Maddy N   0:12
Great Pran. So I’ll begin then. Right. Hey. Hello, everyone. Welcome to Worxmate. Another exciting podcast today we will be discussing more on scaling smart by leveraging technology. And when I say technology, I am more referring to robotic process automation, how it impacts business, right. And that’s that’s something that you know we would like to you know take it to this podcast and we have invited.
Raman Khurana, who is the you know, the founder of SharePoint Consulting and has been sort of leveraging RPO for quite some time and have mentored and helped a lot of leading organisations across the globe.
Welcome Raman

Raman Khurana   0:57
Thanks. Thanks, Madhu.

Maddy N   0:59
So you know what we’ll do is we’ll have a quick introduction of yours and then we’ll begin our conversation on RPO.

Raman Khurana   1:07
Sure, sure. OK. Just to give a good introduction about myself, my name is Raman. I have been working in the IT industry for almost 2 decades now. I started my career as an SAP consultant. When I started with Infosys. I think long time back 2007. Then later I have worked with multiple different organisations like HCL, Accenture, Deloitte to name few. Also I got chance to work across multiple geographies I have worked in India, China, Netherlands, Norway to name a few other countries I have worked and almost over 10 years working in SAP I switched to starting working to automation framework then eventually move to RP now which we call as hyper automation.

Maddy N   1:52
Fantastic, I think.
You know, maybe I’ll I’m more curious to learn more about hyper automation.
You know, but what we’ll do is right, I mean to generally, you know, even people hear about our theory, right. They may be having, you know, a lot of questions in their mind, how it can help them and what not. Right. So from your perspective, right, I mean how organisations can leverage data?
And RPA.
To streamline their operations and effectively drive their business outcomes.
So what are what is your view on this?

Raman Khurana   2:29
OK, when it come to automation, I like just to give our perspective like how we usually work with different customers these days, they can be two different scenarios. So some big customers, usually they what they do is they start building their internal team first where they have some clarity on what automation is all about, what tool they can use, what process they can automate. And the same side, there are come some customers who are not aware of how automation can you know help them.
Streamline their operations and then how it can impact their outcomes as well. That is where our consulting comes into picture and we start from like engaging with the customer and then we ask them, OK, let’s go through their complete process first, which process are something which we can start with the automation first as well and then what we usually do is we look through the process part first, then we bring that tool part as us as a second stage.
Now what RPA is all about is it can automate all those task with. You can define the rule specifically basically like if we have some rules to keep doing some task repetitively, those can be automated using RPA. Second is RPA is not only limited these days to rule based task, it can bring multiple insights multiple data into a single source as well, using which we can bring some analytic solutions on top of it. So just to just to give an example, we recently worked with one of the FMCG customer.
And they had their operations across multiple geographies like they’re working out of India, Dubai and Saudi, right. And they have different data sources, data present in multiple countries and they doesn’t have insights into their sales pipeline as well. So what we did is we bring autos in first into the picture where bots can go and collect this data and put into a single source of information.

Maddy N   4:09
Right.
Wow.

Raman Khurana   4:29
And on top of the single source of information, they can have some dashboard where they can see real time picture as well, like how the sales trends are happening, how the sales data is evolving so that they can take some inform decisions as well.

Maddy N   4:43
All right, I think it’s a, it’s a, you know, a very classic case that you refer to it, right. And a lot of times what happens maybe playing around multiple data without realising the impact of it right and something because they don’t get that sense of an understanding towards the data, maybe it impacts their decision-making and thereby the business outcomes, right? So I think it’s a, you know, so you have shared a very you know.

Raman Khurana   4:55

Maddy N   5:09
Big like a great case to be right, and I hope that you know those who are listening to us will also be able to understand how they can effectively utilize the data part.

Raman Khurana   5:19
Right.

Maddy N   5:20
So when you do that, you know what sort of challenges I mean when you speak to the customers, you know they must definitely be talking about, you know, their challenges first. I mean, they come back to you and say, hey, you know what, Raman, we, we’re going through this problem, right. So there are some initial level challenges which are directly impacting the operations productivity, maybe decision making to an extent, right. So how do you how do you handle this and how do you solve this through RPA or maybe so-called hyper automation.

