Tag: Michel Janssen

Intelligent Automation Exchange — June 11-12 | Event

Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen will be a featured speaker at the 2019 Intelligent Automation Exchange held on June 11-12 in Miami, Florida.  Michel will join other leading industry experts on a panel to discuss what enterprises need to know about pursuing successful digital transformation in a session titled “Stay Ahead of The Future of Work: How to Buy Digital”.

Session description

Specific key topics to be discussed include:

  • Examining digital transformation beyond simple robotic process automation to identify what your layers of digital should look like
  • Assessing the tools and technologies your enterprise will need to drive digital transformation
  • Reviewing and optimizing your processes and fueling demand for greater process intelligence and insights
  • Investigating what your digital transformation toolbox requires to stay ahead of the future of work

When

June 12, 2019 (9:00 a.m.)

Where

Intercontinental Miami

Speakers

Michel Janssen, Chief Research Guru, Everest Group

Learn more about the event

SIG Spring Global Executive Summit — April 15-17 | Event

Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen and research VP Shirley Hung will be featured presenters at the SIG Spring Global Executive Summit held on April 15-17 in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Shirley and Michel will discuss the latest research and data from Everest Group in a presentation titled “Everything Sourcing Leaders Need to Know about Customer Experience Outsourcing in 2019”.

Session description

Keeping your customers first in a digital-first world is paramount. Achieving that goal is complex. In this session, we’ll share the latest insights and research on market shifts, the impact of digital, and achieving better outcomes.

Specific key topics we’ll discuss:

  • Today’s landscape: contact centers are out . . . customer experience centers are in
  • How the digital customer experience (CX) is changing the operating model of CX centers
  • Today’s market: which service providers are winning, getting left behind, and making bold moves
  • How the best-of-the best companies leverage their customer experience outsourcing relationships to create better results

When

April 16, 2019 (3:25 – 4:15 pm)

Where

39 Beach Lagoon Road
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034

Speakers

Michel Janssen, Chief Research Guru, Everest Group
Shirley Hung, Vice President, Research, Everest Group

Learn more about the event

RPA’s Virtuous Circle Story | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

How hot has Summer 2018 been around the globe? Red hot…but not as hot as the RPA marketplace. The speed of evolution in this industry segment is almost without precedent. Firms that had revenues worth tens of millions of U.S. dollars just a couple of years ago are talking about reaching a billion in revenue in just a couple of more years.

So why all the excitement? Some chalk it up to Robotic Process Automation being a clever product idea and others to the even cleverer marketing of sexy robots.

But the reality is that it’s the perfect storm – or heat wave – of innovation and capital intersecting at just the right time.

Related: Five Keys to Unlocking the Benefits of RPA for Enterprises

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that enterprises have already captured most of the potential value from offshore labor arbitrage. But when you combine the need for a new source of cost savings with the acute shortage of labor in the U.S. and Europe, you have a market condition in which enterprises are screaming for automation that allows continued productivity improvements for less money, with less human labor-based effort.

The RPA Virtuous Circle Story

The RPA virtuous circle for business

These four keys make up the RPA virtuous circle: More sophisticated software platforms, real value propositions, significant capital infusion, and aggressive buy/build decisions. Let’s unpack each one to get the full story.

More sophisticated software platforms – the software platforms underlying RPA are not new; some of them have been around for many years. But as interest and revenues in the segment grow, the vendors are investing in better software and getting invaluable real-life implementation experience. And great use cases and robust feedback loops will drive enhanced software innovation.

Real value propositions – while a great idea is always fun to talk about, the story quickly fades if the economics are insufficient. In RPA’s case, enterprises are finding real savings and, probably most important, operational improvement. What makes this such an exciting story is that RPA doesn’t apply to just one aspect of the enterprise – it applies anywhere human resources are being deployed for labor-intensive services. So not just G&A functions, but also core business operations.

Significant capital being infused – where there is monetary value creation, Wall Street and Silicon Valley will certainly be found nearby. In the RPA segment, multiple investments in excess of US$100 million have been made. In total, we have seen more than a half billion dollars in investments in just the past six months. These are huge flows of capital, especially considering that in many cases they far exceed current revenues.

Aggressive buy/build decisions – of course, when that much capital is deployed, there’s tremendous pressure to take action to generate real, quantifiable results. The most obvious is to deploy larger sales/account teams to support the growth. But, there will be also significant development needs as use cases expand. We also anticipate that RPA firms will go on a buying spree of niche competitors or companies that increase automation functionality for items like OCR, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing.

Right now, the velocity of the Virtuous Circle is increasing…better software, increased enterprise value propositions, and another round of investments.

