What is robotic process automation? RPA definition and benefits
According to McKinsey, RPA( Robotic Process Automation) and the integration of robots are set to grow strongly between now and 2025. With digital transformation, companies now have the opportunity to automate some of their business processes using technology. Saving time and reducing errors are just two of the obvious benefits.
What are the objectives of RPA, how does it work, its advantages and disadvantages? That's what we're going to explore in this article. 👇
What is RPA?
RPA: meaning
RPA stands for Robotic Process Automation. So what exactly is it?
Definition of RPA, Robotic Process Automation
RPA is the automation of a company's business processes. It involves nothing less than using a machine's calculation capabilities to :
- observe
- analyse
- dissect
- classify,
- categorise,
- and reproduce human actions.
Of course, this work and these analyses could be done by another human mind: that of a programmer, for example. This was the norm for many years.
RPA explained in video :
For CIOs, the use of RPA is not simply a question of productivity or performance, but also of IT governance in the broadest sense.
Types of RPA
Traditional RPA can be divided into two types: attended automation and unattended automation.
Attended automation
Attended automation is the first level of automation. Software robots function as virtual assistants, partially automating repetitive tasks with low added value. Activated by a human, they perform tasks in real time on a computer. This type of RPA is mainly used for front-office processes.
Unattended RPA (unattended automation)
Unattended automation enables a task to be completely automated without human intervention. This frees up staff for higher value-added activities. Robots execute instructions according to predefined rules without supervision. If a robot encounters an unknown instruction, it suspends its activity until an employee intervenes. This type of RPA is mainly used for back office tasks.
Low Code RPA
Low-code RPA solutions use very little computer coding. Low Code platforms offer a graphical user interface, facilitating the creation of reliable databases and reducing the risk of error associated with manual coding.
Low Code allows users to develop their own applications without the help of experienced developers, democratising process automation. It is particularly well suited to the processing of unstructured data, and integrates easily with existing systems, avoiding the need for complex updates or the creation of new structures.
RPA combined with Low Code offers a more complete automation solution with more autonomous software robots. However, it requires appropriate governance for effective implementation within the organisation.
Cognitive RPA
Cognitive RPA combines traditional RPA with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies. It can process structured data, recognise images (OCR), understand speech recognition and process natural language (NLP).
Thanks to artificial intelligence, cognitive RPA enables intelligent process automation, known by the acronym IPA (Intelligent Process Automation). This technology represents the most advanced level of process automation.
RPA applications
6 business sectors that can benefit from RPA
- Human resources: for updating employee databases or automated recruitment communications, for example,
- healthcare: for managing patient files or invoicing, for example,
- Retail and logistics: for supply chain and order processing, for example,
- Accounting: for automated financial reporting, for example,
- customer service: for automatic responses to customers or document verification, for example.
- Finance and accounting are also typical areas where RPA can bring great efficiency, due to the normalised, repetitive and standardised nature of certain tasks.
Customer service will also benefit, as will marketing to a certain extent, to automate responses or email campaigns (marketing automation).
A concrete example
Even before programmed automation such as RPA, which requires coding and programming work in the strict sense of the term, there were other more basic but effective methods.
Few will remember, but some powerful and complex software, such as image processing tools like Photoshop, made it possible almost from the start to automate certain combinations of tasks, even complex ones. All that was needed was to activate a "record" mode to perform the combination once, and then it was possible to reproduce the script as many times as desired.
RPA is the culmination of this approach. Instead of calling on a human mind to perform this sorting and recording, we now use Artificial Intelligence. With considerable benefits.
The 6 main benefits of RPA for companies
Robotic Process Automation remains fundamentally linked to the idea of producing more and better with fewer resources. There's no room for complacency here.
In this sense, it is highly effective, and the first benefit that a company or organisation can derive from it is in terms of ROI and productivity.
However, there are also related benefits to using this technology:
- RPA can improve employees' working conditions or workload by transferring certain tedious or repetitive tasks to the technology;
- direct consequence: it contributes to the well-being of employees and the company;
- It can also reduce the error rate, thereby improving reliability and boosting customer satisfaction;
- customer satisfaction will also be improved by obtaining more relevant responses more quickly;
- RPA makes it possible to guarantee better compliance with standards and regulations, if we consider that artificial intelligence is more reliable than human intelligence;
- RPA is also conceivable without the use of AI, making it a technology that many companies can use in practice.
How does RPA work?
Where prior human programming or a script-type recording made it possible to reproduce an immutable, well-defined task identically, RPA adds an extra dimension.
Firstly, Artificial Intelligence can take on the task of analysing human actions, by directly observing the people performing these tasks. Employees will simply go about their usual business, using traditional tools and interfaces. But the data relating to these actions will be stored and analysed, so that they can be reproduced if necessary.
Then it's possible to go a step further in terms of optimisation. If we bring Artificial Intelligence into play at this stage, and if we rely on this technology throughout the use of RPA, it will be possible to optimise the resulting actions according to the context.
We are no longer proposing a precise response natively linked to a specific request or action. Instead, we offer an adaptive response that is consistent with the request or action.
Software for your IT automation
Today's IT automation tools and systems make it possible to lighten the workload of teams and save them time thanks to RPA.
The current leaders in RPA solutions are few and far between, and include UiPath, BluePrism and AutomationAnywhere.
As far as process automation is concerned, BPM software is also proving to be a valuable support for SMEs and large companies.
The reality of RPA
The limits of RPA are essentially those of Artificial Intelligence. It remains illusory, and perhaps even risky, to attempt to automate certain processes 100%, without human intervention.
For example, in the case of a customer service department, backed up by a chatbot, it is possible to handle up to 80% of requests using RPA technology. But it will be necessary to maintain a 100% human interaction channel to handle the remaining 20%, the most complex or least frequent cases.
If we stick to an RPA process in the strict sense of the term, i.e. without any recourse to Artificial Intelligence, this technology must be considered as an assistance, an increase in the capabilities of an operator. However, it is important to ensure that the human hand is returned to finalise and/or validate the tasks.
The automated systems developed by RPA publishers can now analyse the user's actual activity. This is known as " process mining", which consists of optimising an employee's work by measuring the time spent on certain applications, the number of clicks, and providing the appropriate response.
Now it's up to you... and your robots! 😉
Article translated from French