At CloudFactory we are exploring what it looks like to bring humanity back to the BPO world. Inherent to the BPO industry are people, nearly 5 million of them. Yet simply adding lots of people to the equation doesn’t imply success. Like Grandaddy might say, “Just cause you’re in the garage doesn’t make you a car”.
BPO work is not glamorous and doing it well isn’t easy. That’s why it’s being outsourced by the hundreds of billions of US dollars every year. The demand for the work is high on both sides of the equation. This is one reason why every day millions of people will shuffle into rooms lined with computers and work regardless of how fulfilling the experience may be. Sounds fun right?
We’re finicky creatures, us humans. We do what we want to when we want to do it and we do what we don’t want to do when we don’t want to do it. What’s the solution? I know ROBOTS! That’s it. With ever advancing technology we are able to process data and develop solutions that people may never have been able to do or least not without a big cost.
In fact we have our own robots at CloudFactory and we know how to use them for good. Digital slicing, Machine Learning, Virtual Workflows, Auto Population, you name it and we’re using digital robots to do it or building them anew each week. Just like your own home where technology is embedded in appliances and corners never dreamed of before. Here’s the problem though. Could you buy or build a robot to make your coffee, fry some eggs, and walk your dog? Of course, but are you willing to pay for the research and development of that custom robot, probably not. One day fluffy may go for walkies with your robot but is that living?
There’s always more to the story. We’re all guilty of reducing life to simple scenarios that fit into the world we live in. The world’s a complex place and the decisions we have to make are equally complex. Even the process of how we decide and learn has its pitfalls. Not taking the time to understand is a mistake many make. Taking too long to decide because we don’t have enough information is itself a choice to not choose.
Use common sense solutions. When you can put the incomparable human brain to work do it. When you can automate a solution in a cost effective way do it. In a nutshell that’s what we are doing here at CloudFactory. Billed as “the new face of BPO”, CloudFactory acquired key Google Ventures-backed technology in 2012 that allows us to break up the pieces of any large data workflow into very small micro-units and distribute them out to a highly trained, on-demand workforce. It is this combination of big data, cloud computing, and a distributed workforce that makes CloudFactory so unique. You can think of it as a virtual ‘assembly line’ where humans and technology interact seamlessly, 24/7, to complete the digitization work of the world much faster and with higher accuracy than previous models.
Everyday instead of shuffling into offices and taking their place at an open workspace our Cloudworkers are working from home, cyber cafes, under trees, anywhere they please. That’s freeing. They are part of a team of 5 friends that meet every week to talk about the work and learn leadership principles that impact their work and personal habits for the better. That’s learning mastery of one's destiny. Every 6 weeks Cloudworkers accept the challenge to take their talent, time, and personal treasure and put into action by serving their local communities. That’s a step into a greater purpose. When you put it all together it’s data entry work being done by humans in a super human way and its’ way better than the status quo BPO model.
How do we do all of that, well that’s another blog post my friend. Until then, here’s my toast to the world. Here’s to the people who are not afraid to work with all of their being. Here’s to the companies that choose to employ the whole person and not just their brains or brawn.