To learn more about Everest Group’s take on RPA, view the replay of our popular August 8 webinar on the latest developments and implications for enterprises. By registering, you will also receive a a copy of the presentation and deck for download after the webinar.

Video: The Truth about Enterprise RPA Adoption | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen shares three sneak peeks from the forthcoming report: Enterprise RPA Adoption | Pinnacle Model™ Assessment for 2018.  The full report – featuring survey results from several enterprises adopting RPA – will be released soon and will challenge multiple assumptions and myths circulating around the industry today.

After surveying enterprises about RPA adoption across a wide swath of industries, we have finalized the analysis and are about to release a goldmine of data. The new research is full of insights for enterprises looking to take a confident step forward in their journey toward Pinnacle RPA status. In this video, Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen shares three sneak peeks from the forthcoming report: Enterprise RPA Adoption | Pinnacle Model™ Assessment for 2018.

After surveying enterprises about RPA adoption across a wide swath of industries, we have finalized the analysis and are about to release a goldmine of data. The new research is full of insights for enterprises looking to take a confident step forward in their journey toward Pinnacle RPA status. In this video, Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen shares three sneak peeks from the forthcoming report: Enterprise RPA Adoption | Pinnacle Model™ Assessment for 2018.

After surveying enterprises about RPA adoption across a wide swath of industries, we have finalized the analysis and are about to release a goldmine of data. The new research is full of insights for enterprises looking to take a confident step forward in their journey toward Pinnacle RPA status. In this video, Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen shares three sneak peeks from the forthcoming report: Enterprise RPA Adoption | Pinnacle Model™ Assessment for 2018.

Enterprise RPA Adoption: Behind the Curtain | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

Now that we’ve put the finishing touches on our first-of-its kind assessment of enterprise RPA adoption around the globe, we’re seeing a full dismantling of several RPA assumptions and myths.

After surveying enterprises across a wide swath of industries, we have finalized the analysis and are releasing a goldmine of data and insights for enterprises looking to take a confident step forward in their journey toward Pinnacle RPA status. While the full results are laid out in our Enterprise RPA adoption | Pinnacle Model™ Analysis for 2018, I want to provide an overview of some of the findings here that I think you’ll find interesting.

RPA adoption is size- and industry-agnostic across enterprises

Enterprise RPA adoption is not a trend for big organizations in certain industries to pursue while smaller players maintain the status quo. Stagnation is a recipe for complete disaster in the industry’s rotation to digital. In our research, we’ve found that all types and sizes of enterprises are adopting RPA. This includes both top-down adoption across the org to improve overall speed to impact and bottom-up adoption where segments of orgs are adopting RPA to optimize specific processes. Regardless of size and type, enterprises are going all-in and getting results.

Related: How to transform with RPA implementation

So, what happens if you’re not a part of that? Well, you can imagine the way Toys ‘R Us execs felt when they realized they were about to watch the titan enterprise enter into complete oblivion. Part of that is due to a failure to transform the model in the age of digital transformation. Enterprises that are not thinking in the direction of some level of enterprise RPA adoption are in danger of charting a course to that same end. The takeaway here is clear: adopt or be disrupted.

RPA Pinnacle Enterprises™ significantly excel in three impact areas

RPA Pinnacle Enterprises exceed others in the three critical areas of cost impact, operational impact and business impact. Statistically, they have seen a 50% improvement in operational impact alone. Those enterprises not at the Pinnacle level, but who are still adopting RPA, have seen a 30% improvement.

Enterprise RPA adoption

So the news for all enterprises moving along the RPA adoption curve is either good or great – there is really no bad news here. This is a fascinating and important statistic for all enterprises, and warning of what’s to be missed out on for those on the sidelines of adoption.

RPA and massive job loss is a myth

Automation is soon to be a driving factor for sweeping job losses across all industries. While that’s great fodder for headlines, blog titles, and social media clicks, the actual enterprises we’re talking to aren’t singing that song at all. I talk about this more in a recent blog, The Robots are Coming – Should You Fear or Welcome Them, but in essence, enterprises are talking about reskilling, upskilling, and enhanced training; they’re not talking about eradication of the human element.

As you might have heard, in the midst of this rotation to digital across all industries, we’re actually experiencing a labor shortage in the United States and Europe. We’re just not seeing it in the headlines.

Instead of the comparison to Skynet or some other Terminator-related theme, a better comparison for RPA and jobs is one that involves our actual history. When you review what happened in the industrial revolution, you don’t find the entire workforce replaced by machines (Of course, individuals were impacted at various levels). Instead, you find massive reskilling and upskilling so that the new technology can complement and improve human effort – AND by improving productivity, allow our companies to continue to grow even in the face of a labor shortage. That’s much more along the lines of what enterprises are discussing, planning, and doing. Unfortunately, news like that doesn’t make the cut for trending stories.

