Can Robotic Process Automation (RPA) really help your organization? Here is a perfect example of how

Can Robotic Process Automation (RPA) really help your organization? Yes! Here’s a current, real-world example. Just this week, I was in a conversation with an executive who had an immediate need to identify the square footage of a parcel of land to help with pricing and vendor assignment.

This individual stated they had 2 immediate solutions available to them: 

1. Option 1 - go back to their client and request the lot size. While this reduced the workload on the organization, it simply made the overall process more complex and would impact service level agreements.  Not to mention, the cost of the client communications would eat further into margins.
2. Option 2 - obtain the information themselves from a public source. While this eliminated the back and forth with the client, it increased the amount of time it took them to process an order, which also reduced their profitability.  

At a volume of 5-10 orders a day and 2 minutes per transaction, this conversation is immaterial. It would take too long to recoup the investment in an automated solution given the fraction of an FTE you would need. However, at 500+ orders a day, that same 2 minute transaction could require multiple FTEs to meet daily demand, adding significant stress to the bottom line.

A system-to-system integration with the client’s system of record or the public source would provide a seamless way of obtaining the information in a high-volume environment. The drawback here is that it requires the organization to have access to the application code, or some type of middleware technology in place, to facilitate the integration. During our conversation, the executive commented he could look at building an integration to solve the problem, but with his current IT backlog this would be a 6+ month duration, and he needed to address this issue today, without adding FTE’s.

While RPA is the latest buzzword in the industry, most organizations are using it primarily for back office processes. This scenario is a perfect example of where RPA can provide lift to an organization quickly. Within hours, an RPA Bot was created that demonstrated the ability to obtain this information without waiting months or adding additional resources.

There are times when building a complete integration into an external system is required. But with the maturation of RPA technology, businesses can now solve problems more quickly and bring value to their clients and their organization sooner, without incurring such a significant investment in time and money. This was a perfect example of where an RPA Bot could be deployed that improves customer experience, reduces the burden on operations and solves a problem in days, not months. 

Over the next 12-24 months, we will begin to see a paradigm shift - from building direct integrations between systems, to simply deploying Bots for quick, efficient and less costly solutions. We will also see these Bots move from simply automating mundane back office processes to really improving the customer’s experience by impacting up-front, value added work steams. The applications for RPA are virtually endless - and its low investment, quick deployment and minimal risk mean all organizations can realize the benefits.

For more details regarding our services please visit: https://www.visionetsystems.com/services/robotic-process-automation