While M2M is indeed useful for business operations, particularly in an age when organizations are inundated with data, we must consider what machine automation is lacking. What is the point of collecting data across devices and networks if information is not easily accessible by the right people?
Take the example of an e-health solution that remotely monitors patients by capturing blood pressure, heartbeat rate, weight, height and sugar levels, and presents the data in its dedicated application. The doctor cannot have a holistic view of the patient just by looking at this information. The physician needs to interpret the data, look at the medical history, and discuss his initial diagnosis with other practitioners before having a consultation with the patient.
When these kinds of exceptions cannot be handled in real-time, it can cause serious complications,that can even be life or death. Machine-to-Machine implementation is more effective when paired with what we like to call “Human-to-Human” collaboration solutions, which solve cases that cannot be managed by automated systems, while helping reap the benefits of technology investments in any industry.
M2M: The Rise of the Machines
Machine to machine (M2M) technologies are hot in many industries and it is easy to understand why. According to an infographic in the Economist Intelligence Unit, M2M is expected to be a booming $945 billion dollar industry by 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of 23%. Automotive, health care and smart buildings are projected to grow the most.
M2M is already considered an integral part of the Internet of Things (IoT) movement, and the term is widely used by industry experts.
We are still far from “Transcendence”-style artificial intelligence — like uploading human consciousness to software programs. Until we can digitize the human brain, and reproduce cognitive intelligence and emotions, machines and computers cannot totally replace human insight.
In a blog post on the topic, Jason Howard, Senior Technical Researcher at Intel Labs wrote: “The human mind is the most efficient organizational system on the planet, could be in the universe for all we know. But we can put microprocessors together, link them together, have thousands and thousands of computational nodes within that huge, monstrous microprocessor system, but until we figure out how to organize the data movement, organize the data storage, and the computation between those nodes, we can’t even begin to come close to the way a human mind works.” I couldn’t agree more.
H2H: Power to the Humans
M2M offers exciting opportunities for our future, but without H2H, we will never be able to unlock its full potential. M2M will always call for H2H.
In any given business process or workflow today, there are always cases, or delicate situations, which call for human intervention. Who will you call when the next payment using your new iPhone 6’s ApplePay NFC feature at a shop is declined for no obvious reason? How will you truly understand the reasons behind the rejection any claim or application communicated via computer-generated letter? What will you do when your manager wants to discuss an order that was just lost or cancelled in the customer relationship management system? There are a countless number of examples that require people to communicate and collaborate to solve an issue that systems and automated workflows cannot handle.
M2M implementations alone cannot generate the expected returns unless humans are able to defy distance instantly to address issues, solve problems and handle cases. Every organization looking at M2M implementations must also look at how employees can collaborate and connect with clients, customers, patients, citizens, or even students regardless of location.
Face-to-face interactions are vital when collaborating with peers and communicating information to others. The human element — tone of voice, body language, facial expressions — is essential, because we are not machines. As such, using an H2H approach can lead to impactful results for a wide variety of industries.
Pharmaceutical companies, for example, can accelerate innovation, product quality and ensure compliance to legal requirements. Software and game developers also improve collaboration with platform vendors. Retailers improve training and customer experience in store, and financial service companies improve customer retention through first call resolution with a human touch. Even schools and universities can improve knowledge retention and interactions of e-learning programs when students can discuss face to face with mentors, researchers, professors and content providers.
The benefits of M2M are numerous. It allows organizations to streamline operations, optimize resources and even create opportunities for new business models that could have existed without it. That said, companies, governments, healthcare and education institutions that have deployed Machine-to-Machine solutions should not neglect the power of human brain waves when connected and working together as one.
So, in order for cities, buildings, cars, grids, the supply chain and others things to get really “smart”, move up to Human-2-Human to turn on the power of collaboration and make better, more informed decisions, faster. What are you waiting for? Unleash the power of Human collaboration now.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Marc-Alexis Rémond
Quelle/Source: Wired, 23.09.2014
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