TECHNOLOGY
“ When combining AI and RPA , organisations can start to take on the tasks of automating some of the more complicated processes ”
SAURABH GUPTA PRESIDENT , RESEARCH AND ADVISORY HFS RESEARCH
to the business . In addition to employee experience , procurement can address the effectiveness and efficiencies of their processes , and improve decision-making capabilities . Manually , it is very hard to understand and interpret large quantities of data ; in order to be data-driven in these modern functions , you need some form of AI .”
So where is the best place to start when looking to adopt AI and RPA solutions ? Gupta explains the importance of not ‘ putting the cart before the horse ’. “ Instead of looking at the technology , you need to look at the business problem ,” says Gupta . “ Procurement professionals should determine what the problem is that they are trying to solve , then , once you have the business problem in front of you , you can start to identify which technologies will best help to solve the problem .
“ Sometimes , we look at the shiny new tool and then try and find a problem for that tool , and that ' s when I ' ve typically seen buyer ' s remorse , as they don ' t know how to justify the investment . So I would always recommend starting with a problem – the why – and then start to figure out the solution for solving that problem .”
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