automation
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One leader in the healthcare field stands out for his innovative approach to integrating automation into business operations. Sivasakthivel Periyannan Ramamoorthy, a key figure at CVS Health, leverages his significant expertise to enhance operational efficiency and drive strategic outcomes. Leading a team of 50 specialists, he focuses on knitting together cutting-edge technologies with practical business processes.

Automation is indispensable, streamlining operations to boost efficiency and profitability while minimising human error. At CVS Health, automation transcends mere enhancement; it is the strategic bedrock upon which the company rapidly meets client expectations, gaining a distinct competitive advantage. "We are constantly exploring automation opportunities in various segments of CVS Health such as operations, product development, quality assurance, implementations, and care delivery," Sivasakthivel points out, emphasising its widespread adoption.

This narrative examines the transformative impact of automation on revenue growth, profitability, and operational efficiency at CVS Health through Sivasakthivel's leadership. His crucial contributions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, reveal how automation projects seamlessly align with CVS's strategic goals, significantly impacting public health and corporate performance.

The Key To Better Care

Automation is a crucial driver for large enterprises, particularly in industries like healthcare, where complex processes such as claims adjudication require precision and speed. It helps streamline these tasks by evaluating member coverage, manufacturer discounts, and quantity limits, reducing processing times from hours to seconds. This efficiency allows organisations to adjust their strategies and better serve their clients quickly.

As Sivasakthivel notes, "Clients need efficiency, accuracy, and visibility in their plan offerings. Automation allows us to meet these needs, ensuring quicker turnaround times and better service quality." By continuously adopting new technologies, companies can enhance customer experiences and maintain a competitive edge, ensuring they remain responsive to market demands.

Solving Challenges Through Automation

Automation is a powerful enabler for large enterprises, allowing them to swiftly address urgent challenges and adjust to shifting industry demands. A prime example occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when many organisations faced the urgent task of scaling up vaccine distribution. Traditional approaches to managing such a large-scale operation would have required significant time and investment.

Sivasakthivel shares, "Due to the timeline constraint, we couldn't use the traditional approach, which would take several months and involve huge investments." Instead, automation solutions, such as robotic bots to generate large volumes of test data, were used to stress test server capacity, expediting the process and allowing for a faster vaccine rollout. This approach enabled organisations to achieve their targets in weeks, ensuring millions of vaccines could be distributed swiftly and efficiently.

Beyond crisis response, automation is equally valuable in long-term technology transitions, such as migrating from legacy systems to more modern, efficient platforms. Sivasakthivel explains, "This effort increased interoperability, extensibility, application responsiveness, and ultimately client experience." Businesses can streamline complex transitions while maintaining high service standards by automating aspects of these migrations.

These examples highlight how strategic use of automation can address immediate operational challenges and lay the groundwork for sustained success and adaptability in a competitive and evolving industry.

Staying Aligned With Business Goals

Successful automation initiatives align closely with an organisation's overarching goals and vision. For many enterprises, the key to this alignment is deriving automation strategies directly from the company's mission to deliver high-quality outcomes. As Sivasakthivel notes, "Our objective is to deliver high-quality deliverables and services to our clients and their members," underscoring the importance of maintaining high standards in every project.

Organisations often employ internal processes such as regular standup meetings and cadence calls to ensure progress remains on track. These methods help monitor the progress of automation initiatives and ensure alignment with the desired vital results. "We review and modify our key results at regular time intervals during the entire life cycle of the project," Sivasakthivel explains, highlighting the value of continuous review and adjustment. Combined with thorough planning and risk management, this approach helps ensure that automation projects achieve immediate objectives and contribute to the organisation's long-term success.

ROI-Driven Strategies

Investing in automation requires a strategic balance between financial considerations and broader business goals. Large enterprises must prioritise automation initiatives based on various factors, such as market demand, customer needs, regulatory requirements, and internal resources. As Sivasakthivel shares, "We invest millions of dollars in automation to better serve our clients and their members," but he emphasises that not every initiative can move forward simultaneously. Prioritisation is essential, and strategic roadmaps help guide investment decisions, ensuring that resources are directed toward the most impactful projects.

While return on investment (ROI) remains a key metric in evaluating the success of automation projects, it is not the sole factor driving investment decisions. "Our automation investments are not solely based on return on investment as cost saving but also include client satisfaction and quality of service," Sivasakthivel explains. Regularly reviewing the backlog of potential capabilities allows organisations to adjust their investment strategies and stay competitive in a dynamic market. This comprehensive approach ensures that automation initiatives align with immediate business needs and long-term strategic goals, contributing to financial performance while enhancing customer satisfaction and service quality.

Automation For A Competitive Edge

In sectors like healthcare, where serving millions of members efficiently is essential, automation helps ensure speed and agility in operations. Sivasakthivel says, "Speed to market and quick turnaround time on client issues is the key to winning client satisfaction." By integrating automation across various functions—such as operations, product development, quality assurance, and care delivery—companies can adapt more swiftly to changing needs, ultimately improving customer satisfaction.

Many organisations invest in continuous innovation and technological advancement to maintain a leading position in the market. Collaboration with consulting partners and focusing on new technologies allow companies to stay current with emerging trends and tools. Sivasakthivel explains, "We collaborate with our consulting partners to keep us updated and invest in new technologies and innovative products that help our business maintain a competitive edge." This proactive approach to automation and innovation enables businesses to meet current client expectations and anticipate and adapt to future industry trends, ensuring long-term success.

Automation Metrics That Matter

Measuring the success of automation projects is crucial for ensuring they align with broader business objectives and deliver meaningful outcomes. Many organisations use a combination of metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of their automation initiatives. Sivasakthivel explains, "The ability to achieve our interim automation objectives based on key results is a significant means to ensure we are on track to success." These interim goals serve as checkpoints, helping teams assess whether their automation efforts are progressing as planned and delivering the desired impact.

Beyond interim goals, other key metrics such as automation quality percentage, turnaround time, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) play a vital role in assessing the effectiveness of automation. Customer satisfaction often remains a top priority, making metrics like the Net Promoter Score (NPS) particularly valuable. "Since customer and member satisfaction is our primary goal, we consider NPS one of our most valuable metrics," says Sivasakthivel. By focusing on a balanced set of performance indicators, businesses can ensure that their automation projects meet internal standards while delivering value to customers and driving overall success.

Future-Ready With Innovation

Staying competitive in today's rapidly evolving market requires a commitment to innovation, especially in automation. As automation technologies continue to advance, organisations must be ready to adopt new tools and processes to maintain their edge. Sivasakthivel notes, "Automation is continuously evolving," emphasising that adopting emerging solutions is key to solving complex challenges and uncovering opportunities that were once out of reach.

A continuous learning and innovation culture is essential for keeping pace with these changes. Recognising the value of fresh perspectives, many organisations invest in upskilling their teams with the latest automation technologies and recruiting top talent to drive modernisation efforts.

"We appreciate and recognise out-of-box ideas and solutions that solve business problems," Sivasakthivel shares, highlighting the importance of creative problem-solving. Regularly reviewing and adapting automation strategies ensures that companies remain aligned with their strategic goals, allowing them to maximise the impact of each initiative and drive long-term success.

Automation is no longer a supplementary tool—it has become a strategic asset that is crucial in achieving business outcomes. By viewing automation as a long-term investment in efficiency and growth, organisations can position themselves for success in an increasingly complex and dynamic business landscape.