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Augmented Connected Workforce: Technological Convergence Shaping the Future of Talent and Work
Augmented Connected Workforce: Technological Convergence Shaping the Future of Talent and Work

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Introduction

The digital workplace has made significant strides in the last few years, moving from the era of fully remote work to a sudden shift to hybrid work to a more formalized hybrid work model. During this time, the companies revisited their digital and physical workplace strategies to redefine business priorities, adjust operating models, and accelerate investments in digital technologies. Matured technologies like analytics, automation, cloud, and cybersecurity have become a priority over the last few years for organizations in different industries and sectors. The focus largely shifted towards optimizing remote/ hybrid work setups, employee experience, security, and cost. This led to digital workplace solutions for cloud-based collaboration and communication, workplace virtualization, and digital employee experience monitoring seeing high interest and adoption. The market for digital workplace solutions continues to expand.  

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With the continued proliferation of hybrid work and the move towards smarter and connected workplaces, advanced technologies like AI/ML, IoT, and AR/VR in conjunction with matured technologies like analytics, automation, cloud, and cybersecurity are poised to play a transformative role in driving further efficiencies and productivity in the workplace, fostering collaboration, and enhancing the employee experience, and satisfaction.

The next evolution in the digital workplace is being defined by how technological convergence enables new levels of collaboration, effectively solves challenges around talent, and augments human skills like never before. Welcome to the era of Augmented Connected Workforce.

 

What exactly is Augmented Connected Workforce, and what’s so different about it?

The Augmented Connected Workforce is a strategy and approach for optimizing the value derived from human workers. The Augmented Connected Workforce which is identified as one of the top ten strategic technology trends of 2024 by Gartner (Oct 2023), marks a transformative leap in how the integration of technologies can make workplaces more collaborative, dynamic, and interactive. The concept does not focus on merely adopting new tools, or applications but fundamentally revisiting how we work, and perform tasks, and jobs.

It is based on the interplay of the following three tenets:

  1. Intelligent technology – leveraging AI-powered technologies in devices, applications, and services that sync with user needs and behaviour, to deliver personalized employee experiences, and enhance productivity.
  2. Workforce analytics – taking an enterprise-wide and real-time data-driven approach using advanced tools and metrics for operational performance optimization, workforce planning, and talent development.
  3. Skills augmentation – leveraging technology interventions, such as using AI/ML, AR/VR, and IoT, to empower users with real-time information, guidance, and support to reduce the impact and challenges of skills shortage.

 

What’s driving the trend of Augmented Connected Workforce is the need to accelerate and scale talent for generating business value, and augmenting employee expertise. Gartner predicts that by 2027, at least 25% of CIOs will use an Augmented Connected Workforce initiative to reduce time to competency by 50% for many key roles.

 

Key use cases and applications that see high adoption and impact.

The Augmented Connected Workforce initiatives impact numerous areas, across different sectors, and processes. Highlighted below are some of the use cases that have seen high interest and adoption amongst enterprises and continue to evolve.

  • Industrial Use Case – Connected Worker

Industrial companies are generating a wealth of data. With the need to provide this data in the hands of workers including frontline workers, the industry has seen a high adoption of connected worker solutions (CWS). Industrial companies that have used CWS have demonstrated increased productivity, collaboration, and quality.

    • A case in point – Schneider Electric uses a connected worker platform that helps frontline workers to exchange real-time information with technicians and improve the management of asset downtimes, and breakdowns.
    • What's next for connected worker solutions – With the integration of intelligent technologies, like AI and NLP in CWS, and integration of CWS with critical business applications, expect to see task guidance reach new levels, leading to higher productivity, and better decision-making.
  • Customer Engagement Use Case – Augmented Agent

With customers becoming demanding and expecting higher levels of customer service, the transformation of contact centers into customer experience centers has become crucial. Here, agent augmentation kicks in through the use of intelligent technologies that help provide cost savings, enhance agent productivity, and drive customer satisfaction.

    • A case in point – Walmart has implemented its Ask Sam augmented agent, or simply a voice assistant, wherein it leverages technologies like AI, and predictive analytics to manage a surge in customer requests, leading to maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction, and addressing potential agent shortages.
    • What’s next for augmented agent solutions – With deeper penetration of AI across the customer service value chain, expect to see companies thinking beyond the automation gains, and creating competitive advantage by advancing personalization, and providing predictive support.

 

Conclusion:

As organizations move into an era of AI dominance, relooking at existing talent strategies becomes crucial. Here, the confluence of digital technologies is set to play a key role. Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there is a need for organizations to assess the current digital maturity of their workforce and workplace and establish a baseline to understand the starting point in the journey. Accordingly, they must create a roadmap for implementing Augmented Connected Workforce strategy/ initiatives.


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