The economic dynamism we have seen in recent years is unprecedented for many decades. The effects of Covid, the collapse of supply chains, the retreat from globalisation and offshoring, monetary and fiscal imbalances and inflationary pressures with the risk of stagflation, high interest rates, the collapse of energy markets, as well as cyberattacks are becoming part of the political and economic battle. The world is changing, yet there are trends that will persist and continue to shape the way companies operate for many years to come. These include the areas of digitalisation, software robotics and artificial intelligence.
Even before Covid, this topic resonated in most large local and multinational companies, along with the rapid emergence of cloud and SaaS, i.e. the use of software as a service. The difficult situation of recent years, but also the lack of people in the labour market, has forced companies, regardless of their size and the sector in which they operate, to think about how to make their business more efficient, i.e. to shift the speed and quality of their services towards customers, partners and the supply chain, but also to save costs and labour.
Robotic process automation (RPA) can play an important role here. The return on investment for these solutions is usually in the order of months, or at most a year. The rising cost of human labour will then be a further accelerator for the deployment of these "virtual workers" for lower value-added activities. The integration of artificial intelligence into digitisation technologies will not only bring about a further step change in the way companies operate, but will also shake up the labour market itself.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly entering RPA, enabling it to process increasingly complex tasks.
WHERE IS RPA USED?
Processes with clearly defined rules, which are unchanging or predictable, are suitable candidates for robotisation. Such processes are stable and standardised. You know how much they cost, and you can also assume that your company cannot do without them in the future. It is also about repetitive and routine tasks, which may unnecessarily burden skilled employees. Automation is also a good solution if your company is dealing with large volumes of data and operations that run out of hours or around the clock.
Robotic process automation can also provide greater control over compliance and auditability of internal processes, making information more accurate and available in less time. Worker productivity will increase as they are freed from routine operational tasks and given the space to use their knowledge and creativity to tackle more complex tasks. This is also a motivation for them as they are freed from mundane work and can develop in other areas. The automated process also allows for continuous availability and scalability (the robot works 24/7), so it is possible to enter the process at any time and modify its functionality based on current requirements.
If the same process is implemented in other entities of the company, a higher speed of deployment is then guaranteed, as the already existing basic parameters of the process can be easily copied into the production environment of the new entity and the settings can be modified only according to its specifics.
AUTOMATION IN PRACTICE
Every business environment is unique and every process is unique. Therefore, it is necessary to approach each customer individually and offer a comprehensive solution, including the design of a digitalisation strategy, preparation of IT infrastructure and employee training. Robotisation of processes is also a great opportunity to reflect on the core processes themselves and re-engineer them before the actual automation. Robotisation projects are thus mostly initiated by the business units of companies and are not primarily long and complex IT implementation and integration projects. In addition, process robotisation typically has a payback period of 4 to 10 months and therefore has a quick and direct impact on company efficiency.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DO TODAY'S ROBOTS PERFORM?
In finance, a virtual worker can, for example, issue invoices, record and sort incoming invoices, generate and process payment orders, process bank statements or prepare and submit a VAT report.
As part of the company's operational activities, it checks documents in the register of contracts, verifies and records changes in master data, manages the data box, processes incoming mail or prepares and sends reminders.
It is widely used in marketing, business and HR.
TIPS FOR YOU: WHAT LESSONS HAVE WE LEARNT FROM RPA PROJECTS?
- Automate smart: First, you need to define and set up the process correctly. Only then should it be automated to work properly.
- Automate wisely: Sometimes it is appropriate to use RPA, other times direct integration of an information system or other IT solution works better. Take advice from an expert.
- Automate efficiently: If your ROI on RPA is longer than one year, it's probably not the right solution.
- Automate quickly: It usually doesn't pay to wait for a long-term robust solution from IT. A robot can be effectively used as a temporary alternative.
- Automate the business: The implementation of RPA must be aligned with business objectives. Evaluate all important parameters such as cost, performance and error rate.
- Automate sensitively: Some people may perceive RPA as a threat. Communication and management support is essential in implementing such a solution.
- Automate with purpose: RPA is not self-sustaining; the desire to digitise must be part of the DNA of the entire organisation.