Raman Khurana   5:52
Automation, yeah.
So from our experience, what we have seen is challenges usually come into picture when that objectives are not defined clearly. So what happens is when we start with any customer now the customer may may want to leverage the automation they want to do something, but they are not clear about what KPIs they want to achieve, what objectives they want to achieve using this specific automation, when they when they are bringing into their landscape.
And then what happens is sometime the alignment of the technology or the tool that we’re going to implement.
With respect to what business needs as an solution, if that alignment is not being done in initially, that can bring lot of challenges. It can be scalability challenge. It can be performance challenge. It can be efficiency challenge as well.

Maddy N   6:41
Yeah.

Raman Khurana   6:42
Another perspective to this is what we have seen again from our experiences.
These days there can be some resistance within that different teams as well, because when we say automation they always have this mindset. OK. If we are bringing automation, how it is going to impact them. But we always try to maybe educate them that this is something which is going to help you in terms of doing your manual work so that you can focus on more decision making tasks. It’s not like going to impact anywhere to your work. It is just like a helping hand for you where you’re doing anything manually.
It can help you automate that task.

Maddy N   7:23
So and that is where they figure out, you know, how they can improve on the productivity or, how they can sort of you know, simplify the entire process, right.

Raman Khurana   7:32
Correct, correct.

Maddy N   7:34
So keeping that in mind the please go ahead.

Raman Khurana   7:34
And in fact, Yep. Yeah. Sorry. Yes. Sorry. Yes. I was just trying to add like when we see these different challenges, right, because if these initial challenges are not being addressed, like if you’re not able to clearly define the objectives or if you’re not able to align a specific technology solution, how we’re going to implement it, right? It can bring lot of challenges after the automation as well like if business was not clear about like what they want to achieve.

Maddy N   7:54
Yeah, yeah.

Raman Khurana   8:01
Maybe once they go for, they go for the scalability. It can definitely give them, you know, some roadblocks. They’re not able to achieve the level of efficiency that they were planning. If they doesn’t tackle these challenges at the start itself.

Maddy N   8:17
Absolutely right. In fact, maybe it may give them a directions as well in future, right? I mean, you know, once they start doing automation or probably start identifying that right data set or start building the pattern right, I think it would also help them understand that how they can, you know kind of to Start learning the data and how they’re impacting the business as well, right.

Raman Khurana   8:22
Correct.
Got it, got it.
Correct, correct, correct.

Maddy N   8:37
So keeping those in mind, right, I mean, I’m sure right when people implement RPA right, they also try and assess the impact of it in the right and it could be into various aspects, right? So some of the, I mean and do you guys also measure some of the key metrics as an example that has impacted in terms of improving efficiency or you know once you automate, I’m sure you know it will start reducing the cost, right or start improving the productivity.
Or how much it has impacted the decision making. So do guys, you know kind of study all these metrics?

Raman Khurana   9:10
Undefinitely so whenever customer is, you know, planning to spend something on IT, they always have this in mind. What is the return for us if we are going for this particular tool, technology, automation, analytics, anything, right. So I will just give you an example. I remember during COVID we started working with one of our US customer, they’re into healthcare domain. So during COVID what happens is because they are a global company and they have suppliers across the world.
They have supplier from China, India, Germany, US everywhere. Now what they do is they have their plans being centralised into Germany, US, China, right. And if one of the suppliers is, let’s say going down, do you do anything?
Anything where it is going to impact in their production line which end products are going to be impacted. There was no clarity, no visibility right, because every supplier was just giving them information through e-mail through communication like let’s say we are supplying 400 parts to the customer out of 400 parts, let’s say 40 parts we cannot supply now due to COVID to any of the sections, travel, transportation, anything how it is going to impact my end products.
This level of visibility was not there, and because we don’t, their customer doesn’t have that visibility like how many end products are going to be impacted even if single supplier is going down. And that information usually take one week to almost 15 days to analyse like how many production lines are going to be impacted, which products are going to be impacted, how much cost is going to impact us.

