What is RPA and why does a business need it?

In the context of constant change and increasing competition in business, RPA stands out as an effective tool to increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer experience.
According to statistics from Beeline Business, the global RPA market size in 2022 was valued at $10.1 billion.

Today, however, we're going to break down what it is and what it's for for businesses.

What is RPA?

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology based on the use of software "robots" that can automate repetitive tasks previously performed by humans. These robots can analyze data, interact with various systems, and perform operations by mimicking human actions.

However, unlike humans, robots don't tire, don't make mistakes, and are able to work around the clock.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

1. Efficiency and agility:
RPA allows you to automate tasks at high speed, which significantly increases productivity and reduces time costs.

2.Accuracy and reliability:
The robots provide high accuracy in performing tasks, their performance is independent of human error, which helps to reduce the possibility of errors.

3. Save time and resources:
Automating repetitive tasks frees up human resources for more important tasks, improving the efficiency of business processes.

4. Integration and Compatibility:
Easily integrates with existing systems and applications, ensuring compatibility with various technologies and infrastructure.

5. Fast implementation and scalability:
Can be implemented relatively quickly, and can be easily scaled to meet the changing needs of the organization.

Disadvantages

1. Limitations in adaptation:
Robots are unable to adapt to non-standard situations without human intervention, which can lead to problems with changes in tasks.

2. Lack of creativity:
They also lack creativity and cannot make decisions on their own in non-standard situations, requiring human intervention.

3. Difficulty in automating certain tasks:
RPA may encounter difficulties in processing unstructured data, making it less effective in certain scenarios.

4. Dependence on the quality of input data:
Changes in product user interfaces may require modifications to the robot program, which may affect its efficiency.

5. Implementation and maintenance costs:
The initial investment in implementing RPA can be significant, and maintenance also requires significantly more resources and financial outlay than simple web development.

In what industries is RPA used?

Let's highlight the main areas where RPA is used the most:

• Financial Activities:

Automated reconciliation of information and invoice processing, to improve accuracy and responsiveness of financial processes.

• Employee Relations:

Maintain reports, schedules, employee databases, manage benefits and record HR changes using robots to optimize resources

• E-commerce:

Automate merchandise transactions, process orders, analyze supply and demand, and maintain document management to effectively manage purchasing and sales processes.

• IT field:

Robots are used to differentiate access, manage accounts, and monitor the health of information systems.

• Accounting:

Automate the recognition of documentation and financial transactions to help improve the efficiency of accounting processes.

Most often, RPA is useful in cases where extensive data processing and repetitive routine operations are needed.

However, there are scenarios where implementing RPA may be less effective or even undesirable:

• Problems with the data format:

Possible difficulties of RPA when processing information in non-standard form, e.g. in the case of applications.

• Lack of systematicity:

When a clear plan of action cannot be developed, RPA may be ineffective or useless.

• Not digitized information:

RPA efficiency issues when dealing with paper documents, voice messages, etc.

In this case, we can offer you the development of a system with which many tasks will be solved, for this you can familiarize yourself with our service web development.

How do you implement RPA in your business?

To integrate RPA into your business processes, you need to follow a few steps:

1. Goal Setting:
Define automation goals by selecting the processes that will be assigned to robots. Consider the degree of automation, economic impact, probability of failures and their criticality.

2. Staff training:
Find qualified people to program the solution and provide support.

3. Develop an algorithm for each process:
Design a sequence of operations, determine methods for identifying and eliminating failures, and develop an algorithm for each process to be automated.

4. Software installation, startup, and debugging:
Install the software, start the system, and debug. During this phase, vulnerabilities are identified and addressed, solution reliability is improved, and elements are finalized.

5. Maintenance and modernization:
After successful implementation of business process automation, programmers carry out maintenance and modernization of the system.

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The following criteria are considered when selecting processes for automation:

1. Transaction frequency:
Processes with high transaction frequency are favored because it becomes more profitable to automate them.

2. Compliance with standards:
Priority is given to processes with a clear and understandable sequence of actions that comply with standards.

3. Return on investment in RPA:
The payback of solutions is evaluated. If it is low, the possibility of abandoning automation at the current stage of business development is considered.

4. Readability of information:
The ability of software tools to correctly and accurately recognize data is taken into account. OCR add-on can be used to process scanned images.

Conclusion

It is important to note that RPA is not just an automation tool, but a solution that can improve business efficiency and competitiveness.

Also, if you realize that RPA is not right for you, you can leave a development request on the form below. Consultation is free of charge!