The Evolution

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been playing a crucial role in the evolution of the modern workforce. RPA helps streamline tedious processes, thus enabling teams to maximize their potential and focus on higher-value work. The demand for RPA is heightened in its ability to grasp countless skills – without human intervention, while consistently carrying out mundane tasks. In today’s increasingly competitive marketplaces, RPA also brings about unparalleled cost-efficiency.

However, these advantages barely constitute the tip of the automation iceberg. Since disrupting the way enterprises do business, RPA’s role has grown a multi-faceted one.

A sound enterprise-wide RPA strategy can bring about:

  • Continuous processes improvement
  • Operational efficiency
  • Improved customer experience
  • Adherence to compliance

Just last year, Gartner had ranked RPA software as the fastest-growing enterprise software category. According to a recent study by Forrester, the RPA services market is all set to hit the $12 billion mark by 2023.

The hype is loud. It is becoming clearer that RPA is not just an enabler of business transformation, but a future proofer too.

The Challenge

Some of the questions that give RPA adopters sleepless nights include:

  • How soon can I justify the budgetary spend?
  • Does the process to be automated actually need it?
  • Will I get the approval for design, integration and deployment on time?
  • Am I clear about the roles and responsibilities of ownership?
  • How long will employees take to get used to it?
  • Will the end users become hesitant in fear of losing data or prolonging service?

According to KPMG, numerous businesses are unsure as to where and how to begin to transition to automation systems. According to them, the confusing may impact up “to 78% of companies, with 40% not using RPA at all and another 24% only considering it”. After all, anything new about its share of questions, anxieties, and doubts. The same goes for implementing new software, as well.

But the fact remains that change is the only constant thing in the digital world.

Now, let’s look at five important steps for ensuring that your RPA strategy counts where it matters the most.

The 5-Step Approach

  1. Pick the right process

This is a simple yet loaded question. It requires a thorough assessment of operations within and across various departments. Figuring out which process to automate must be regulated with a framework that aligns strategic business objectives to the organization’s resiliency for technology adoption.

Key considerations

  • Volume of transactions
  • Amount of labor and resources
  • Constraint and capacity of a process to be automated
  • Ability of the process to provide error-free outcomes
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Technical complexity
  • Data compliance
  1. Think people-first

Workforce awareness is imperative, for none of this can be carried out without gaining the confidence of the employees. The primary fear of RPA sets is that of losing jobs. It can only be tackled by upfront and clear-cut discussions to adequately address the need for RPA – what it brings to the table, and how it makes their professional lives better.

Building a cross-functional team to oversee operations and deal with challenges is another way to help employees embrace the change.

  1. Select the right vendor

In order to select the right vendor, you must stay abreast of the RPA vendor landscape. Some may be adding new capabilities to their offerings beyond the RPA aspect. Can you engage them to increase the coverage of deployment? Do they have any recently successful case studies? Will your data remain safe with them?

Find a verified RPA vendor who understands the requirement and can customize solutions as per your organization’s unique needs. Besides evaluating their credentials and asking for the cost and time of deployment, here are a few other criteria.

  • Error management
  • Domain expertise
  • Adaptability to changing technologies
  • Audit features
  1. Devise a structured plan

It always pays to have a plan. Your RPA roadmap should go beyond implementation and take into consideration other factors like financial stability, process scalability, and future-readiness.

In the case of unattended RPA, you may require a larger and more strategic investment, whereas attended RPA uses a leaner and more tactical system. Irrespective of the type of automation, it is imperative to make a clear roadmap of the overall strategy.

Simultaneously, you should also carve out an extensive process map to mark the specific parts to automate. After that, document, clarify, and program the exact role of each automated process solutions.

  1. Measure Performance

Calculating the performance metrics of RPA implementation can be tricky. Every organization may have its own measurement on what makes for successful adoption. The financial ROI, irrefutably, leads the race. But there is a lot more to how RPA can be measured, simply because it is not just a cost-savings measure.

RPA’s Key Performance Indicators:

  • Accuracy of output / error reduction
  • Workforce productivity
  • Consistency of performance
  • Compliance to rules and regulations
  • Employee satisfaction

“Automation is good, so long as you know exactly where to put the machine.”- Eliyahu Goldratt

Implementing RPA can be a gamechanger for businesses. It is a scalable, flexible, and solution-driven enabler of digital transformation. But, regardless of the output and scalability offered by RPA, many enterprises grapple with successful implementation. It is no surprise, considering the intricacies involved.

We hope that you managed to find some clarity for your decision-making process through this blog post. If you need to speak an RPA expert to start your organization’s automation journey, you can write to us at [email protected].

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