Robotic process automation (RPA) is a software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that compete with human’s actions interacting with digital systems and software. As the manpower, software robots can do things like understand what’s on a screen, complete the right keystrokes, navigate systems, identify and extract data, and perform a wide range of defined actions. But software robots can do it faster and more consistently than people, without the need to have any break in between tasks. It is desirable to the following environment in every organization:
- Paperless back office
- Front-office support
- Self-service with virtual agents
- IT management
- Automated Document processing
What are the organizational benefits from RPA?
Robotic Process Automation streamlines workflows, which makes organizations more profitable, flexible, and responsive. It also increases employee satisfaction, engagement and productivity by removing the repeated tasks.
RPA is noninvasive and can be rapidly implemented to accelerate digital transformation. And it’s ideal for automating workflows that involve legacy systems that lack APIs, virtual desktop infrastructures (VDIs), or database access.
According to Huff from Kofax, “The ability to automate [with RPA] allows workers to switch their focus to more thoughtful and meaningful work while also eliminating data-entry errors that can damage processing times, compliance, and the overall customer experience,”
What's the difference between RPA and AI?
RPA doesn't learn as it goes, like, say, a deep neural network. "If something changes in the automated task – a field in a web form moves, for example – the RPA bot typically won’t be able to figure that out on its own,"
From the words of Kofax’s Huff, “AI technologies that augment and mimic human judgment and behavior complement RPA technologies that replicate rules-based human actions. “The two technologies work hand in glove, just like traditional ‘white-collar’ knowledge-based workers and ‘blue-collar’ service-based workers collaborate as the engine to drive productivity for an organization.”, we can understand the importance of collaboration of these trending technologies RSA and AI.