SMEs In The Age Of AI: Leveraging Expertise For Automation
Summary
This blog provides a brief introduction to what a subject matter expert is, their importance, and how they can be leveraged to boost automation efficiency.
The key to unlocking maximum organizational efficiency is largely contingent upon automation. Its advantages in an enterprise extend far beyond that.
Statistics reveal how the introduction of automation can also have a positive effect on other aspects of a business. For instance, helping employees save 10%-50% of their time previously spent on manual tasks.
Now, in today’s time, when Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a formidable ally, there are many ways through which a business can harness these benefits for growth.
But without human expertise? That’s not possible.
So, in this blog, let’s learn what a subject matter expert (SME) is, what their importance is, and how a business can leverage the merged proficiencies of SMEs and AI to churn out the full potential of automation.
Table of Contents:
- What Is a Subject Matter Expert (SME)?
- Importance of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- How Can Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Use AI to Maximise Automation Efficiency?
- Wrapping Up
What Is a Subject Matter Expert (SME)?
A subject matter expert (SME) is a seasoned professional who possesses proven expertise in a particular field or subject. Their profound knowledge and understanding of the specific topic surpasses that of an average individual, thus establishing them as experts in the said domain.
In business, an SME can belong to a wide range of areas. For instance, they can belong to fields of essential business functions like marketing, finance, human resources, operations, information technology (IT), and more.
Specifically in terms of AI and automation, these SMEs can make a significant impact in domains like data analytics, machine learning, automation engineering, and AI development, among others.
Importance of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
Due to their distinguished expertise and experience, SMEs are often able to augment business operations to bring out their best.
Thus, the inclusion of one in the team can significantly impact how well the business performs. Apart from that, here are some other reasons why having an SME in an enterprise is important:
1. Provide Quality Assurance
A subject matter expert’s definition is derived from their quality of possessing enhanced expertise on a topic. However, this same attribute also lends them an improved hold on gauging the accuracy of every work that is done within the premises of their domain.
This makes them incredibly efficient quality control professionals who assure the highest degree of integrity in output, mitigating any risk of error or omission.
2. Maximize Efficiency
Owing to their specialized knowledge and proficiency in a field, SMEs can eradicate duplication and redundancies from a job.
So, a subject matter expert’s skills enable a business to optimize its processes and workflows better to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity.
This also leads to an acute reduction in the wastage of resources and improvement in streamlining operations.
3. Encourage Informed Decision-Making
Along with possessing a deeper knowledge of an industry, SMEs also generally bear remote data, statistics, and insights that may be crucial to a business belonging to that industry.
With its help, these professionals can enable the organization to make data-driven decisions and fill in every gap obstructing it from reaching its full potential.
Also Read: What Is AI Workflow Automation & How to Leverage It?
How Can Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Use AI to Maximise Automation Efficiency?
Working with subject matter experts can prove to yield incredible results for a business. But when empowered with the excellence of AI, they can also help the business seamlessly reap the benefits of automation.
There are many ways an SME can do that. For instance, they can:
1. Establish Process Automation Systems
Certain business processes do not actively seek human intervention. This includes inventory management, data migration, customer support, etc. However, performing them manually takes up time, which can be redirected into doing something more productive.
This is where an expert SME can employ process automation AI tools like AI chatbots, RPAs, AGVs, etc, to save time.
2. Use AI-Powered Data Analysis Tools
As commonly accepted, the average error rate in manual data entry is around 1%. However, this seemingly small percentage can cause major losses to a business, especially if they deal with high volumes of data.
So, an SME can use AI to automate data collection and analysis for an organization. This will help the employees sift through large volumes of data without any hassle.
3. Employ Natural Language Processing (NLP)
AI for SMEs is not just for automating redundant jobs. If used ingeniously, it can also help automate tasks like content creation.
For instance, an SME can collaborate with an AI expert to utilize Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools like ChatGPT to automate content creation.
Moreover, they can also use tools like Dictera by Hurix Digital to automate assessment and content creation.
4. Generate Personalized Recommendations
In eCommerce, the need for giving out personalized recommendations to customers is a must. This way, sales are pushed, and customer satisfaction is maximized. But in the absence of automation, this can become a tardy process.
Moreover, this also spares huge room for blunder. So, an SME can use AI to gather customer data and fixate algorithms to serve custom-tailored product recommendations to customers.
5. Develop Machine Learning Tools
For an SME, machine learning models can turn out to be a highly efficient way of streamlining processes through automation.
In the case of tasks that require constant sorting and categorizing, employing a machine learning tool is a one-stop solution to preventing manual labor.
These programs not only help save time but also ensure maximum efficiency and the least errors.
Also Read: The Impact of AI and Automation on Staffing Solutions in the Digital Age
Wrapping Up
Today, automation has become a necessity for every business, no matter which sector or industry it operates in. In its absence, a business not only misses out on growth opportunities but also incurs many direct and indirect losses in the long run.
But with the combined efforts of subject matter experts (SMEs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), leveraging the pros of automation has fortunately become easier than ever. So, don’t wait anymore. Bring the essence of automation into your organization and double up its efficiency by employing AI’s intelligence and SME’s expertise.
And if you’re looking for someone to kickstart your journey with, Hurix Digital is your one-stop solution. With our comprehensive RPA Automation Services and Solutions, we help businesses automate critical processes. We also offer AI/ML integration to take your business beyond the threshold of conventional automation.
So hurry up – grant your business its fair share of computerization.
Get in touch today!
Gokulnath B is the Associate Vice President – Editorial Services. He is PMP, CSM, and CPACC certified and has 20+ years of experience in Project Management, Delivery Management, and managing the Offshore Development Centre (ODC).