Not just human resources but, apparently even the digital resources of enterprises need to be supervised to keep systems running smoothly.

Genpact, a professional services firm, has a cloud-based product to improve performance of an enterprise’s digital workforce and keep an eye on automated operations.

By proactively tracking bot operations, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Genpact’s Cora CommandCenter aims to help protect companies’ technology assets and drive greater return on investment.

“Customer experience is the new battleground, and superior customer experience defines success in the digital world,” Sanjay Srivastava, Chief Digital Officer, Genpact, explains to BusinessLine .

“Already, many organisations have started using technologies such as chatbots or mobile apps in the front office to speed up customer interactions. However, they run into roadblocks due to disparate data and requests flooding in to staff, resulting in inefficiencies in the middle and back office.”

For instance, a bank’s new customers can apply for an account directly through a mobile app, but, it can take weeks for the customers to receive their checking information or debit card.

Srivastava says one of the “largest drivers of digital investment is concentrated on improving the buyer’s journey and customer experience.” While many executives don’t realise a digital workforce requires just as much, if not more, management as a human workforce, he adds, “One of the largest shifts in the industry is the move from an entirely human workforce to a combination of people and machines.”

As companies expand the use of bots, several questions like governing and monitoring performance come to the fore, especially when integrating hybrid automation solutions.

“The reality is errant bots, machine learning bias, and conversational Artificial Intelligence learning politically incorrect language, are all issues that we are deep in the midst of today. Governance already is emerging as a key role in how business must effectively address AI,” adds Srivastava.

The Chief Digital Officer points out that many companies think that “once bots are set up, they will just run in the background and operate autonomously. The reality is bots need constant management and maintenance over their productive life.”

Citing an example, he says most financial institutions that implement, around 4,000 bots over two years “will likely pick two software providers. Each software will have a couple of versions up and running at any one time. Security patches and other updates will happen discontinuously across all the different versions. Processes too can change weekly, and interfacing applications get updated, and data formats evolve constantly. With these thousands of moving parts at play, a strong governance with a command and control hub is needed.”

Additionally, he adds, something as simple as a password issue can prevent bots from logging in, and bring automation to a standstill.