RPA, Robotic Process Automation, has arrived in business management to minimize the time we spend on repetitive tasks that not only add no value to the business and the customer, but can actually detract from it due to the human errors that can occur in the process.
Process automation is not a recently emerging trend. For thousands of years, humans have sought ways to eliminate monotonous and repetitive tasks, which consume large amounts of energy and represent an advancement in people’s lives.
Housewives know this well. Washing machines are, in fact, robots that carry out a sequence of tasks. In fact, for decades it has been possible to program them to modify their behavior depending on the type of fabric.
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Automation in business environments
However, automation is not just about robots. It is not necessary for programming to act on hardware elements in order to earn the designation of automation.
RPA has quietly entered our lives through, in many cases, our smartphones. It is our doctor who reminds us, through it, of a pending check-up or notifies us of our next appointment via an email, text message, or WhatsApp. Our app allows us to turn on the lights when we get home and schedule a recurring transfer from our bank account.
These simple tasks are an example of what an RPA (Robotic Process Automation) system could do, and they have a counterpart in the management of the provider company. Our doctor’s CRM is a programmable system that allows the selection of those clients who, based on the treatments they have received and the time elapsed.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a software tool that allows programming to emulate the actions that humans perform when interacting with digital systems, in order to generate savings, improve productivity, and enhance the customer experience.
Now is the time for automation
Why is there so much talk about automation right now? One of the main reasons is the maturity reached in the interconnection of systems. Customers and suppliers have understood the value of connecting their systems to produce synergies, such as the one between marketplaces and transport companies for shipment tracking. In this case, everyone wins, but it is the customer who perceives high value in the result.
Other technologies, such as Cloud technology, IoT, and the arrival of Big Data, have made it possible for RPA technology to be implemented on a large scale, lowering costs and making it applicable to small businesses as well.
Software such as Microsoft Power Automate in combination with Microsoft Dynamics 365 helps companies of all sizes to be more productive and improve their customer relationships by adding value to the service chain.
Areas of automation
There are several areas in which automation can be useful in a company. Some of them are:
Business processes
Being the area that works with structured information within the company, it was the perfect candidate to be the first to be automated.
Processes related to the collection, preparation, and dispatch of orders; the recording of all financial transactions for accounting purposes; and the preparation of periodic financial reports are examples where automation has been implemented with great advances.
Customer relations
Customer relations has been the area that has experienced the greatest investment in RPA in recent years, as it exponentially increases the perception of improvement in the customer experience.
The emergence of SaaS software and the Cloud have helped to extend the automated response to emails or text messages and help organizations respond quickly to their customers and improve their satisfaction.
Production
As an extension of business processes, the automation of manufacturing and logistics increases efficiency and reduces costs for organizations.
In sectors such as logistics, automation has achieved the processing, preparation, and dispatch of enormous volumes of work through the use of robots and other types of machinery.
In this area, the extension of automated messages has also been key to coordinating work teams and relieving them of burdens related to system monitoring.
Physical and IT system security
In this case, the use of automation is directed toward the detection and communication of threats, both physical and logical. Systems for detecting intruders through security cameras and facial recognition have been available for years.
In another respect, the automation of backup systems and the detection and analysis of incoming network threats help companies protect their assets.
Benefits derived from implementing automation
Increased quality. It is the reduction of human intervention in processes that ensures the minimization of errors in their execution. To achieve this, however, we must ensure that the system has been well designed and tested, including all possible transitions.
Cost reduction. RPA systems work every day of the year, without interruption, with greater speed and maximum reliability compared to the work performed. The monitoring of one person over the RPA is enough to carry out tasks that previously required entire teams.
Support for business expansion. The release of human resources related to routine work means an increase in resources in other areas dedicated to improving the customer experience, analyzing insights, or creating new products or improving existing ones.
Customer experience. RPA improves the customer experience from various points of view
- More information, more reliable and in real time.
- Greater speed in the service provided.
- Higher quality of the final product or service.
- Cost reductions that can be passed on to the final cost of the service.
- Ability to interact to verify, validate, or modify the service.
How do I apply RPA in my company?
It is possible that, as a result of everything we have been explaining, you have identified points where your company could generate new value for customers, shareholders, or employees, and you want to explore the possibility of implementing it.
The recommended approach is to initiate a process of identifying processes that are susceptible to being automated, in whole or in part, taking into account the current and future resources of your company, and to do so with someone who has prior experience in the field.
If you currently use Microsoft Dynamics 365, you will quickly find resources for automating certain tasks through the use of Power Automate, included in your Dynamics license.
However, automation is not a free solution. Its implementation involves costs, initially high, for its planning and design. It is on this design that achieving the desired objectives depends, without significant investments for remodeling it after the fact.