Just 3% of enterprises have managed to scale robotic process automation to a level of 50 or more robots. This is according to Deloitte UK, whose study suggests that many companies are struggling to successfully implement robotic process automation.
Why should you implement robotic process automation?
As an e-book from Minit observes, RPA has the potential to drastically transform the enterprise over the next five to ten years. Indeed, the technology promises to eliminate tedious tasks and subsequently allow corporate workers to focus on higher value work.
RPA also promises to reduce costs, while improving quality and increasing speed the same way that manufacturing has automated assembly lines. In effect, RPA employs robots to automate repetitive, manual tasks once completed by a human.
Rather than existing as mechanical assembling machines, however, these robots are software workflow tools. Equipped with business rules, these robots automate tasks and route the output to the next step in the process.
As a result, companies can conduct processing without human intervention. By taking over mundane tasks, RPA allows employees to focus on activities that require emotional intelligence, reasoning, and judgment.
In fact, Minit notes that RPA frees up to 40% of employees time to work on other tasks. It is therefore no surprise that RPA could grow by 60% by 2020, with 55% of executives planning to use it in the future.
Challenges implementing RPA
Above all, successful initiatives require the combination of business value, velocity, and reusability. However, Minit's e-book suggests that executives are missing approximately half of RPA opportunities today.
It is evident that many organisations are struggling to achieve the necessary holistic approach that encompasses technology, process, and people. Specifically, many companies find transforming processes and leveraging innovative technology challenging.
In the RPA & AI Benchmarking report from PEX Network 2017, respondents cited standardisation of process before RPA implementation as the main obstacle in implementing an RPA solution. However, lack of available budget was the second largest obstacle with 13% of respondents stating so.
Monitoring is key
In order to successfully implement robotic process automation, it is vital to monitor the performance of robots and make continuous amendments. Without continuous monitoring of the results that automaton brings, it is impossible to improve the efficiency of the process.
Indeed, RPA tools provide clean and accurate data which companies can use to drive higher rates of automation. It is thus worth considering process intelligence tools such as Minit in order to compare performance before and after automation.
Minit also allows users to monitor process KPIs and subsequently make constant improvements. Despite rigorous testing prior to deployment, it is only by seeing the robot live in processing that you uncover the unknowns in a production environment.
Is an AI an extension of ourselves? Check out our latest episode of Tech Chat with Nuno António, Director of Analytics and AI at Wipro Limited, to find out
