Understanding RPA and its benefits for business

If you’re like most business leaders, you’ve probably heard of RPA, or Robotic Process Automation. It can be difficult to know which hot topics in the tech world are worth following, but RPA can benefit almost any business and is definitely worth exploring. Read on as we discuss what RPA is, how it can streamline your business, and the first steps of RPA implementation.

What is Robotic Process Automation, and how does it work?

Robotic Process Automation is a software technology that mimics the actions performed by a human user to complete repetitive tasks. You could think of RPA as a digital workforce of pre-programmed robots, able to do the work of human employees with the help of user-defined rules based on artificial intelligence technology. These bots can copy humans by emulating their actions, while interacting with various systems and inputting large amounts of data quickly and accurately. The process works in the following way:

Identify tasks that are repetitive, rule-based, and require minimal decision-making.

Process optimisation must be done to ensure that the tasks are streamlined so that you do not waste money on automating broken processes.

Develop the bot by designing the workflow, developing the script, and configuring the bot to interact with the target systems and applications.

Train the bot by recording the steps that a human would take to complete the task.

Deploy the bot to the target systems and applications, and it will start automating the identified tasks.

Monitor and maintain performance, and ensure any issues or errors are resolved as soon as possible.

The key benefits of RPA for your business

Improved Efficiency

RPA increases efficiency across your organisation by automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This provides opportunities to utilise employees for more meaningful and higher-value tasks that require human skills, such as problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity. The Process Optimisation stage will also make sure that your processes are running at their best, even before RPA starts. This is a great opportunity to reassess some parts of your processes and improve their efficiency.

Cost Reduction

Automating these tasks can help your business save money by significantly reducing the number of people and hours it takes to perform them manually. A bot can be put to work 24/7, and does not require breaks or the additional costs associated with overtime. This means that organizations can increase their processing capacity and reduce processing times, resulting in faster turnaround and improved customer experiences. 

Accuracy

Bots can perform tasks with a high degree of accuracy, reducing the risk of errors that can occur with manual data entry or other repetitive tasks. This means that organizations can improve the quality of their data and processes, resulting in better decision-making and improved customer experiences. RPA bots can also help ensure compliance with regulations by reducing the risk of errors and ensuring that tasks are completed consistently and accurately.

Scalability

RPA bots can be easily scaled up or down based on business needs, allowing organizations to respond quickly to changes in demand. This means that as business processes evolve, RPA can help ensure that processes are optimized and that resources are allocated efficiently. RPA also allows organizations to automate processes without making significant investments in new systems or infrastructure, making it a cost-effective way to scale.

RPA examples

Any process that involves repetitive, rules-based tasks can be automated with RPA. Here are some examples, across a number of domains:

Getting started with RPA implementation

The first step is recognising which processes you should automate, and prioritising them based on the benefits to your business. The Realm consulting department has a dedicated team of operations optimisation specialists who will work with you to get the most out of your RPA implementation.

The next stage involves process optimisation, which is where our consultants explore opportunities to streamline/standardise existing processes to ensure they are suitable for RPA, to avoid automating any “broken” processes. Sometimes, a process can be improved to such a degree that automation is not even necessary due to the adjusted Full Time Equivalent (FTE) the optimisation exercise has saved.

Our RPA experts will then help you make sense of the different RPA vendors, compare their features and benefits, and make sure you are choosing the right vendor for your specific needs. The next step will be to build, test and deploy the RPA solution so that you can start reaping the benefits.

The Realm team will not only make sure your RPA solution is up and running, but we will determine an ongoing support model based on continuous improvement, so you never have to worry that your systems are outdated.