Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

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What is Robotic Process Automation? Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a way of automating business processes using software. Because these pieces of software execute repetitive tasks, they’re metaphorically called bots (that is, robots) or digital workers. RPA bots are taught tasks by watching a human user perform them and then trying to repeat the tasks themselves using their Graphical User Interface (GUI). Talk to us to learn more about Robotic Process Automation! Contact Us What’s the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation? AI and IA are complementary, and not just because they’re mirror images of each other. Artificial Intelligence is a much wider field of study dealing with how computers interpret and analyze data, analogous to how humans interpret and analyze data. Robotic Process Automation is automating processes as a series of tasks or defined steps, like traditional software code. There are opportunities to combine both – for example, when the Robotic Process Automation bot needs the content of a paper-based bank loan application to complete its task, Artificial Intelligence steps in with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to ‘read’ the application and tell the Robotic Process Automation bot the contents. Artificial Intelligence delivers value when it fits into a business process; Robotic Process Automation can provide supplementary activity like feeding data into and acting on the results of the Artificial Intelligence algorithm. What can a digital worker or RPA bot do? An Robotic Process Automation bot can do most routine tasks done by human workers. They access applications through keyboards and mice, as humans do, but they’re best suited to repetitive processes that have clear rules (or clear exceptions). To find out if your business process is a good candidate for RPA, contact us. What does it cost to deploy a digital worker? If you’re building your own bot, you should consider the price of the RPA software you want to use; the technology infrastructure you will need to provide the bot with, and the cost to train the bot to execute its tasks. If you hire a specialist (and you should, because we are experts and can get your bot up and running much faster), your cost to train your bot will be lower. In our experience, the cost of deploying the bot may take weeks or months to recover, but the benefits of faster processing, improved accuracy and more streamlined customer service will be visible as soon as your bot is live. Is it complicated or time-consuming to implement an RPA project? That really depends on how complicated the task is that you want your bot to execute – it might be days or weeks. The best way is to start by using bots for small, simple but repetitive tasks and then growing from there. How can my company monitor and manage RPA bots? We recommend setting up a dedicated Center of Excellence (COE) with trained administrators and strong governance protocols to look after your bots, schedule tasks, manage bot configuration, maintain task queues, assign work to the bots, and so on. Or, if you’d rather focus on your customers and hire experts to manage your bots for you, we’re here! Are my company’s operations suitable for RPA? Running repetitive processes is a big part of any company’s operations, and repetitive work is what bots do best. Your process might be a good bot candidate if: It can be documented clearly and in detail, as can its exceptions It runs on a schedule (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) It doesn’t require a lot of manual intervention aside from what’s included in its formal steps and exceptions Getting a bot to do it will save you time, improve accuracy, make it more robust, help you respond to customers quicker, scale it, improve productivity – all for the long haul To evaluate which of your business processes are a good fit for RPA, consult us Will we need to spend a lot on operational support for the RPA workforce? Initially, you might, especially if the process has more exceptions or inconsistencies than you realised during the planning stage. But once things are stable, looking after bots is straightforward. They send feedback on their work through logs or e-mails, which the support team can use to intervene and resolve the issue. Inquire about an RPA COE. What training does my employees need to work with RPA bots? Most of them don’t need a lot – they can work with a bot the same way they would work with a human colleague. Bots communicate through e-mails or update files and receive instructions through their COE managers. We provide training to administrators and end-users on engaging with bots. Will RPA bots complement the efforts of my human employees? Bots take over repetitive, tedious tasks, leaving human employees free to undertake the more challenging, cognitively stimulating, intellectually fulfilling activities. Digital workers do the things that humans don’t want to or shouldn’t have to do. To introduce your staff to RPA or help them through the changes wrought by automation, contact us. Does deploying RPA require my company to change its tech stack? No. Bots are non-intrusive and don’t need any application changes. They follow the process steps in the same manner as a human worker would, using the keyboard and mouse, and reading content on the screen. That said, the business objectives, strategy, data and technology of your company play a role in deciding which RPA software is right for you. Can RPA be scaled as my company grows? Scaling a digital workforce is much easier and faster than scaling a human one – it takes just a few hours. Some onboarding activities – like giving the digital worker systems access and hardware – are just the same as they would be for a human. But once that’s done, RPA scaling is fast and easy.