Robot v Man: The battle over productivity and what it could do for your business

Robot v Man: This isn’t The Terminator and the machines aren’t rising up against us, they are here to help enhance our businesses… eventually.

Introducing robots into our workplace can help expand skills, increase efficiency and retention rates. More so can be spoke of the introduction of AI – artificial intelligence – as companies such as Google look to the introduction of robots with personalities, a somewhat innovation on the first-generation of Siri.

These advancements in technology are here to stay and it’s crucial you take advantage of this and add it into your business model. We must stop thinking about this as Robot v Man, no matter how tempting a proposition it is.

Robot v Man: Benefits of introducing robots into the workplace

If you’re a business owner of any validity, small or largescale, there will be a benefit of introducing machines into your workplace. Namely, introducing algorithms for repetitive jobs into machines helps ensure a constant and consistent level of work is being upheld.  This is most evident in industries such as cashier-related roles, telephone operator, mailroom, clerical and data-entry jobs.

This innovation allows you to save money on salaries, sick-days and, in the long run, can make you more sustainably wealthier.

Restrictions of robots

As per technological advancements, restrictions can always arise. It’s imperative you best equip yourself ahead of time to deal with such matters.

The money you save on salaries might have to be spent on the general upkeep of your machines, or, indeed, purchasing more of them to add to your arsenal to keep up with demand.

It’s purely dependent on the state of the machinery you have. For example, if you’re a small business owner who creates gin, it’s highly likely that the ordering system you use online is algorithm generated. This would then generate an order form which then prompts the gin to be distilled, bottled and then shipped out. There’s a balance of human and machine work involved here. Dependent on your business model and scale, figure out which balance works best for you.

With technology there is also the potential outcome of the system becoming buggy, crashing or losing some of the inputted data. Advancements and back-up programmes help nullify this outcome, but it is also something to be aware of.

Human emotive work

Robots are here to help us increase productivity in the workplace. However, one thing is for sure – more often than not, one, if not more, aspect of your business will need a human approach.

More so, an emotive appeal to your customers or co-workers. Human Resources for instance will always be a role that requires a human to do it. Sales and recruiting new business will also require a human approach as people will be happier to buy from someone they can create a relationship with, something you can’t do with a machine.

Finally, roles will always be required for engineers and software fanatics. These robots will require upkeep, new algorithms to be inputted and, of course, innovations in the general machine-sphere, as savvy business people continuously look for the latest technological development to not only make money, but increase productivity and keep their customers happy.

The relationship between robot and human doesn’t need to be a battle but instead a happy equilibrium where everyone benefits.

Artificial intelligence is on the rise, voice commanding systems are on our doorsteps and nanotechnology will continuously grow. Virtual reality is also huge right now, so there’s definitely going to be a time where businesses somehow incorporate that into their sales plans.

Altitude Advisory are experts when it comes to helping improve your business. Thinking about adding more robots to your workforce? Contact a member of the team here for a consultation today.