>>From the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, it's the cube covering UI path forward for brought to you by UI path. >>Welcome back to the queue. We are live at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Lisa Martin, with Dave Volante UI path forward for it is so great to be sitting in an anchor desk next to Dave and with guests in person, we're going to be talking about automation workforce of the future. I've got two guests here with Dave and me. Kevin crone is here intelligent automation and digital upskilling leader from PWC. Kevin. Welcome. Thank you. Can't wait to talk about upskilling and Bettina Koblick is here the chief people officer at UiPath. Welcome to the program. Thanks for having me. So, as I understand that PWC has embedded UI path into a couple of product offerings. One of them we're going to talk about today, Kevin that's pro pro edge. Talk to me about that. What is that? >>So, um, as we look at, uh, challenges that C-suite leaders are facing, I think one of the biggest emerging challenges right now is around the topic of upscaling. There's the number of jobs that are being displaced, um, is growing by automation. But on the flip side, the number of jobs that are emerging is actually greater and there is a consistent challenge that gets cited there. All of our research through our CEO survey, their work we've done with the world economic forum and other sources around the need to fill that gap. And most leaders feel like they're not doing a good job to, to fill that. So, um, we at PWC have invested in developing a, a new software product called pro edge, which is really focused on, um, identifying the skills needed for the future, teaching those skills and helping to scale the usage of the skills and the organization. And one of the key skills as we look at the digital space is UI path. And we really think that, you know, teaching non technologists around the use of tools like robotic process automation is going to be one of those critical kind of must have skills in the future. >>And patina, you guys are using pro edge. Why, why, why? I mean, you're like the automation pros, what do you need? >>We need it because we have the same, um, challenges that every other company has that introduced us automation, right? People, um, people's time, their tasks that they have been doing are basically displaced. Um, and we're trying to figure out how do we up-skill re-skill how do we position people who now no longer are work working on maybe 50% of what they've done in the past for their next role? Um, so it's incredibly important for us, >>You know, you know this well, Tina and Kevin, you as well, when, when the automation trend RPA first hit, it was like, oh yeah, the trade press, come on. It's going to take away jobs, blah, blah, blah. Now we're working perpetual workdays, right? We all weekend all night, you never stopped working. You're always on. So I think people will brace automation, but as the chief people officer, first of all, how, how was it getting through the pandemic? And have you seen, I presume that UI path folks embrace automation, of course it's in your DNA, but have you seen others sort of, is that narrative done in, is COVID effected that >>I think COVID has affected it, um, for a number of reasons, because so many things shifted in how we do work. Number one, and I can talk about that a little more, but I yesterday I was in a customer advisory board meeting actually with Kevin. And the biggest conversation was not about the technology. It was around what happens when automation is introduced to a company and what happens with people, um, as to whether they want, they're willing to adopt, embrace, have an automation mindset. So that conversation isn't done at all. And it's probably one of the biggest conversations after, you know, adopting the technology, trying to introduce it as how do you drive adoption. And a lot of that is people's people's ability to understand how it will make their life easier, but then not be afraid about what's next. Uh, so I think it's absolutely still a conversation. I don't know if you feel the same. Yeah, >>Yeah. It it's been interesting. I think during the pandemic cause peoples, you know, day to day work lives have gone up ended and he start to think about, um, you know, the, the mixture between what I'll call kind of transaction oriented type work versus analytical type work. And if it just, you know, historically everyone's always said we should do less transaction work and more analytic work. But I think the pandemic was almost like forced that conversation on steroids and people's lot. You I've had to figure out that, like, I don't want to do this type of work and I'm being, I have more demands on me and I'm being asked to do other things, how can I do this more effectively? And so part of this becomes learning these skills to automate the things in front of you right now, the part of this becomes, I need to be able to, to actually have that analytical skill set in the future. And I think that is almost a precursor for what we see happening. And that was, that was the fun part of the conversation yesterday is thinking about, okay, well, what is the, you know, what is the, uh, the accounting analyst role five years from now and what someone does today versus what someone does in five years and how do you actually plan for that, >>The patina, where in your organization, like who's using it and talk to me about the adoption and their willingness to embrace it. >>Yeah. So we are, we've introduced it to our finance organization. One of the reasons we did that is because our finance organization is also a big user of automation, right? So, um, what's been really interesting is that because the technology or because pro edge kind of takes biases out of mapping, what a person can do, um, what learning paths there are for them and what their job will look like in the future, in which job do they go to or could be a potential path. I think it actually motivates people much beyond having work shifting because of automation. Because in addition, you also get to see a path, right. And everywhere you turn, just want to know what's the possibility for the future. So, um, while I'd like to say it was genius for us to envision that it's, it's a pleasant surprise and something, we should talk about more, >>I'm sensing a journey. It's always the case where I know I call it the force March to digital. We were thrown into this. And so, so much was unknown. And I know our team, I mean our producers and it's death by a thousand paper cuts in any one individual thing is not that bad, but