Maddy N   10:19

Raman Khurana   10:40
So what we did as a solution for them is because they were using SAP as a as a EPR system, we brought automation into picture first, which will collect data from different sources from their bombs like Bill of material from the SAP ERP system. Then it brings data into a database and at the real time we built a dashboard. In those dashboard they have options to philtre out the supplier as well as the material. Now as soon as we get the information this supplier is not able to supply this material.
Customer can see which end products are going to be impacted, how much we are going to be impacted in terms of overall production line as well as our cost as well, right. So there, so there are multiple saving aspect for the customer. One was the time saving definitely because earlier they used to take 7 to 15 days in terms of analysing because there are multiple teams, procurement team was getting the information it was passing to the production team. They were analysing which products we have received on the information as a as a e-mail communication.

Maddy N   11:16
Right.
Right.

Raman Khurana   11:37
Direct saving on one part where we were able to save some time and there was a indirect savings because we were able to mitigate lot of like 100 of thousands of dollar in terms of saving because we were able to make sure the supply chain is not getting impacted.
And I think after this project went live, immediately next year when we had this interaction with customer, we are still working with the same customer. So they were able to save $850,000 just because of this solution which we implemented for them.

Maddy N   11:52
Right.
Amazing. That’s really amazing. And it’s a great case study. I mean, maybe I would rather put it that more of like a, you know, close to $1,000,000 they have saved it’s a big number, right? I mean and are they saving this on a yearly basis or is it like cumulatively they have saved?

Raman Khurana   12:22
Annually, now, now they’re using this I think since last four years, because we implemented back in 2020 and they’re still using this product.

Maddy N   12:31
Amazing. Amazing. And I’d say it’s a great first of all, I think, hey, that is where the advantage of technology comes to this picture, right? I mean how it is impacting the business? Needless. Needless to say, it is a great case today, right? I mean, moving on to the same client, right? I mean while we talk about how it is impacting and helping them realise the result, right. And Needless to say, it’s just not about the cost they have saved, right or the you know the the return they have realised. But I’m I’m sure right, I mean they have also seen how it will end up impacting their business and thereby how it will enhance their decision making process and then, you know, ensure that how they can manage your supply as well.

Raman Khurana   12:37
Correct, correct.
Mm hmm.
Right.

Maddy N   13:01

Raman Khurana   13:07
Correct, correct correct so.

Maddy N   13:08
So maybe if we can expand further on this Raman, right, I mean it’s a great case study and probably if you can expand on the same further in terms of how it will help in scaling the in a business on a long term right? I mean how do you see this this will impact their long term goal

Raman Khurana   13:11
Mm hmm.
So basically what happens is whenever we have a real time information or any you know any data which we are bringing into some analytical solution right now customer can always leverage that whenever they need to take any decision making. For example, if they’re planning to expand into any different market, right, they can always see like what are the different specific suppliers which are providing me high risk materials. If this supplier is not being able able like able to provide.
Material how it is going to impact me? My expansion plan, my expanding to different territory, different geography. If I’m if I’m planning to expand My Portfolio in terms of different products which we are planning to now start manufacturing. If do we need to have any backup suppliers from different geographies to mitigate this risk. So that is something which help them to define this decision from a long term perspective as well.

Maddy N   14:17
Got it. OK. So in a in a way you are a thing that you know I am sure right the moment your customer you know the US customer of yours realise they’ll benefit, you know they’re experiencing it, they must have start, you know kind of looking realy realy looking out you know and the strategy part which probably how they can apply in other areas, right? So just one area that we have expanded on, I’m sure why didn’t you mention we’re working with them from certain last few years. You know you must have touched upon various other aspects.

Raman Khurana   14:29
Hey.
Correct.

Maddy N   14:46
And also you know kind of I think it also opens the mindset of start and you know understanding that, oh, you know what I can apply here or maybe this is how I can change my decision. This is how I can change my strategies and whatnot.

Raman Khurana   14:47
Right.

Maddy N   15:00
OK. No, it’s it’s it.

