RPA to transform the services sector – NIIT’s Mehrotra

The services sector is about to experience a transformative wave of automation, according to Arvind Mehrotra president and global business head, infrastructure management services, at Indian outsourcing giant NIIT. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is moving fast, enabled by advances in machine learning and real-time analytics, and will innevitably be adopted by more and more services companies says Mehrotra. “For many years services companies have been outsourcing repetitive tasks like data input and invoice generation to India or the Philippines, but now that all companies are using that strategy, there’s no competitive advantage, “says Mehrotra. “Now is the next wave. They have to protect their margins and retain their customers so they are bringing in RPA for efficiency.” Mehrotra is optimistic, however, about the outcome, because new jobs in areas such as AI, analytics and designing and scripting bots will develop to replace those lost. “We shouldn’t fear this. It will remove the boring tasks and enable us to enjoy our life better,” he says.