Appian Talks

Call center agents are the frontlines of the contact center. They must be able to seamlessly navigate multiple communication channels—in real-time—across the customer journey. This is where a core suite of seamless, multi-channel technology integrations, including automated business processes, unified data, and intelligent software robots, can empower agents by providing context to customer interactions via a comprehensive customer record.

Intelligent automation has the power to bridge communication channels and back-end systems across the enterprise, to deliver a single view of the customer. Built on a case management approach, combining AI and automation capabilities can enrich case logic by providing recommendations for better, faster problem resolution. Additionally, this convergence of technologies can also help contact center operators maintain comprehensive communication histories across every channel, and ultimately empower agents to consistently meet customer expectations.

In this episode of Appian Talks, Appian’s Director of Product Strategy, Arturo Oliver, reveals the secret to transforming your contact centers. Listen to discover how to build a smarter contact center and provide intelligent customer engagement.

Learn how to transform your contact center with an innovative platform powered by industry leading case management: https://www.appian.com/platform/customer-contact-center/

Digital Transformation seems to be the latest buzzword, but is it just another word created by industry titans to drive business, or does it actually mean something and can it provide value?

According to a Forrester senior analyst, this move towards digital is the key to survival, “It is no longer possible to ignore the shackles of legacy; firms must digitize the heart of their business, driving agility and flexibility to the core, and 2018 is the year when that process starts wholesale.”

But how do we actually drive towards a digital future? How do we “digitize the heart” of our businesses.

To be able to adopt new technologies in a meaningful way requires two things: being able to connect to them and fold them into standard business processes. Listen to this podcast to hear Brian Mill, VP at Mulesoft join Appian’s VP of Product, Malcolm Ross and VP of Product Solutions, Medhat Galal, to discuss what digital transformation means, why it matters, and how organizations can tie these new technologies into their core business processes.

According to recent research from Strategy Meets Action (SMA), an independent strategic advisory firm for insurers and technology solution providers, approximately 57% of insurers have some type of digital transformation initiative in progress, yet there is still a lack of clarity about what encompasses a shift to digital and what the best practices are for a company when planning and executing these initiatives.

Appian invited Deb Smallwood, the founder of SMA, and Kate Gingras, Vice President & Global Insurance Lead at Appian, to speak on episode of the AppianTalks podcast series to discuss digital platforms and how they help insurers.

Listen to the conversation as we touch on the need for digital everywhere in insurance companies - and how an iterative, agile technology approach will enable insurers to solve business challenges faster.

Many, including us, predicted that 2017 is the year AI goes mainstream. Many organizations will start looking into AI with a "kick the tires" mentality: how can I take advantage of this new technology? Will it actually have an impact in my business? Can it positively affect the bottom line? Can it drive competitive advantages? We also predicted that this phase would end in a new beginning. One that would confirm that AI technologies are here to stay and companies need to get into the bandwagon.

It turns out we were right. The fourth quarter of 2017 is just starting. Companies are already transitioning from research into practical applications of AI technologies to make apps smarter, take decisions faster, and automate things like never before. Join us in this AI Podcast for a glimpse on why companies are finally taking AI seriously, why now is the right time to start, and how you can leverage a low-code platform like Appian to ensure you take full advantage of the benefits AI technologies can provide.

Digital Transformation is the name of the game. It means using new digital technologies to innovate how you engage your customers, how you optimize internal operations, and how you deliver new, game-changing products and services. It’s the #1 priority for anyone who’s trying to grab or grow competitive differentiation in the Digital Age.

It comes down to how effectively you can master change and overcome organizational inertia. It comes down to how you can obliterate the status quo for better business, happier customers, and a more rewarding career.

This is what Appian World 2018 is all about. The conference is designed to make you an agent of rapid, high-impact transformation in your organization. It’s your one-stop-shop for hands-on product training; for sharing tips and best practices with your industry peers; for getting a handle on where BPM software, Low-Code development, Case Management and more are headed.

In this episode, April DelFavero, Appian’s Senior Director of Events, and Ben Farrell, Appian’s Vice President of Corporate Communications, sit down to discuss everything Appian World, from the hands-on product training and industry insights to the networking and “fun in the sun” at the iconic Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach.