Raman Khurana   15:00
As I mentioned like sorry, this was just like one of the use case for the same customer. What we did is because now like they have suppliers, I think more than 700 suppliers they have across multiple geographies now what happens is these suppliers keep sending them invoices every fortnight because it happens like which are material they are supplying. They keep sending these invoices now to process these invoices. There is long process because once.
You get the invoice, you have to validate the if the invoice it is correct as per the PU which we have issued to the supplier. Right now there were lot of manpower was getting involved to make sure every invoice is getting validated, getting processed and then being paid to the supplier. Now we brought high production into picture. What we did is now even once the supplier sent the invoice there will be multiple bots which will.
Not only see that invoice, it will extract the information it will compare with the Oracle environment where there’s maintaining all the supplier information and then it will validate with the PU data as well. Then it will process those invoices.
It’s not only like just checking the invoice data, it is validating with the against the PO as well. It is processing those invoices again for those suppliers.

Maddy N   16:13
Right. Right. No, I think it it’s, it’s starting to, you know, I’m sure it has started making sense for you on the customers who you work with and probably whom who is listening to this right or probably you Start learning more about it that impact your business. Now keeping that in mind, Raman, right? I mean how do you see the you know the impact of RPA or hyper audit pushing that we’re seeing to drive business performance. So I mean how do you see this?
Getting involved, you know, over a period of time.

Raman Khurana   16:44
OK. So when we say like how it is going to evolve over a period of time, so there are multiple factors right now. What we are seeing in the market is.
This automation or hyper automation and analytical tool AI is something which is going to impact every business, every IT outcome right? And there are a lot of trends happening. There are a lot of trends unfolding. I would say now the decision making which earlier used to be on multiple static system ERP system STATICAL reports now it is going dynamically on real time analytical solution which are giving not not only like historical insights but future insights as.

Maddy N   17:05

Raman Khurana   17:26
Like, how are the different markets are evolving, how the currency market is evolving, how the countries are evolving with respect to supply chain as well, like what other different terms and conditions which are happening now. There are different AI driven insights which we are adding to these products as well. It’s not only like statical or it’s not only like existing data which we are analysing, we are bringing air into picture now to all these tools and technologies which we are implementing these days.

Maddy N   17:43
Absolutely. So you just want to be just want to be like ahead of you know, the curve so you know what’s so you so you can understand what is coming and how you can to play in a kind of proactively take care of it.

Raman Khurana   18:10
Correct, correct, correct.

Maddy N   18:11
And that also I mean you are you guys are also thinking in the direction of you know sort of guiding.
Customers to help them identify new areas. Because you know what happens, you keep, you know, kind of playing around the data and it keeps giving you new patterns, new terms, and thereby how it may end up impacting the business. So are you guys also thinking in that direction?

Raman Khurana   18:34
So as I mentioned, like initially we worked with different customers and sometime different customers have different requirements as such. So there are some customers who already have technological team who have identified the tool and technology how they want to evolve in the digital transformation field. At the same time, there are some customers who who doesn’t have this level of it experience or it expertise. There is something where our consulting comes into picture. So when we talk about the analytical solutions, right, so my partner like he is into the analytical domain from the last two decades

Maddy N   19:00
Yeah.

Raman Khurana   19:04
So when there is any business process and this the data being involved, so has these, you know, sharp insights like you can pick like this data can bring this level of information for the customer to help them in their decision making. That is where we work with the customers to not only identify the use cases but how we can implement those use cases with the specific tools as well.

Maddy N   19:28
Right. No, I think it’s it’s quite interesting Raman to learn about how you guys are actually, you know, impacting the operations part because you know we can just imagine right lot of leading manufacturing organisation still you know think about lot of healthcare to pharmaceutical and to the organisation hospitality industry having their presence across the globe right and impacting so many human lives, right?
This can help them simplify the entire process. This can help them like fix a lot of challenges in the operations that they come across, right. So you know the kind of consent they face and how they can solve it real time basis.

Raman Khurana   20:05
Got it, got it.

Maddy N   20:06
Great, Raman. So it’s a, it’s nice, you know, talking to you, it’s really you know way to learn about how you ways are impacting the business and how RPA or maybe I’m gonna use a term called Hyper Automation.
Right is the, you know, kind of driving the business. So thank you so much for you know making yourself available for the podcast. I’m sure you know your insights can help our audience in terms of learning how they can further utilise it better.

Raman Khurana   20:33
Thanks. Thanks, Madhu. It was my pleasure to speak to you.

Maddy N   20:37
Thank you so much. Raman, Thanks. Bye bye.

Raman Khurana   20:39
Thanks. Thanks Madhu. Thank you.