What is RPA? What are its uses?

Robotic Process Automation (Acronym: RPA) is a software technology that deals with the creation, deployment, and management of software robots (bots) that imitate human actions while interacting with digital systems and software. Just like humans, software robots can also perform tasks like understanding what is on a screen, completing the right keystrokes, navigating systems, identifying and fetching data, and also performing a variety of defined actions. However, software robots can do it faster and with much better accuracy and consistency as compared to the humans. RPA is a software technology that is based on software robots or artificial intelligence. It’s also referred to as software robotics.

Using RPA, engineers can create bots that can mimic and imitate the actions of human in a better way. Be it performing calculations, processing data, or identifying any series of patterns, to mention a few. Robotic Process Automation bots can interact with any application or system the same way humans do however, RPA bots can operate around the clock, consistently, at a much faster rate and with 100% reliability and precision.

Uses

1.      RPA can be useful in the customer service sector. Using RPA, the customer queries can be analyzed and the repetitive ones can be segregated. Then customer service representative’s response can be emulated by the bot to handle the similar queries in a much faster and efficient way. Also, while dealing with similar sets of queries, a customer service representative can launch a bot to do the task.

2.      RPA can find its uses in the financial sectors as well. It can generate invoices at a much faster rate, thus enabling payments to process smoothly and quickly. In addition to that, it can also do data processing and record keeping and updating in a much more efficient way with much higher consistency. Automated data entry makes the process faster and frees the human employees of enormous tasks. This enables precise and structured invoice processing.

3.       It can also be used for validating records. It can validate records by reviewing the data such as absentism reports against time logged in the organization’s network.

4.      RPA also finds its usage in the telecommunication industry. RPA technology can capture the business tasks performed by a telecom company's employees. A well-structured workflow is generated based on the employees’ actions that serve as the foundation for automated processes.

Advantages of RPA

1.      Bots can keep proper records of the tasks they are assigned without skipping any single detail. They can also perform audits at a much faster rate with high accuracy.

2.      It is a much cheaper and cost-effective alternative to its full-time equivalent. It would also ensure much higher productivity and efficiency as compared to its FTE.

3.      Automation of recurrent and time-consuming processes would free up the human personnel for higher and more involving jobs that require complicated decision-making.

4.      It also reduces the probability of encountering any errors as bots only required to be programmed to do a specific task and it would do it any number of times without making any mistake.

5.      Deploying bots to perform a task would also reduce variability in the output. They can perform the same task multiple times with little to no distinguishable variability. It would also ensure that similar tasks are handled in the same way.

6.      It also increases productivity and output. Automation allows the work to be done 24/7/365 without any breaks or gaps. Thus, contributing to the net productivity at a much higher rate.

Disadvantages of RPA

1.      As organizations add on more bots to perform more tasks, it leads to creation of a cumbersome collection that is difficult to manage and maintain. Managing such a thing would also add more cost to the organization’s expenditure.

2.      It enhances the complexity of the functioning. Adding more and more bots would create layers, and if it does get managed properly, then it would lead to a very complex architecture. Such a thing would also lead to difficulties in maintenance.

3.      If the process errors and risks are not reviewed thoroughly and properly before automating then those inefficiencies and errors would get amplified as the process progresses. This could impact the results in the longer run. Thus, proper review, reengineering and optimization of the process is required to be done before automating it.

4.      Attrition is one of the major drawbacks on RPA. As the organization’s would deploy more and more bots to carry out more and more tasks, it would lead to less human involvement in the process.

Future of RPA

The future of RPA is very integrated and sound. The approach to implement RPA might sound a bit challenging initially in its implementation and maintenance however the benefits it delivers are also equally good and improves the productivity of the business. A decade ago, the concept of cloud computing might have seen a bit unwelcoming in regards to some organizations however, in the present day, it has become an integral part of many MNC’s. Similarly, RPA will soon become synonymous with process management. Every business process will be scrutinized through the lens of automation.

Career in RPA

Almost every sector of the present day employment comprises a certain part of work that is repetitive, rule-based, and can be automated. Here the employment opportunities come in regards to RPA. Every standard, routine and repeatable task in IT can be either partly or fully automated. Most of the automation needs to be carried out in the front-end. It involves the heterogeneous nature of application over various business units. Hence, RPA is a great fit in such situations. There is no doubt in denying the fact that a major share of employment opportunities in the world will be created in the field of RPA. Automation is already having an impact on organizations in deploying systems at present. RPA potential is now grabbing the concentration of IT consulting, advisory firms. Opportunities and career growths in RPA are tremendous. The positions in the employment sector of RPA can be the ones mentioned below. Developer, Project Manager, Solution Architect, Business Analyst, Associate Process Consultant