Automation has been around for centuries. Its history is extensive and can be traced back as early as 300 BC, where Greeks and Arabs used it to keep accurate track of time. Since then, the landscape of technology and innovation in our personal and professional lives has undergone massive changes. Having paved the way for digitization, it has empowered both enterprises and customers.

Automation has changed the way each one of us works. Deeming the powerhouse of smart technology, many enterprises turn to automation to save money and time on repetitive and monotonous tasks. Its disruptive nature is increasing the speed of business. It is transforming industries and the customer experience environment from an otherwise two-dimensional space into a three-dimensional one.

But if enterprises do not understand the difference between essential and menial, automation cannot be implemented. Thus, making them miss out on business opportunities, expanding markets and portfolios, and much more.

This blog discusses Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and the journey of a successful RPA implementation, how to choose a software that best fits your business, its relevance today and in the future, and how it can deliver value.

Why you should automate business tasks

Technology has influenced how enterprises conduct business operations regarding fewer resources and infrastructure. Yet, many continue using age-old workflows, even with new-age technology.

In the current competitive landscape, enterprises can no longer depend on manual processes because of the increasing data and information they are regularly exposed to. This is why enterprises struggle from a lack of time and resources. They cannot prioritize tasks that require more human interference, affecting productivity and efficiency in the long run. Therefore, indulging in smart work is imperative.

Based on your brand’s unique needs and goals and those of your customers, the only way to get by is through automation. Automation technology is the pedestal for enterprises that wish to stand out amongst the competition. It plays a significant role in ensuring balance is maintained by digitizing repetitive tasks, streamlining workflows, and eliminating or reducing human intervention.

From simple elementary tasks such as data entry, list management, or database management, automation is a game-changer, and this technology has the potential to change the way we work. With it, you can:

• Improved productivity
• Increased speed of business
• Increased focus on crucial projects or tasks
• Reduced human errors
• Accelerated time to value

Together they contribute to driving and improving customer experience on a large scale. While you may think that it may take a few years for automation to kick-in, think again. It is no longer about future-proofing; it has to be done right here and now. According to Gartner, by 2020, close to 40% of all large enterprises will implement RPA in some form to automate their processes and workflows.

Debunking myths of RPA

A common misconception of RPA is that it involves robots in the physical sense, like a mechanical arm commonly used in large manufacturing units. Instead, it comprises of software robots that automate monotonous and repetitive tasks.

While the influx of AI technologies has given us great experiences and made our lives so much easier, there’s a perceived notion that automation is taking away jobs. But from a broader perspective, RPA is a new change. With it, there is a whole world of opportunities waiting to be discovered and explored. According to McKinsey, less than 5% of jobs can be automated with demonstrable technologies.

Another common belief that many perceive it that robotic process automation is not applicable beyond the banking and finance, healthcare, telecom and IT, and retail sectors. With a proven track record in those industries, many are still unaware this burgeoning technology now applies to any industry. For example, routine front and back-office tasks can be automated with RPA.

RPA leads business strategies. Its ability to improve efficiency is the key reason enterprises are considering it. But many are still reluctant to adopt it because of its expensive nature. Though it does come with a hefty price tag, one of the most significant advantages of implementing it is that you get instant results. Using a bot to the work of multiple people more rapidly and efficiently will be a big cost-benefit, essentially tripling your capacity.

Some of the other myths include:

• RPA is 100% automated
• Users need to know RPA programming languages to use RPA
• RPA is the same as other automation tools

What is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic process automation is a specific type of process automation technique. An emerging trend in the market, it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to handle a high volume, repetitive manual data-intensive tasks performed by humans. It can adapt to changing situations, exceptions, and circumstances, letting enterprises with legacy systems to automate their workflows by creating an intelligent digital workforce.

RPA helps employees and robots collaborate to deliver exceptional customer experiences. It can be broadly categorized into three main categories based on the functionality and scope of work.

• Assisted Automation: Robots and employees work together on semi-automated processes
• Unassisted Automation: Robots handle automated processes, without human intervention
• Robotic Workforce Supervision: A dashboard displays robot queues and workflow status; system alerts of automation breaches

Enabling the digital workforce of tomorrow

The future is automated, and the increasing use of process automation is generating a significant shift towards a smarter and intelligent workforce. It has created a digital-ready workforce for the evolving workplace where digital transformation has become a necessity for survival. With enterprises looking to transform operations and make them less manual and more digital, they need to use RPA and their associated solutions.

Traditional automation always formed a part of an enterprise’s IT infrastructure. Today, RPA goes beyond just data management but combines advanced software systems and programs that integrate all your processes. It sits on top of the entire system, enabling the organization to quickly implement the technology without changing the existing infrastructure and systems.

As an agnostic platform, RPA is a natural evolution that can be scalable to suit any sized organization. It can comprehend the actions of the user at the UI level and can run as a back-end process without disrupting workflows. As a quick fix solution compared to traditional automation, RPA enables businesses to act quickly as they mimic the role of a human worker. Using a combination of attended, unattended, and cognitive automation, enterprises can achieve complete digital transformation. According to Deloitte, 1 minute of work for the robot is equal to approximately 15 minutes of work for a person.

Should investing in RPA be an impulsive decision

Though RPA does offer a solution to many business problems, it is not a silver bullet that is the answer to every issue. As a well-defined piece of technology, it should be deployed efficiently to gain the full benefits of business operations. According to research, RPA forms a big part of the digital transformation strategies for many businesses. It has become a standard and prioritized component of enterprise transformation plans. Therefore, it needs to be a well-informed decision by multiple stakeholders after an extensive analysis of the enterprise’s process needs.

RPA can often be represented as a virtual employee. It seamlessly works with existing applications and carries out back-office tasks autonomously and error-free. Once the RPA interprets the actions of specific processes, it can operate data, trigger responses, create actions, and communicate with other systems on its own. It also interacts with different systems and has the intelligence to decide if a process should occur or not based on rules or logic parameters.