Stratyges LLC Big Data Introductory Session

Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation is the technology that allows anyone today to configure computer software, or a “robot” to emulate and integrate the actions of a human interacting within digital systems to execute a business process. This is primarily to reduce or eliminate errors altogether. RPA robots utilize the user interface to capture data and manipulate applications just like humans do. They interpret, trigger responses and communicate with other systems in order to perform on a vast variety of repetitive tasks. Only substantially better: an RPA software robot never sleeps and makes zero mistakes.

·         Robotic process automation (RPA) is the use of software bots to automate highly repetitive, routine tasks normally performed by trained resources or workers.

·         Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is an emerging technology of process automation based on Software

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·         Robots or Artificial Intelligence workers. RPA is the significant technological innovation of screen scraping.

·         RPA provides new platforms which are sufficiently mature, scalable and reliable for use in large enterprises.

Understanding the difference:  In contrast to other, traditional IT solutions, RPA allows organizations to automate at a fraction of the cost and time previously encountered. RPA is also non-intrusive in nature and leverages the existing infrastructure without causing disruption to underlying systems, which would be difficult and costly to replace. With RPA, cost efficiency and compliance are no longer an operating cost but a byproduct of the automation.

Robotic process automation tools are not replacements for the underlying business applications; rather, they simply automate the already manual tasks of human workers.  They essentially look at the screens that workers today look at and fill in and update the same boxes and fields within the user interface by pulling the relevant data from the relevant location. 

This serves a couple of purposes: It frees humans from monotonous, low-value-added tasks like data entry and makes them available for higher-value tasks that require human creativity, ingenuity, and decision making.

·         It helps to ensure that outputs are complete, correct, and consistent between tasks and between human workers

·         It helps to ensure that tasks can be completed more quickly because the robotic process automation tool can find and retrieve any necessary data in the background

Automating repetitive tasks saves time and money. Robotic process automation bots expand the value of an automation platform by completing tasks faster, allowing employees to perform higher-value work.

Reduction of invaluable time Create, test and deploy new automation schemes in hours, instead of days or months.

 Remove or Reduce human error, virtually eliminate copy-and-paste mistakes from entering the same data into multiple systems.

Better Efficiencies Increase throughput, Complete automated tasks in seconds or minutes to deliver higher value for your customers.

RPA tools or robots are capable of mimicking many–if not all–human user actions. They log into applications, move files and folders, copy and paste data, fill in forms, extract structured and semi-structured data from documents, scrape browsers, and more.  Basic Requisite is any high-volume, business-rules-driven, repeatable process qualifies for automation.

For example A global retailer was using its store closing reports to validate closing information for each of its registers across hundreds of stores. The store’s employees used a manual and sluggish process to pull up these reports. By automating the process the store freed up its employees to now focus on more customer-centric activities. The RPA robots now move the closing reports to one server, then read and consolidate the needed information for the store’s closing reports.

All of this said, in practice there are severe limitations on what a robotic process automation tool can do – It has to be scripted/programmed to perform a repetitive task. To do that a subject matter expert

(SME) who really understands how the work is done manually must be employed to map out those steps.

In addition, the data sources and destinations need to be highly structured and unchanging – robotic process automation tools don’t deal with quirks, errors, exceptions or the normal mess of human interactions well at all. But even with these considerations, organizations are seeing tangible, concrete benefits from robotic process automation.

As these tools get more sophisticated they have begun taking on characteristics of business process management tools as well as artificial intelligence tools. This allows them to become even more efficient and could, for example, lead to a point where the tool could analyze the sentiment within a particular customer query or correspondence and make a recommendation about a discount.

Robots are here to stay. The faster you harvest their potential, the faster you create a competitive edge for your business. Robotic Process Automation delivers direct profitability while improving accuracy across organizations and industries. Enabling RPA to handle any processes will not only transform and streamline your organization’s workflow. It will allow for superior scalability and flexibility within the enterprise, doubled by fast, tailored response to specific needs. Software robots are easy to train and they integrate seamlessly into any system. Multiply them, and instantly deploy more as you go. They constantly report on their progress so you can go even bigger and better by using operational and business predictability, while improving strategically.

Impact on various Domains

1.       Banking and Finance Process Automation

2.       Mortgage and Lending Process

3.       Customer Care Automation

4.       eCommerce Merchandising Operation

5.       OCR Application

6.       Data Extraction Process

7.       Claims Processing in Insurance

8.       Employee On-boarding Process

9.       Vendor Payments Process

10.       Invoice Reconciliation Process

Academic studies project that RPA, among other technological trends, is expected to drive a new wave of productivity and efficiency gains in the global labor market. Although not directly attributable to RPA alone, Oxford University conjectures that up to 35% of all jobs may have been automated by 2035.

There are geographic implications to the trend in robotic automation. In the example above where and offshored process is "repatriated" under the control of the client organization (or even displaced by a

Business Process Outsourcer from an offshore location to a data centre, the impact will be a deficit in economic activity to the offshore location and an economic benefit to the originating economy. On this basis, developed economies – with skills and technological infrastructure to develop and support a robotic automation capability – can be expected to achieve a net benefit from the trend.

At India Training Services (http://www.indiatrainingservices.in/ ) we provide consultancy services for RPA needs and proof of concepts in various domains specialized in education, banking, insurance...Feel free to contact me at ravindrapande@gmaill.com for any needs or clarifications, Suggestions are always welcome.