Top 10 Automation Trends That Will Be Bigger
Parts of the Industrial Landscape in 2019
Automation will be further
integrated into the way companies work as the currently available technologies
continue to be improved upon and refined. The
use of more automated features isn’t far off into the future either. It’s
already happening now, and by the time next year rolls around, companies will
embrace those features even further.
As for how companies will go
about doing that, listed below are the top automation trends that you can
expect to become more prevalent in several industries in 2019.
1. The Internet of Things Is Set to Become a
Bigger Deal
The internet of things has
certainly become more important to companies as they continue to try to improve
their product offerings, and that is not about to change. According to the Robotic Industries Association,
companies are expected to utilize more smart sensors in the year ahead, with
the aim of gaining access to bits of data that have thus far proved difficult
to obtain for them.
This likely change in the
way companies handle information gathering is expected to have a huge impact on
how they will work moving forward. Efficient information acquisition has always
been essential to companies succeeding, and expect this trend to make that
particular activity even easier for businesses.
2. Keeping Customers’ Data Secure Will Be
Emphasized More
Companies are coming into
possession of more customer information, and the projected developments related
to the internet of things will only add to that. Keeping customers’ information
safe has always been a priority for companies, but that will be an even bigger
point of emphasis in the coming year.
Businesses will push more of
their security offerings into the spotlight in an effort to show potential
customers that working them will not be a risky proposition. The introduction
of more automated processes is going to make the security challenge greater,
but the only option available to companies is to adjust.
3. Bigger Companies Investing More Resources in
Blockchain
As part of the push to improve
security in the wake of more automated features being introduced to the public,
companies are likely going to take an even longer look at blockchain to
determine if it will be helpful to them.
A recent article on Medium touched on
what the future holds for blockchain, noting that numerous tech giants are
among those that are investing more in it. Whether blockchain will be ready to
be unleashed upon a larger audience in 2019 remains to be seen, but count of
companies using more resources to look at its potential as security becomes a
greater concern in the era of more automated processes.
4. Chatbots Will Receive More Chances
The disastrous roll out pf previous
high-profile chatbots may have discouraged more companies from releasing their
own iterations a few years back, but that doesn’t mean that this form of
automated technology has just been dropped altogether.
According to this article posted on bsdzine.org,
five years from now, around 80 percent of business communications involving
companies and customers are expected to involve some kind of chatbot. Chatbots
have already becoming more prevalent, but they have clearly not reached their
full potential. Even as soon as next year, chatbots could be utilized by more
companies.
5. AI Assistants Will Become More Advanced and
Grow in Number
The success of the currently
available voice-automated assistants has not gone unnoticed, and they are not
going to fall by the wayside anytime soon. Many consumers are aware that these
voice-controlled AI assistants are serving as tools for companies to a large
degree, but they have continued to use them because the convenience they offer
is irresistible.
The onus is now on the
companies to continue to roll out innovations that will keep that equation
tilted in their favor. It will be interesting to see how companies go about
introducing more advanced features, so be sure to keep an eye on this.
6. Marketing Is Set to Become even More
Personalized
This isn’t necessarily a new
development, but even so, marketing is going to be even more targeted towards
you, your needs, and your preferences in 2019. Companies are aware that they
can’t just rely on the strength of their brand alone to drive sales. Consumers
care more about the quality of products and services, and if the big brands
can’t provide what they are looking for, they are more than willing to approach
niche businesses.
To keep up, big companies
will have to make use of advertising campaigns that are designed to attract
specific customers in order to keep them in the fold. Failing to do that could
be costly for companies.
7. AR Will Have a Bigger Presence in Certain
Industries
The biggest AR hit right now
may still be a mobile game, but companies are already working to get more out
of this particular form of technology.
Several industries are trying
to improve the way they do things by increasing AR integration, and as noted by
ZDNet, one of the successful sectors
right now is real estate.
What’s interesting about the
way real estate businesses are using this technology is that they are not
shying away from fully incorporating it. They are even combining robotics with
AR to provide potential buyers with tours of properties currently on the market.
The real estate industry is starting to figure
out this whole AR thing, and more industries are going to catch up sooner
rather than later.
8. More Robots Will Be Working Alongside Instead
of Replacing Human Workers
Robots being present in the
workplace is no longer a new thing, but in 2019, the trend of handing over
processes completely to them may slow down somewhat. Instead of companies
relying solely on improved robotics to lower their expenses and expand their
profit margins, they may start to use more collaborative robots.
These collaborative robots
are cheaper to maintain, and with some help from human workers, they can still
be as productive as their more heavy duty counterparts. Jobs that have already
been lost to robots aren’t coming back, but more people may remain employed if
collaborative robots do indeed prove to be more cost-efficient.
9. Workplace Training Is Changing
Employee training is
becoming more automated, but the way in which it is may surprise you. In an
effort to get important lessons to stick in the minds of employees, companies
are relying more and more on games to get that job done.
According to this article from Mental Floss,
hotels, hospitals, car manufacturers, and even ice cream companies are using
games to help get their new hires up to speed. Video games aren’t just for fun
and recreation anymore as more companies are acknowledging how they can be
utilized as a teaching tool.
10. Automated Ads Are Likely to Become More
Prevalent in Mobile Gaming
More than a few gamers may
still regard mobile games as titles designed for the so-called “casuals,” but
that has not impacted the profitability of those offerings.
What’s even more fascinating
is that it seems like people who like mobile games are not as opposed to seeing
ads in whatever they’re playing. An article posted on Gamesindustry.biz
highlights that 73 percent of mobile gamers prefer to play titles that are
funded by ads as opposed to having to fork over money for them. That may signal a larger disconnect between
mobile gamers and those who prefer to play on consoles and PCs. Even so, expect
more mobile games to feature an increased number of automated ads now that
consumers have shown that they are fine with seeing those.
The world is growing more
automated by the day, and that will continue in earnest in 2019. Keeping tabs
on all these trends is exciting, and you can expect to hear more about them in
the not too distant future.
