Written by Sven Van Hoorebeeck
What is RPA?
RPA stands for Robotic Process Automation. It is a technology that mimics the activity of a human being on a computer by automating repetitive and rule-based tasks that are perceived as boring and uninteresting by employees. In fact, RPA takes the robot out of a human.
RPA can be used for administrative operational, financial and IT tasks, as well as for back-office support work. Think about processing invoices, creating a new purchase order, streamlining the recruitment process, entering data in files, extracting data from files, performing the user access management or data reconciliation across multiple systems. The RPA robot is your new digital workforce that operates 24/7 and where zero mistakes happen. Your digital workforce automates time-consuming routine tasks, while allowing your human workforce to allocate more time to skilled, judgement and empathy-based ones.
What is the value of RPA?
By using RPA, companies achieve significant increases in operational excellence and reduce costs. Business processes are completed at unprecedented speed and services are delivered faster, thanks to the handling time of robots.
RPA also improves the accuracy, since robots never make any errors. They are compliant and consistent, because they fully operate in accordance with existing regulations and standards. RPA is also non-intrusive in nature and leverages the existing infrastructure without causing disruption to the underlying system since it runs on top of existing IT infrastructure.
There are benefits for employees too. They do not longer need to carry out repetitive, dreary tasks that make them feel like robots. Instead they can focus on tasks that require human strengths such as reasoning, judgement and emotional intelligence. This will also improve and augment the interaction with the customer and increase customer satisfaction.
How do we approach RPA?
At BrightWolves, we believe that a successful RPA implementation follows a predefined journey, which is typical a 3-step approach.
STEP 1
We start with a pragmatic proof-of-concept, which takes 5 days. On the first day, we organize a workshop with all key stakeholders to raise RPA awareness and establish a proven understanding of what robotics is and what they can do for your organisation. The following days, we identify and automate two quick win processes to demonstrate the power of RPA.
STEP 2
The second step is the pilot in which we automate 4 to 6 additional processes, production ready. We also determine, together with the client, a pragmatic RPA operating model to ensure a clear future way of working.
STEP 3
The final, and third step is the roll-out, where we deliver automation at full scale through agile sprints, while enabling the clients’ team to gradually take up the autonomous development of robotic process automation. The payback time of an RPA investment is typically within a few months.
ASSESS THE POTENTIAL OF RPA FOR YOUR COMPANY
The success of RPA is inextricably linked to selecting appropriate candidate processes for automation. Based on our proven process assessment toolkit, we carry out this analysis together with you. Get a sneak-peek on our digital transformation page where you can download our free RPA process assessment canvas. It will allow you to screen a process on RPA suitability. Start your RPA journey now by setting up a meeting with our RPA expert to assess the potential of RPA for your company. Since the payback time of an RPA investment is typically already within a few months, it’s definitely worth your time.