yeah, the Moffitt, it's just, that's what kills your work day, your work week and your mental health. And so maybe it's, that's kind of the starting point is, are pigs a band-aid for, for, for, for that fundamental, but then it's wow. I can see the light bulb goes off. I can see the potential, that's where the digital upskilling comes in. I mean, maybe that's oversimplifying it, but how do you see that journey? Yeah. >>Yeah. I think there's a couple of different pieces with this cause, you know, and it goes back to the divide between the things you need to do now. And how do you think about making your life easier, but then it really goes to what you need to do in the future. And that journey to actually get there is tough because it's not just a question of, Hey, I need to pick up a textbook or pick up an online training module. And I'm just going to become an expert. It's really thinking about what are the, what's the combination of different skills. I need to learn. Some of that's going to be hands on technical skills. It's going to be platforms like UI path. It may be other complimentary platforms in the analytics space and other things. Um, some of this may also be on the kind of softer side. >>How do I learn how to work in a more agile way and have a design thinking mindset, have a product mindset, but then it's really how's that going to change my role in the future. And how do I actually, for lack of a better word, start to embed these practices in my job in a way that I'm actually learning these skills and it will stick. And how do you actually manage that co culture change? Um, for lack of better word over time. That was probably the biggest thing I picked up from yesterday was just some of this talk around change management and culture, uh, which is, you know, we, we have a lot of, for lack of better word techie. Cause if this conference would like to think about all the cool stuff that technology doing, but the big lesson learned is really, you know, you actually have to make the stick inside an organization. >>And in the last year, Kevin, I'm curious about the adoption because you know, everything we've seen so much acceleration in the last year that digital acceleration, the acceleration in automation, we've also seen tremendous, uh, people and from a cultural perspective, I'd love to, for you to shed some light on what you've seen since you've rolled this product out, how is the pandemic, has it been an enabler of that change management and that cultural change, which historically is very hard to do. >>It's very hard. And I think this, if, if I want to CFO or COO two years ago and talked about the skills gap in what was happening, the organization, I would probably get someone that would be on and say, okay, yeah, that, that, that is happening. We need to think about this, but I got 50 other things I need to worry about. You know, I think over the past year a while, things like, you know, TA TA, well, time is a big, uh, luxury or having excess time is a big luxury that most people don't have. I think there's a recognition that, um, it's a challenging work environment right now. We're trying to get more done. People are not in person. Um, people have, you know, there's issues with, with mental health and other challenges and there's, uh, almost like a renewed focus on how do we make employees lives better and better can mean different things. >>But when I think about it, it's, it's giving people a hope that they have a future career path, that their job is not going to be eliminated, that they're developing the right skills and they're being given the capacity to actually do that now. And so a lot of the discussions have really been are around that fact. And I would say probably more so than the traditional just cost saving discussion than most automation, um, threads in with RPA begin with this really, you know, became, um, we need to do this and we need to, you know, send a message to our employees that we really care about you. And this is something that is really going to be us investing in you as a perk in the future. >>What's the role of the head of human capital management in the context of automation? Is she the champion? Is she the therapist? Is she the change agent? Well, how do you see that? >>Well, clearly he should have been talking to the head of people, um, two years ago. We even, because, uh, the way I think about it, and I think a lot of people in my role think about it is, you know, a CFO really looks after the financial health of the company. Um, the focus for us is looking after the people, health of the company, right? And so I think, um, in my career, what I've learned is that change is constant. We all know this and, um, change for people is difficult. So the way I think about introducing new technology, introducing automation, introducing anything that changes or being forced to change because of something like a pandemic, um, what I really ended up thinking a lot about is how does that impact people and how do we, how do we help them through it? Um, so that's my lens. And I think that's a chief people officer lens to all of this, but makes a perfect partnership with platforms that make this easy for us. Because if you can imagine, uh, a C-suite person comes to, uh, comes to an HR department and says, tell me what we should do here. How do we develop all our people? And it's, it's an overwhelming task. What pro edge does is just beautifully delivers this on a platter, um, in a way that we could never do manually. So it's >>Talk to me a little bit Bettina about the last year and a half. And obviously as being the chief people, officer, you came in, you said about five months ago, but obviously during a very, very challenging time, I always think that the employee experience is directly related to the customer experience. I see them as inextricably linked, how have you been able to foster a good employee experience in your time here in a very strange world so that the customer experience, I mean, you guys are a fast moving company, 8,000 plus customers. So that, that customer experience is a stellar as UI path has always had to be. >>Yeah, I think for us, it came down to just some simple things. Um, one is just being flexible. Uh, there was not a one size fits all. We had to recognize that we have to meet people in a place that works for them, everybody, uh, dealt with a different reality and the same for our customers. Um, and I agree with you. I think employees that feel enabled that feel safe, that feel they have a future, um, have a much different relationship with their customers, um, then employees that are worried about their safety and security and whatnot. So we really took an approach of flexibility, safety, um, meeting people where they are jumping in when there were big crises in India and whatnot to really, really take care of our people and help them understand that we're here for >>Big impact on mental health. Did you see that, um, there was an insert in the wall street journal. I think it was last week, uh, women at work. Um, and it was a stat in there. I don't know if you're a working mom, but it said that, uh, 30, it was Qualtrics was the source. 