Organizations are constantly seeking new and innovative solutions to optimize and enhance their operations. RPA is one tool that offers much more than ordinary automation. What are the primary benefits of RPA?
1. Efficiency
The essence of RPA is based on efficiency, as I mentioned in previous posts. Robots do not tire, take breaks, and are indifferent to the time of day when performing tasks. Robots are ideal candidates for automating repetitive processes that are tedious and time-consuming. Human factors freed from such tasks will be more efficient in handling tasks that robots cannot do because robots cannot think but can perfectly execute commands. Introducing RPA into the organization results in relieved human resources and efficient robots performing mundane tasks, a winning combination.
Example in practice: Introducing RPA into the financial sector of a company I worked for dramatically accelerated the invoice entry process into the ERP system. In addition to speed, accuracy increased because robots will never make mistakes when entering data. What is on the input document is what the robot will enter into the system. The human factor, after being freed from this demanding but tedious task, could redirect their time to tasks that robots couldn’t do, such as risk assessments. Both processes were accelerated.
2. Cost Savings
When we talk about savings, for many, the first association is what is cheaper. In addition to monetary savings, RPA brings several other forms of savings that are noticeable in the broader picture. RPA brings time savings because processes are completed faster, and more can be processed in one working day. Also, an essential factor often overlooked is the fatigue of human resources. RPA helps maintain a high level of motivation among employees. Tedious and repetitive tasks can negatively impact productivity and contribute to the long-term loss of talented personnel.
Example in practice: Due to dynamic market demands, the volume of work significantly changed, leading to frequent overtime hours. Instead of hiring seasonal workers who would need training, adding another task to the current employees, the company opted for RPA. In a few weeks, the first robot started working, taking on the most critical tasks. This approach not only significantly relieved employees of tedious and repetitive tasks but also resulted in a more motivated team. Employees began actively proposing new processes that could be automated, seeing benefits not only in reducing fatigue but also in increased efficiency. The company, besides saving time and money, preserved the quality of the team and productivity.
3. Reduced Errors and Increased Accuracy
Human errors are an inevitable aspect of manual processes. RPA follows predefined rules with absolute accuracy. The robot operates on the principle of input data = output data. What the robot reads or receives as input data will be forwarded without errors.
Example in practice: In the e-commerce industry, processing a large number of orders can be challenging and prone to errors during manual data entry. By implementing RPA, we enabled robots to automatically process and enter order data. The result was a reduction in errors to almost zero, increasing the efficiency of the entire process and creating a more reliable platform for customer satisfaction.
Conclusion: It’s not all about money, but everything affects money. RPA standardizes processes it executes and contributes to the bigger picture of savings. Everything impacts the end product, and RPA manages it all flawlessly.