Ready to sign up for better business, happier customers, and a more rewarding career? Register for Appian World 2018 today! http://ap.pn/2gpu7TX

As almost every electronic device is being connected to the internet, businesses are transforming their operations using both the insights and real-time information from IoT. Traditionally, it was slow and iterative to improve processes; now, businesses are able to monitor their operations in real-time, increase operational efficiency and reduce costly mistakes.

Using powerful platforms like Appian, companies can collect, analyze, and act on IoT-generated data. But with IoT, business processes can do much more than just manage data in a workflow; they can easily integrate and interact with connected devices, managing every part of a business from a single platform.

In this episode, Austin Fathman, Appian’s Product Strategy Developer, explores what it means to implement and integrate IoT, how IoT is transforming the modern business and why this trend is crucial for businesses to embrace. Malcolm Ross, Appian’s VP of Product serves as contributing host of the program.

In the healthcare provider space, consumer behaviors and expectations are evolving as digital touchpoints grow and the importance of providing exceptional customer experience translates across patients, nurses, doctors, and administrators alike. Patients often feel like they are at the mercy of their providers for scheduling appointments, acquiring compatible medication, and more. While a lot of the blame gets placed on providers not having the proper information or coordination to effectively and efficiently deliver flawless care, the reality is that outdated and disjointed healthcare IT systems and applications is at the root of these issues.

Listen as Fritz Haimberger, Appian’s Industry Practice Lead, Healthcare Providers, touches on some of the biggest challenges facing the healthcare provider industry and how technology can help increase positive experiences on all ends of the healthcare spectrum. Topics discussed include legacy Healthcare IT, electronic medical records (EMRs), compliance, and digital healthcare initiatives. Abby Jacobs serves as contributing host.

Learn more about how consumer expectations are transforming the healthcare industry at appian.com/industries/healthcare/

With constant advances in Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and the digital workforce—digital disruption will happen sooner and faster than imagined. There’s a disruptive trend going on in the way work gets done. In the past, companies offshored high-volume back office production and IT operations to take advantage of cheap foreign labor. Today—not so much. Labor costs have trended up, while software-powered digital labor is now cheaper, faster and more productive than those conventional approaches.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) fundamentally represents a pivot to digital labor—the reinvention of how work gets done. The most successful companies are pivoting from people to software for high-volume, highly transactional manual processes, to take advantage of this emerging digital workforce.

In this episode, Prittam Bagani, Appian’s Director of Product Strategy, discusses why this pivot is so important and the basics of RPA and Enterprise Automation. Zach Messler serves as contributing host.

Ready to learn more about RPA? Visit our resource center at https://www.appian.com/robotic-process-automation-rpa/

Having to do more with less is not a new challenge for enterprise IT. For the financial services industry, the cost of maintaining legacy systems accounts for about 75% of a bank’s annual tech investment, leaving only 25% to spend on new technology and innovation. This is the reality that’s frustrated senior business leaders for a long time; it’s not that there is a lack of vision for how to innovate and engage differently, but that they’re hamstrung by maintaining legacy environments.

In part 1, we discussed the challenges bankers face in the age of digital disruption and introduced the concept of leveraging a digital overlay as a core capability for enterprise environments. Part 2 discusses how to incorporate this strategic approach to enable end to end business process improvement to deliver greater collaboration and a seamless experience across the value chain, both inside and outside of the organization. Additional topics include FinTech, the financial services regulatory environment, and the trends shaping the modern enterprise environments of financial services institutions. Abby Jacobs serves as contributing host.

Customer expectations are transforming because customers themselves are transforming. This statement can’t be more true for the Financial Services and Capital Markets Industry. We're in the middle of a significant inter-generational transfer of wealth. Dig into the patterns and the expectations of the new generation and some clear behaviors emerge. The new generation is more mobile and digitally in tune with value, but what about personal interaction and customer service? And what’s the future of the financial advisor - or the branch? How can Financial Services Institutions transform to thrive in the digital age?

In part 1 of this 2-part series, Mike Heffner, Appian’s VP of Global Banking and Capital Markets discusses the challenges bankers face in the age of digital disruption and how they can respond to be more transformative. Additional topics of discussion include the impact of FinTech, reimagining customer experience, gaining greater value from tech investments, emerging digital technologies, and the strategic direction and core IT capabilities needed to drive enterprise change. Abby Jacobs serves as contributing host.