RPA Pinnacle Enterprise webinar

Many more in-depth details about these enterprise RPA trends are laid out in our Pinnacle Model analyses. Moreover, this research is brimming with data-packed analysis on what is truly differentiating Pinnacle RPA enterprises from the rest of the pack. The kind of analysis that all enterprises are clamoring for as they determine where they are on their journey to Pinnacle, and decide what the next best steps should be. We also hosted a webinar on April 12 that dispels popular myths surrounding RPA using our fact-based analysis from the RPA Pinnacle Model study. Watch the webinar replay.

Please contact us with any questions you may have about our Pinnacle Model analyses, or reach me directly at [email protected].

The Robots are Coming – Should You Fear or Welcome Them? | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

How does your enterprise compare with peers?

A few weeks back, we opened our Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Pinnacle Model study to enterprises to compare their RPA adoption performances head-to-head. Everest Group Pinnacle ModelTM assessments are unique in that they correlate quantified outcomes and capabilities with a special spotlight on the Pinnacle Enterprises that are outperforming their peers. As part of the study process, we also interview select participants to gather qualitative information about these same enterprises.

Having completed a number of these interviews and looking at some of the early tabulations from those have completed the RPA adoption survey, I’m sharing some of my early thoughts below.

Four thoughts on our RPA Pinnacle Enterprise survey results

  • The robots are truly coming, but the fears about the impact on jobs is way overblown – it is clear from our conversations that RPA is going to have an impact in many different parts of the organization, including both front office and back office, but the number of jobs being impacted is not going to be the primary value proposition. Yes, cost take out will be part of the equation, but it is highly likely it will impact slices of jobs and/or departments that will allow for those employees to be transitioned to higher-value tasks.
  • Improving the job for employees – One of the clear messages that we have heard so far is that employees are embracing RPA. In fact, the branding of these initiatives is about getting rid of the worst tasks of their current jobs and includes names like “Smart Automation” and “We Innovate.” In fact, many of these employees are already implementing their own home automations like Nest, Alexa, Google, Rachio, etc. and are becoming quite comfortable with these quality of life improvements automations. One of the enterprises we spoke with actually talked about seeing improvements in their employee retention rates when they were included in these initiatives and allowed to improve their own jobs. However, change management has not been “easy,” and companies have adopted various ways to create awareness about the benefits of RPA and how employees can use it to be more effective in their jobs. Some of the examples of approaches include workshops, training programs, newsletters, project of the year, and hackathons.
  • The real skirmish is between the business units and IT for ownership – one of the interesting aspects of this analysis is to see where the study participants reside in their organizations. In the conversations, it becomes apparent the business is the one driving the conversation and IT has been the reluctant partner. But I got the sense this was changing pretty quickly, and IT was beginning to see the light that they have to be part of these implementations for a variety of reasons. Also, organizations have internally gone through a debate as to whether to approach this is an IT project or a business process redesign. We will be interested in hearing how your organization is thinking about this. Participate in the study.
  • We are just getting started – we can see it in the data and with our conversations, enterprises are running multiple RPA initiatives and projects are spread across RPA implementation stages. At least 65% of respondents are in the process of scaling up their RPA efforts or running steady-state automations. However, the majority of enterprises are still in their rookie year when it comes to setting up RPA CoEs (or expanding existing automation CoEs). The implications is that the initial proof of concepts projects are seeing enough promise that formal teams are being stood up to begin the scaling process.

We will be analyzing the data over the next several weeks so watch this blog for more interesting tidbits from those results.
Join the party … it is not too late for you to participate. Take the survey to compare your enterprise RPA adoption to others in the industry.

Related: The Evolution of RPA Adoption

Three Characteristics of Digital Pinnacle Enterprises | Sherpas in Blue Shirts

Earlier this week, we announced our new Pinnacle ModelTM analyses, which provide deep research on the capabilities top-performing companies have leveraged, and the journey they’ve taken, to become the crème de la crème.

Now, to sate your bated breath, here are the results of our first analysis on organizations’ adoption of digital strategies and what sets Digital Pinnacle EnterprisesTM apart from their peers.

Many people equate the word “digital” with “technology.” In the consumer world, they might think about the cool new mobile phone they just bought, the home entertainment streaming device that’s on their wish list, or how to carve out the time before the end of the year to turn their abode into a smart home. In a business context, cloud computing, robotics for their factory or their business processes, or a new customer interaction application may come to mind.

But one of the key findings from this analysis is that technology in and of itself isn’t Digital Pinnacle Enterprises’ biggest differentiator. Rather, Digital Pinnacle Enterprises stand out for making a strategic impact through their digital transformation efforts. Their track record for accomplishing business outcomes such as disrupting the industry, improving customer experiences, increasing market share, and launching innovative products and services, were significantly better than their peers.

