What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
Robotic process automation (RPA), also known as process automation or software robotics, is a software toolset that seeks to mimic back-office tasks of human workers, such as extracting data, filling in forms, moving files, and more. Flexware Innovation’s Enterprise Solutions group has worked with companies through the identification and automation of complex processes, decreasing human intervention in those processes. We share a few insights here for those new to RPA.
RPA combines APIs and user interface (UI) interactions to integrate and perform repetitive tasks between enterprise and productivity applications. RPAs are less Robotics and more Process Automation. By deploying RPAs, repetitive and monotonous tasks formerly completed by humans can be made autonomous. These RPAs work at all hours and simultaneously execute a variety of activities and transactions across unrelated software systems.
Where can RPA assist?
There are many different areas where RPAs can assist an organization. Here is a short list.
- Automatically create and distribute reports.
- Reading and digitizing paper documents like Bill of Ladings.
- Perform error checking and form validation to ensure compliance with procedures.
- Process good documents while catching and stopping errors from processing.
- Send alerts to users when errors are found or when there is something to review.
- Route documents for review or approvals. This can be a contract, purchase order requisition, capital approval, PTO request, travel report, business reimbursement, or any document or request that needs an approval.
- Read your emails to determine which have PDF documents. Deciphering which are Purchase Orders and Invoices, scanning those documents for key information, route those documents for approvals, capture key data, enter into your business system, attach as a reference or copy to a shared file repository for archival.
Adoption of this technology is growing rapidly. These RPAs work with existing systems, are fast to setup, and are inexpensive to the business. Once setup, they don’t complain, they get their job done, and they don’t quit or call in sick. Businesses can run multiple RPAs at the same time, significantly improving efficiencies your operations. RPAs automate your processes so your time can be spent working on more value-added activities.
How might RPAs help your business? View this video case study to earn how one company answered that question is now inspired with thoughts of future opportunities. Flexware Innovation’s Enterprise Solutions group is at the forefront of this emerging technology. Contact us (below) for a demonstration and together we can explore how RPAs might work for you.
Video Case Study
Polywood found the perfect solution for RPA and are now inspired by the many applications they see.
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I’m drawn to better and smarter ways of working and communicating. Many times that involves technology. Sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, work can and should be improved – continuously. I’m drawn to the mission of Flexware Innovation for these reasons. We’re committed to unleashing the potential of technology, freeing up leaders to focus on what’s next.
