Meet your ‘machine mate’

Last year, Forrester found that the jobs under near-term threat from automation tend to involve repetitive and structured tasks—bookkeepers, accountants, office clerks—as their work can more readily be delivered by automated systems.

Although the OECD estimates 1 in 10 Aussie jobs are at risk, many more will be created from the opportunities AI presents. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2025, automation will create 12 million more jobs than it displaces. As a result, Wallace’s research predicts that the race for employee talent will soon surpass the race for customer acquisition.

Automated processes already underpin much of our lives. They help businesses grow, improve services, and offer new ways to solve some of our most complex challenges. According to Deloitte research, workers with access to advanced technology spend an average of seven fewer hours on administration per week.

Digital transformation, including the implementation of AI tools, is no longer just a driver of growth and productivity. It can also help employees find better work-life balance, mitigate fatigue and burnout, and boost engagement.

At national office supplies retailer Officeworks, an in-store virtual assistant named Penny has reduced support requests logged by retail staff by more than 67,000 calls a year. Penny operates alongside a mobile app on the ServiceNow platform to eliminate paperwork and manual processes previously required to complete in-store tasks.

Damien Ballesty, general manager of technology at Officeworks, says Penny allows retail team members to “self-serve, fix issues themselves, get the guidance at their fingertips out in the stores, and not have to wait for the IT helpdesk.”

Australia’s ageing population needs increasingly personalised healthcare services. As a result, New South Wales Health has focused on reducing admin time so employees can spend more time with patients.

“We needed a platform that was not only scalable, but also very configurable and flexible,” says Dr. Zoran Bolevich, NSW Health CIO and chief executive officer of eHealth NSW.

Using ServiceNow’s AI-powered service management platform, eHealth NSW integrated five contact centres, two IT service desks, and three shared services that support 3,500 daily interactions from NSW healthcare employees. Automating much of the work behind these requests saved clinicians 500,000 hours annually, so they can do less admin, and focus on caring for patients.

EHealth NSW is now focused on delivering better patient experiences. A ServiceNow-powered system named HOPE provides patients and clinicians with real-time insights, supporting shared decision-making about care, treatment, and health interventions.

Wallace’s research suggests that machine mates like Penny and HOPE will become increasingly common in Australia and around the world. While they don’t yet appear on the org charts of their respective organisations, both deliver exceptional experiences in uniquely human settings.