30% of working moms said their mental health had declined since the pandemic. Interestingly only 15. I said only 15% of working dads. Um, so that was sort of interesting, uh, and notable, uh, but you know, to your point, CFO, financial health of the company, the chief people officer, the, the human capital health. Yeah. >>Um, very much so. And by the way, I'm not surprised by that stat as a woman. >>I thought it was, I thought it was low. I was talking to my wife about it the other day. She's not a working mom, but she's like my mental health, even though I'm not a working mom, I have my mental health. I'm a working dad, but, but I got it easier than she does, but, but, and I'm not surprised at the disparity. I'm surprised that the only 30% and 50%, I think it's a lot higher than that. And people may be just like, I don't know if that's actually, maybe some people like working at home and that's, I could see that both sides of that equation. Yeah. >>There's also a stigma around mental health that we've, that's been addressed in. So even during the Olympic coverage this last summer, but having your team be really focused and enabled and knowing that they took to your point, Kevin, from an upscale perspective, that they have a path where they can go, they can increase their own value to the company. >>I completely agree. And I think, uh, other studies show that what people really want is a future at work. And, and this is what I think privilege dresses. Beautiful. >>Yeah. It's interesting. Right. Cause I think when you talk about some of the mental health challenges, I think it can get down very quickly to a cab just on this crazy schedule or I'm on zoom for 14 hours a day. And I, I don't have the time to breathe in my time commuting where I may have had time to decompress. It's just been replaced with more meetings. And I think that that may be the, like the surface issue, but I actually think if you go below the surface, not being in the office, not having some of the in-person networking, not having some of that creates anxiety about the future. And you're not really sure around, okay, what does my career path look like? I may not be getting the amount of career counseling that I used to get just by impromptu conversations or, you know, just by more traditional ways. Um, but I think the reality is when we look at the way most companies are thinking about their future work models. It's not going to go back to the way the world operated two years ago, it's, we're going to be in some sort of hybrid model. And so it really becomes more important to actually dig below where maybe some of the challenges were in the passengers, not surfaced. And I think upskilling and thinking about, um, kind of role skills and roles, it just becomes a much more important conversation. >>Absolutely. Last question, Bettina for you, we're almost out of time, but you started this in the, in financial, in the finance organization. What do you see over the next couple of years in terms of being very much UI path land and expand with your customers? Where do you see it rolling out across two iPads. >>We're already talking to our sales enablement group. Um, for a couple of reasons we want them to experience it. We want them to have also, we want them to have the conversations with our customers much like what we learned yesterday, right? It's a multi-dimensional conversation. It's not just a financial ROI, it's a people journey, change management. So we'll, we're taking it to our sales enablement group. We're absolutely gonna use it in HR, uh, obviously. Um, and I, I would just think we'll use it in two years. It'll be enterprise wide >>Different is pro edge in the marketplace. And just in, particularly in terms of its business impact. >>Yeah. I take a stab. So when we think about the challenge in a topic like digital upskilling, I think in traditional approaches to learning, it would be okay, we're going to enroll someone in a learning program. You know, you're going to go through, do certain amount of self study. Maybe there's a class, the some classroom based training. And that's it. I think for us, we saw two different challenges on both sides of that. One was trying to identify who needs to learn, what, and what part of the organization, why is that important? What an executive may need to learn is going to be different from what someone who does the transaction processing, uh, for their, their full-time job needs to learn and learning kind of from basic digital acumen through kind of hands-on skills. What are the different, um, pieces? I think probably the more interesting part is the back end of that. >>And thinking about, you know, how do you actually put these skills into practice and how do you put scale? One of the buzzwords that's thrown around at this conference a lot is the concept of citizen led automation as a topic. And really how, how do you have your, does this users building bots or creating data dashboards or doing other things that is, um, that's challenging. So as we design the product, what we really wanted to think about was that end to end journey from kind of the point of identifying skills through the point of scaling a citizen led effort. It's one of the things we're really excited to be working with UI path on is one of the core technologies that we, that we view in this ecosystem is really thinking about how do you make that happen? And if the outcome is not just people are new things, but the outcome are, people are actually creating solutions that are, that are having an impact on their job on a day to day basis. We think that's a really powerful concept. >>It's really important work, what you guys are doing. Thank you both for joining David me on the program today, talking about this very interesting symbiotic relationship partners, PWC UI path customers. Really interesting, great work that you're doing. Thanks for joining us. Thank you so much for having us for Dave Volante. I'm Lisa Martin. You're watching the cube live from Las Vegas at the Bellagio UI path forward for it. We'll be right back, stick around.