Identify the process to automate before
you embark on the RPA journey
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology or a tool that is applied to automate repetitive and routine tasks in an enterprise. However, RPA is not a quick and instant fix to your process optimization needs. It comes with the experience and best practices adopted by an organization over a period of time. With RPA, organizations can save time and reduce costs by automating routine and repetitive tasks.
RPA benefits include cost savings and freeing up the workforce for more valuable tasks and improving the efficiency of processes. Some business processes are more suitable for RPA than others. Many organizations are confronted with a fundamental challenge – which are the right processes to automate?
Which process is fit for RPA?
Kanerika works with global brands in their automation journey, where consultants from Kanerika collaborate with the customers in identifying the processes that can be deemed fit for RPA. In simplistic terms, the following questions with respect to the business processes have to be answered
- Is this a high-volume process involving repetitive tasks which are mostly rule-based, transactional, and handled by many employees?
- Is this a high-value process involving extensive data, such that even a smallest of an error can lead to significant losses to the business?
- Is it a high time-consuming process that involves managing complex processes with multiple systems and applications?
All kinds of organizations small, SMEs or large enterprises have tasks that would be routine, repetitive, and prone to human error. Such processes can be identified and automated. Following are some of the processes: –
Accounts payable and receivable – a high-value process
Tasks ranging from procuring goods to making payments to vendors and partners are inevitable and have to be performed irrespective of the company size or industry. With the help of RPA tools processes involved in setting up accounts for new vendors, creating purchase orders, receiving and auditing invoices and authorizing payments can be automated
RPA can have a similar effect in the accounts receivables process, where accurate bookkeeping and due diligence are of paramount importance.
Customer contact centre – a high volume process
Customer contact centres operate with multiple systems carrying extensive data with them. The level 1 customer desks primarily process a high volume of simple repetitive tasks, an ideal match for RPA. A simple process that takes place in a contact centre is when a customer calls up to make changes in customer profile information. Generally the employee is overloaded with multiple calls and has to collate data from numerous sources, and worse is asking customers for the information multiple times – all of this is undoubtedly not going to make the customer happy. Customers would hate waiting while the representative is busy gathering data, not to mention the risk of errors while extracting and analyzing data.
RPA can help in such a situation with a bot that can bring several pieces of data together in a synchronized manner across systems. With a click of a button, the bot completes all actions in a few seconds. This is a simple RPA implementation that can be done quickly and can deliver immediate results.
By incorporating RPA contact centres not only increase their savings but also takes a huge step forward in their endeavour of making their operations highly efficient. To make the most of RPA, organisations should have the right vision, right process, right team, and right technology partner.
Be it onboarding vendors, customers or employees, every onboarding process requires extensive documentation and coordination. RPA can be used in this process where automated responses can be created at every step in the process. User preferences can be set as well using RPA tools.
Data extraction and reporting:
Every business runs on multiple systems and applications, and at the end of the month or quarter, they would have to generate various reports across multiple departments. RPA can automate this task of data extraction and can retrieve and share reports with different users.
Payroll automation:
Payroll processing is by far the most labour-intensive process that is governed by various factors, including changing regulations. RPA can be a saviour here to automate such extensive data entry processes including employee management, accounts payable & receivables, time tracking, salary payments, etc. RPA can automate the complete payroll process.
Orders and invoice processing:
Keeping track of orders, inventory and shipping of goods and services is a critical process especially for product and manufacturing companies dealing with multiple partners and selling goods. RPA can be used in various aspects of the process, especially in invoice processing that requires data consolidation from multiple systems, minimizing the human intervention and ensuring error-free data until the payment is released.
Conclusion:
The thought of automating various processes is always on the cards. Still, for an organization it is vital to understand that getting RPA to work for you is about long-term commitment and process improvements. Hence organisations should start their RPA journey by identifying easy processes.
Considering today’s situation where every business is turning to digital and E-commerce in the way they work, they sell, they operate – it is going to become more and more difficult for the human workforce to meet the growing demands from all sides. RPA is the best bet to get that required support in automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks. From resolving a simple customer issue to complex payroll processing, RPA is a blessing for organizations wanting to tread the path of digital. Kanerika is here to help such organizations in every step of the way.
