permeating business philosophy, NICE is at the forefront of software solutions which enable efficiency without compromising the ‘personal touch’ of human-to-human interaction. Having become accustomed to highly efficient online service models pioneered by companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Uber and others, consumers now expect their 14

legacy service providers to give them a comparable digital experience.

After all, automation, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, is gaining in popularity as a practical solution to service restrictions. However, far from believing that the virus instigated this change, Karev affirms that “COVID just accelerated everything.” ISG distinguished itself as being one of the first companies to truly understand NICE’s concept of ‘attended automation’ (a term coined by Karev) and how it could accelerate digital transformation. “The RPA market is built on partnerships between vendors and consulting companies and

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E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Oded Karev Title: General Manager of Advanced Robotics Process Automation, NICE Educated at Bar-Ilan University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Oded Karev joined NICE in 2012 as Director of Strategy before working his way up to General Manager of Advanced Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in 2016. A long-standing expert in his field, Karev has almost two decades of strategy consulting experience, including roles at Accenture. Today, his daily role involves focusing on digital transformation and managing, optimising and improving customer service operations. w w w.i sg- o n e. com

I S G A U T O M AT I O N

N I C E ’S N EVA PRO DU CT

Of particular note is NICE’s NEVA product – a virtual assistant designed specifically with customer service staff in mind, able to help them both online and offline functions. The utility of NEVA was underscored and put to the test when ISG observed customer service agents experience increased call volumes as a result of complications caused by COVID-19.

The liberty afforded to them by NICE’s software meant that this spike in activity could be more effectively managed. “If you’re spending less end-to-end time dealing with a customer, that increases your ability to absorb more contacts,” he continues.

“For me, NEVA is a real business value driver and a key enabler.

It’s always great to see the appreciation NICE’s technology gets from my clients.”

16 service providers. Sometimes, we’ve

on a journey to embed AI into our robots

found it difficult to educate partners

and bring further product differentia-

on attended automation’s benefits, but

tion and more capabilities. The smarter

ISG got on the bandwagon immedi-

our products are, the more value ISG

ately.” Furthermore, Karev believes the

can bring to its end customers. This is

company’s partnership with ISG will

something that NICE intends to con-

become more strategic and visible as

tinue partnering with ISG on.”

their relationship develops.

Already thoroughly intertwined with

Meanwhile, [24]7.ai is dedicated to creating a seamless and thoroughly

each other’s goals, Karev even states

customisable customer service experi-

that by helping ISG he has come to

ence. Founded in 2000, the company

regard its customers as his own. “ISG

began gaining traction in India as a

is a company that is highly committed

business process outsourcer, before

to its customers and the success of its

expanding into other areas in Asia,

projects,” he summarises. “We’ve been

South America and the US. Now,

17 serving some of largest enterprise cli-

of experience in sales and marketing

ents currently in the global market, [24]7.

operations, states that the company is

ai combines the best of both human and

ushering in a new phase of customer

artificial intelligence (AI) by synthesising

service. “What we’re doing at [24]7.ai

workers with automated assistants to

is exciting because we’re bringing 20

handle simple tasks and leaving more

years of experience across the Atlantic

complex problems to be dealt with

to Europe and applying it to this space;

by a person. Moreover, during a more

it’s an exciting time for a vibrant, new

complex call, the AI can also automate

approach,” he says.

certain aspects of the enquiry, thus

This new approach couldn’t have

speeding up the overall solution and

come at a better time: with new technol-

enabling high-volumes of calls to be

ogy presenting both advantages and

dealt with a quality response.

challenges to those exploring how best

Tim Johnson, Managing Director of [24]7.ai EMEA, who has a wealth

to utilise it, [24]7.ai is pioneering the perspective that an intelligent fusion w w w.i sg- o n e. com

I S G A U T O M AT I O N

18 E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Tim Johnson Title: Managing Director of EMEA, [24]7.ai Currently MD of [24]7.ai EMEA, Johnson was formerly a member of the Royal Navy, serving as an engineering officer. Following this first brush with leadership duties, he went on to become a professional sailor, where he worked across the Americas teaching people to sail. It was 20 years ago, upon his return to the UK, when he finally made the transition to sales and marketing operation, working in roles within telecoms, SaaS (software as a service), HR, payroll, and customer experience. Johnson is now focused on bringing process standards from the US over to Europe in order to create a vibrant and new approach.

19 of human and automated capabilities

its understanding of technology and

will yield the best results. “Very often,

its ability to differentiate between the

organisations have different divisions

truly valuable and the mundane.” Citing

looking after various channels. The

true partnership as critical, he adds that

effect is that customers end up with a

ISG helps to guide [24]7.ai through its

very mixed experience. Our company is

thought leadership and understanding

all about understanding your custom-

of vendors, which, in turn, allows the

er’s journey, making sure it’s as smooth

company to create added value for its

as possible and dealt with in the best

customers. “ISG has brought us valu-

way possible,” he continues.

able experience with robotic process

Recognising a shared goal in the

automation (RPA), which is very impor-

quest to optimise automation, Johnson

tant for us in terms of optimising how an

comments that [24]7.ai’s partnership

organisation operates.”

with ISG has been transformative. “ISG is a key partner of ours: we appreciate

When considering what key trends or technologies will continue to w w w.i sg- o n e. com

I S G A U T O M AT I O N

shape the two companies’ relationship, Johnson refers to the ‘new normal’ or post-COVID-19 working conditions that businesses around the world are adapting to. “Some of what we’ve learned together is now being delivered to our customers around how to make remote working safe and secure for everyone,” he says. “We need to work with partners like ISG because it helps organisations to make the change towards omnichannel customer service and 20

the message we’ve been discussing: human intelligence and artificial intelligence working together.”

“ There is no one solution which is the panacea for automating large chunks of a business. Making sure that you’re choosing a trusted advisor will be extremely crucial and ISG is the right partner to guide that journey” — Wayne Butterfield, Global Head of Intelligent Automation Solutions, ISG

As a team of problem solvers, ISG has achieved commendably. Having said that, since technology never stops changing, problems needing to be solved won’t either and so the company’s focus must always be on the future.

Despite the increasing sophistication of automation, Butterfield is confident that ISG Automation’s reputation and expertise will guide it successfully.

“Understanding the nuances between the various different technologies has always been an area which ISG really

2006

Year ISG was founded

$300mn+ ISG’s revenue in US dollars

1,300

Number of employees at ISG

excels in,” he states. “We understand

is the panacea for automating large

the complex and are able to explain

chunks of a business. Making sure that

it in simple terms. That’s what really

you’re choosing a trusted advisor will

resonates with our clients: who wants

be extremely crucial and ISG is the right

to be baffled by technology?” For the

partner to guide that journey.”

rest of 2020 and beyond, ISG will be focusing on helping its clients progress to a new generation of automation and promoting the seamless, sustainable benefits it can bestow. “The spectrum of automation technologies available, I think, is very important,” Butterfield concludes. “There is no one solution which w w w.i sg- o n e. com

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