And the value their digital transformation projects deliver are measurable and quantifiable. For example, as I mentioned in my previous blog, one banking client reduced its customer onboarding process from 16 days to 9 minutes. A retailer reduced its SKU management efforts by 80 percent, while simultaneously improving accuracy. And a software company saw improved invoice processing that reduced direct FTEs by 67 percent, and decreased customer calls to the help desk by 20 percent.

Digital pinnacle enterprise characteristics
Our analysis showed three key capabilities that Digital Pinnacle Enterprises have leveraged to realize these types of outcomes.

  1. Culture: Digital Pinnacle Enterprises have invested extensively in adopting and embracing an innovation-focused culture. They have partnered in startups to source new innovation across their product and services portfolio, and established a centralized team responsible for sourcing ideas from vendors, startups, employees, and customers. Their peers did not.
  2. Technology adoption practices: Digital Pinnacle Enterprises have built management practices around the evaluation of new innovative technologies such as big data analytics, cloud, DevOps, cognitive computing, and artificial intelligence. Their peers did not.
  3. Process Re-imagination: Digital Pinnacle Enterprises have defined current and future states of key internal processes, and worked with their process owners to identify waste. And…you guessed it. Their peers did not.

Of course, technology is a required core of any organization’s digital initiative. But those that have reached the pinnacle have focused on the key capabilities required to achieve real, measurable transformation.

I hope this has given you some food for thought on how to elevate your company to a Digital Pinnacle Enterprise. I also hope you’re hungry for more, because over the next few months and quarters we’ll be discussing very specific disruptive digital technologies and other market hot topics in additional Pinnacle Model Analyses. Bring your appetite!

What IT industry could learn from the disruption that automation brings | In the News

At the Economic Times Roundtable held at Nasscom’s BPM Strategy event, top executives of Indian business process management companies talked about how they have managed the disruption that automation brings and what the IT industry could learn from them.

Rohit Kapoor, CEO of EXL Services; Keshav Murugesh, CEO of WNS; Raman Roy, CMD at Quatrro BPO Solutions and chairman of Nasscom; Mohit Thukral, SVP and Business Leader of BFSI at Genpact; Navneet Kapoor, head of global business at Maersk GSC; and Michel Janssen, Chief Research Guru at consultancy Everest Research; talked about the need to reskill and make the industry take a more global perspective.

Read more in The Economic Times

NASSCOM 2017 BPM Summit — October 12-13 | Event

Chief Research Guru Michel Janssen will be a featured speaker at the NASSCOM 2017 BPM Summit event held on September 12-13 in Bangalore, India.

Michel’s will deliver a presentation titled, Benchmarking’s Role in Creating Best-in-Class Digital Enterprises.

In this session, attendees will learn the results from Everest Group’s soon-to-be-release Best-in-Class Enterprise Digital Analysis, which quantifies with real data what it takes to achieve best-in-class – in terms of outcomes, as well as the corresponding capabilities needed to deploy digital strategies and initiatives. The session will include specific metrics on how much best-in-class enterprises invest in digital initiatives; how much the spend is growing; and how best to measure success.

In addition to sharing the Top 10 capabilities that the Best-in-Class have that their peers do not, we’ll bring the data to life with case studies of enterprises that have achieved the Best-in-Class ranking. Finally, we’ll share insights on the opportunities these digital journeys are creating for the BPS industry and how the industry needs to evolve to capitalize on the need of enterprises to meet today’s digital benchmark.

When
October 12-13, 2017

Where
Hotel Leela Palace
Bangalore, India

Speaker
Michel Janssen, Chief Research Guru, Everest Group

Learn more and register to attend

US Manufacturing | The Reshoring Is Real, The Jobs Are Not | In the News

As costs rise in developing countries, and automation eliminates the most mindless tasks, some manufacturing and service businesses are going home—but with greatly reduced labor needs.

A different equation pertains to reshoring decisions on white-collar work. Shipping is irrelevant when the product is database management or help-desk assistance. Wage growth has slowed with the growing supply of educated graduates in key outsource countries, says Michel Janssen, Dallas-based chief of research at consultant Everest Group. India’s university student population has more than doubled since 2008, to 25 million, dampening their elders’ pay demands. “We predicted that the labor arbitrage for service outsourcing would be finished by 2015–2020,” Janssen says. “Now we expect it to be there until 2040–2050.”

Read more in Global Finance 

How can we engage?

Please let us know how we can help you on your journey.

Contact Us

"*" indicates required fields

Please review our Privacy Notice and check the box below to consent to the use of Personal Data that you provide.