AI lifts workforces to new heights of efficiency and innovation

AI is a highly effective, multifaceted tool that can not only improve worker productivity for simple tasks, but can also dramatically transform customer service, cybersecurity, and even business strategy. Content that is augmented and shaped by AI – intelligent content – greatly increases the efficiency of human work. When AI is used effectively, people are not replaced but enabled to work smarter so they can focus on higher-value tasks and strategic decision-making. 

A recent study by Foundry finds that because content and data are at the center of business processes, an inability to properly store, manage, integrate, and access that knowledge has a drastic impact on productivity: 84% of organizations indicate information silos have a noticeable impact on employee productivity and operational efficiency; 66% report their organizations have lost business opportunities due to an inability to access data in a timely manner; 54% estimate they spend two or more hours per day just searching for information they need to do their jobs.^[i]

AI spending and productivity are increasing

Kieran Gilmurray, Chief AI Innovator at Technology Transformation Group, says automating tasks with the help of AI allows employees to increase their value to an organization through creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. “Business leaders should use AI to streamline repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on higher value, strategic work. In addition, AI can provide real-time insights and data analysis, empowering employees to make faster, more informed decisions which can help companies reach new heights of competitive performance.”

When it comes to productivity, finding the right data is consistently the number one pain point hindering employees’ performance, according to Peter Nichol, Data & Analytics Leader for North America at Nestlé Health Science. “Data surrounds employees every day. Companies realize that intelligent content management, the classification and tagging of large volumes of unstructured data (images, spreadsheets, and emails), boosts employee efficiency. AI can be leveraged to automatically classify, tag, and index documents. Natural language processing (NLP) is a great example of using AI to analyze content contextually and automatically categorize documents, saving employees time when searching for information.”

Chris Selland, Partner at TechCXO, agrees that automating repetitive tasks should be a basic application of AI but stresses that such low-hanging fruit is just the beginning. According to Selland, AI should also:  

• Enhance decision-making: By analyzing vast amounts of data quickly, AI can provide insights that help leaders and employees make more informed decisions faster. This is particularly valuable in areas like market analysis, risk assessment, and resource allocation.
• Personalize customer experiences: AI-powered tools can help us deliver more tailored and personalized services and products, improving customer satisfaction without increasing the workload on our teams.
• Streamline operations: From supply chain optimization to internal alignment to predictive maintenance, AI can help us identify inefficiencies and streamline processes across the organization.
• Augment human capabilities: AI isn’t about replacing humans but about enhancing what our teams can do. For example, AI writing assistants can help employees draft reports more quickly, or AI-powered analytics tools can help salespeople identify the best leads.

Customer service

Gene de Libero, Principal at Digital Mindshare LLC, stresses the value of AI in improving customer experience, both in personalizing customer interactions and in analyzing them. “Marketing leaders can use AI to streamline digital experience content creation by automating tasks like generating personalized messages, drafting reports, and curating content based on audience preferences. AI also enhances customer experience by analyzing interactions in real-time, enabling faster responses and personalized recommendations.”

Tom Allen, Founder of the AI Journal, asserts the insurance industry is a ripe field for increasing the value of customer interactions. “Insurance companies whether commercial or retail are prime examples of where AI is useful. It can speed up claims processing, which can have a big impact on customer satisfaction. When employees don’t have to spend nearly as much time deciphering the nuances of an entire claim, they can spend more time with the customer, thanks to accurate AI.”

Cybersecurity

Kayne McGladrey, Field CISO at Hyperproof and Senior IEEE Member, says cybersecurity is also fertile ground for AI. “CISOs are looking at AI and automation solutions that handle common cybersecurity tasks. These include collecting evidence of control operations for the internal audit team, testing that evidence automatically, and producing regular reports on such things as false-positive cybersecurity events. These tasks help overworked cybersecurity analysts and engineers to focus on the parts of the job that they love without burdening them with excessive paperwork.”

How to drive AI adoption

It is fine to talk about the myriad benefits of AI, but none will be realized until AI is implemented. Doing so requires cultural change, contends Isaac Sacolick, President of StarCIO and author of Digital Trailblazer. “Organizations should promote a culture of continuous improvement, experimentation, and empowerment. Leaders should articulate the business drivers and illustrate how gen AI-enabled platforms benefit employees, customers, and the organization as a whole.”

Scott Gnau, Head of Data Platforms at InterSystems, says the best way to design AI applications is to think holistically. “AI can’t be siloed in just one department or role. A single employee can touch multiple pieces of the business. Teams should build models that incorporate data streams originating from across the business. They should create AI agents that employees can turn to as a single source capable of fulfilling all their needs.”

Digital friction and the future of work

Lindsay Sterrett, VP of Product Marketing at OpenText, notes that the Foundry research reveals 97% of organizations are impacted by digital friction—the unnecessary effort an employee must use to complete daily tasks, leading to inefficiency, frustration, and missed business opportunities.

“By combining AI tools with cloud content management, organizations can reduce digital friction and deliver a huge impact on daily user experiences and organizational efficiency,” says Sterrett. “Intelligent content is critical to eliminating productivity barriers. By removing information siloes, surfacing valuable insights, and connecting content within the context of business processes, AI productivity tools transform business data into actionable knowledge. Very simply, AI productivity is the future of work.”  

Get started with intelligent content and AI productivity.

^[i] “Digital Friction,” MarketPulse Survey for OpenText, Foundry Research, Sept. 2024.