AUTOMATION

WHERE IS AUTOMATION HEADING IN THE GCC?

Ahab Qunibi, Commercial Director at Nuummite Consulting, illuminates on the constantly shifting hot topic

BY AHAB QUNIBI- COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AT NUUMMITE CONSULTING

While the Gulf Region is heading steadily towards the digitization era by adopting and developing national visions supported by governments to enable both public and private sectors to cope with the digital trends around the world, robotic process automation comes as one of the most state-of-the-art futuristic technologies.

Robotic process automation (RPA) is a revolutionary tool that could be defined as software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that carry on human actions interacting with digital systems and software. Although bots can’t replace humans, their capabilities and benefits are limitless. They can do everything from learning, and imitating, to executing business processes that entail specific rules. Robotic Process Automation software bots can interact with any application or system the same way people do—except that RPA bots can operate around the clock, nonstop, much faster, and with 100% reliability and accuracy.

HOW DOES THE SCENE OF SUCH A REVOLUTIONARY TOOL LOOK LIKE? WHERE ARE WE HEADING? In the digital world, knowledge is power and data is the key factor that decision makers depend on to develop their strategies and plans.

“Getting to know your drivers could be your first step! Based on Nuummite’s market study; multiple drivers play an important role in the success of such technologies in the UAE and KSA markets for example.”

Starting from this belief, Nuummite Consulting for digital transformation solutions acted on its leading role and initiated conversations with key decision makers and leaders of business automation in prestigious companies across the GCC to get a better understanding of the regional scene when it comes to automation.

According to this first-of-its-kind study in the region, UAE and KSA markets showed high awareness of the importance and impact of RPA and digital solutions on businesses, which means that more automation projects are likely to be implemented in the near future in these markets.

And with the fact that 76% of the interviewed organizations in the UAE adopt RPA and lead digital technology initiatives, it is expected that more companies will follow the lead and kick off their own digital transformation journey. Satisfaction of the end consumer is becoming more critical, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, and automation can play a significant role in this regard. According to the aforementioned study, 84% of companies apply RPA to enhance services rendered to end customers.

For automation and RPA to become a norm, collaboration is key! However, there is still a need to involve more departments and divisions inside the companies in the automation process.

The question now is where to start? Getting to know your drivers could be your first step! Based on Nuummite’s market study; multiple drivers play an important role in the success of such technologies in the UAE and KSA markets for example.

The successful onboarding towards digitization entails willingness, determination, and knowledge. With such data and statistics in place, a bright

Ahab Qunibi- Commercial Director at Nuummite Consulting

future is on the horizon for automation in the GCC, so if you are leading the digital transformation efforts in your company and you took your decision to include automation in your strategy, you definitely are aligned with the future!