Why Businesses Win With Robotic Process Automation

Robotic process automation (RPA) uses artificial intelligence to complete repetitive tasks previously required humans to perform. RPA can perform high-volume transactions and standardized processes with predictive rules. Automating these routine, tedious chores allows the employees in those positions to move to more decision-making roles. RPA can be a win-win for everyone involved!

Why You Should Use Robots for Automating Processes

Business leaders should consider using robots for automated processes because of the cost savings of eliminating human error and identifying problems and opportunities for improvement. RPA can improve productivity because robots get more done in the same amount of time. They are more accurate than human workers and will increase efficiency in the organization.

RPA gives measurable business benefits to the organizations that use it. You can take all the data the robots compile and turn it into easily digestible reports and analytics. Automated processes allow you to track the total number of completed transactions, transaction time, number of applications and the estimated time to completion.

Nonprofits could benefit from this data by using tools like Google Analytics. Doing so would enable these organizations to keep an eye on vital information like volunteer signups and donations. Using automated analytics software can make sense of this data and help create an actionable plan.

Business Benefits of Using Robotic Process Automation

Any business can consider switching to RPA for plenty of reasons. Firstly, you can optimize resources by using RPA tools to generate schedules automatically, gaining flexibility in the process. You can also introduce this adaptability into completing tasks. The machine will learn and accomplish tasks such as hiring. These robots can complete tasks you never thought possible because of labor shortages and other limitations.

RPA can also help you become more cost-effective by increasing speed and improving consistency and productivity. These machines won’t only improve efficiency in the areas they automate, either. RPA can empower the workforce by eliminating tedious, manual tasks that workers prefer to leave up to robots. People tend to end up working more fluently with robot teammates.

If you use RPA to automate messaging systems, you’ll improve communication for customers, the organization and its workers. Automated customer service enables a consistent workflow by eliminating wait time, lowering your costs and catering to a demographic that loves technology.

RPA can optimize the other technology in your organization, using automated responses and triggers to communicate with those systems, creating a fluid, cohesive workflow. Insights and analytics will help you figure out where you need to improve and what’s working well. RPA in your security infrastructure can keep your cyber-assets safe, and you won't have to worry about someone accessing unauthorized information.

How to Apply RPA Successfully

Those benefits sound enticing, but how can you achieve them? To implement RPA as successfully as possible, you’ll need to pick the processes you want to automate and select the right vendor. The first step here is to look for inefficiencies in your organization to find the ideal application for RPA.

The best places for RPA are repetitive, data-heavy tasks that you have to perform often. For example, automated hours trackers can track remote employee activity, so they don’t have to manually record their time. Other top applications for RPA include accounting, scheduling, document filing and customer service.

You may want to look at data from your organization to highlight bottlenecks or non-value-adding tasks that take time from employees. Once you find the ideal place for RPA, you can look for the right vendor. If you know what you need your RPA solution to do before talking to a vendor, they can quickly give you a suitable product.

No matter your specific needs, look for something simple and scalable. You should also see if you can find something with built-in analytics and machine learning, making RPA more cost-effective.

Many RPA programs are plug-and-play, or you could talk to a vendor about creating a custom solution. Whatever you do, start small, then observe how your RPA solution works. You can then see what works well and what doesn’t to guide future RPA endeavors.

The Future of Robotic Process Automation

There is no doubt the future of RPA will continue to be bright as businesses notice its positive impact. More prominent companies will look for additional ways to add RPA to their processes. Business strategy will go even further in automating processes and reducing dangerous task reliance on human workers.

A report created by Deloitte claims that "50% of the activities performed by a given employee are mundane, administrative, manual-labor-intensive tasks that are less than satisfying. These are an ideal fit for RPA.” RPA is here to stay and is inevitably the future of automation.