Automation has gained a lot of attention in real estate in recent years. COVID-19 turned this advantage into a necessity. Healthcare measures, like remote work, forced companies in multiple industries to optimize their operations. Automation came as a lifesaver.
However, 2020 also made many firms “brute force” their way to automation implementation. This need generated new challenges due to the lack of experience with this technology. That’s why you should work with a professional process automation service.
2021 promises extensive recovery, with developments like vaccination and easing lockdown laws. It paves the way for automation to leverage its current momentum and provide extensive innovations and advantages for real estate.
What do you need to keep in mind this year? That’s today’s topic.
Automation will be a significant evolution for businesses in 2021
Automation is amid a considerable increase in speed regarding developments. With digital transformation being a significant driver behind dozens of businesses' survival efforts, automation followed suit.
Many experts agree that automation was one of the most prominent technologies during that year. Countless firms started to implement these programs into their operations. Likewise, many others extended their existing integrations.
If you’re interested in digital adoption for your company, make sure to contact us for a professional solution.
Trend overview for this year
The predicted trends start with companies relying more on in-house departments for data-related operations. Automation makes it more accessible, and it also creates better relationships between companies and customers.
Automation will also redefine management, which we’ll analyze with more depth in a moment. Additionally, companies’ dependence on remote workers can rely on automation to reduce costs and eliminate errors from collaboration issues.
Automation allows for better inhouse operations
Automation has enabled companies to move commonly-outsourced tasks to their departments. That's because automation eliminates human error when set up correctly. It also grants better customer engagement in industries facing certain expectations.
In real estate, we can see this occurring in real-time. Automation is handling more interactions between companies and customers every day. Additionally, automation enables firms to relocate resources to more critical projects with better returns.
It’s redefining how management functions
As automation grows, several jobs will become redundant. However, the number of jobs stemming from automation will considerably surpass these “losses.” Even today, company managers have had to accommodate new roles to maintain effective automation.
Automation can also reduce management effort in some areas, especially those depending on repetition. It allows management staff to shift its focus according to other resources' relocation in more critical tasks.
2020 was vital for automation, and things won't slow down
The pandemic was a game-changer, and that's obvious for anyone who read at least one article about it. It turned traditional practices into burdens, and new technologies quickly became invaluable for saving companies.
As gloomy as the picture has been, 2020 was a good year for automation development. It made digital implementation the backbone of thousands of businesses. As SAP details, 2021 will continue this trend with significant developments in the field.
Automation adapting to specific goals
Before the pandemic, companies often fell for the mentality that automation was a benefit by itself. Today, many firms have understood how important it is to take a pragmatic approach to this technology. If automation won't make specific tasks more efficient, it's not necessary.
By next year, a majority of organizations will rely more on digital solutions. Automation is expected to handle areas like customer engagement, productivity, and more. The goal is to lower operational costs considerably while boosting a company’s effectiveness and resilience.
It’s becoming part of a whole
Similarly, automation isn’t the only attraction behind its concept. For many companies—particularly in real estate—automation is considerably more advantageous when combined with other technologies, like AI and the Internet of Things.
That's where hyper-automation comes into play. This concept focuses on a holistic approach to automation implementation. More companies are starting to tailor their roadmaps according to how they can integrate multiple solutions with this technology.
People and machine are a team
Despite worries about automation taking away people's jobs, forecasts paint a different picture. As we mentioned, companies have had to allocate new talents to ensure proper automation. Similarly, 2021 is expected to strengthen collaboration between humans and machines.
Automation requires setup, maintenance, and research. All of these processes require human intervention. Additionally, automation will become a crucial ally for many departments. Many experts expect AI to be everyday assistance for workers in the upcoming years.
Partnerships will lead to innovation
Finally, innovation in this sector will escalate beyond individual efforts from software and implementation providers. We can expect leading development companies to form essential partnerships to drive this technology forward.
That's especially true when considering automation's spot in current digital developments. Its synergy with machine learning and other technologies makes collaborative efforts easy to predict. These strategic partnerships allow companies to offer comprehensive solutions, benefitting all developers involved.
General automation trends to keep in mind in 2021
Automation isn’t only valuable for real estate. Other sectors have pushed this technology forward, but these innovations still benefit real estate companies implementing automation solutions.
This article from The Enterprisers Project compiles the opinions of many IT leaders around the world. The most crucial observation is how cloud technology has been vital for most of these improvements. The prominent surge in demand for cloud solutions has led to automation reaching the next level.
New automation focuses
COVID-19 has moved automation to more areas. For instance, the crisis called for touchless interaction with consumers. Automation becomes a fantastic way to assist customers without compromising their safety. It also offset the difficulties of managing remote workers.
Increased intuitiveness priority
2021 could focus extensively on reducing automation’s complexity. The number of companies implementing this technology for the first time is a significant driver behind this shift in focus. Automation needs to be more accessible to meet growing demand.
Digital transformation will gain more traction
As we mentioned, automation will grow exponentially as part of a more significant move toward digital adoption. Orchestrating the integration between multiple digital solutions and their management will become more vital this year.
Kubernetes and DevOps
Kubernetes development and the DevOps movement will become key players in the automation landscape. They’ve been making this technology more versatile, and many software solutions, including real estate automation, rely extensively on these developments.
Continuous integration, continuous deployment
CI/CD has become the standard for many software providers. It enables developers to provide constant upgrades to their products. Relying on the agile methodology, it’s an ideal approach for meeting customer needs continuously. 2021 will only bring growth for this strategy.
Automation becoming self-improving
Interestingly, automation has been a key player behind its innovation. It has streamlined many areas, like resource management. These implementation instances have made it easier to develop automation scripts and solutions for tasks that used to be considered impossible years ago.
Faster learning bringing new obstacles
The main problem related to automation last year was inexperience. The vast need for automation and similar solutions attracted inexperienced users with the wrong expectations. 2021 will present considerable obstacles as these companies realize not all their expectations were feasible.
Robotic process automation allowing more versatility
Finally, automation will adapt to more uses as time goes by. 2021 proves to be an optimal year for this expansion, as more people become familiar with the concept. All of the trends we've mentioned will enable different automation solutions to accommodate more tasks and operations.
What will automation mean for real estate in 2021?
Automation and other technologies have provided real estate firms with much-needed relief amid the pandemic. The chance to keep operations during COVID-19 was more than a competitive edge.
We already evaluated how the industry will benefit from automation and what to look out for. However, automation's real benefits stretch beyond the technology. Other digital solutions and innovations used by the industry will benefit significantly from automation.
Which other areas can we expect to grow with these automation trends?
Better safety
Both health and data security are vital for real estate. COVID-19 has endangered both, as physical contact became a risk and inexperienced firms implemented complex digital solutions. Automation provides significant improvements in both areas.
Drone functionality
Drones have almost become synonymous with real estate. From property showcasing and virtual tours to building audits, drones have become a vital proptech. Automation can streamline these technologies and how companies process the data generated by them.
More functions covered
2021 is a fantastic time to extend automation toward more processes. Automating document digitization and e-signatures is becoming standard. However, other tasks, like back-office accounting, social media marketing, and customer interactions, could become common automation examples.
AI improvements
AI will likely become synonymous with process automation in the upcoming years. Real estate has already experienced primary AI implementation, but it’s still relatively primitive. With this year’s automation trends, we might see noticeable developments in the AI and machine learning space.
Proptech innovation
2020 made proptech a crucial element for countless companies. 2021 will likely continue this trend as companies extend their implementation and reliance on proptech. Automation's integration capabilities with countless proptech solutions will be decisive from both industries' innovation.