Enabling a Digital Workforce with Robotic Process Automation

We all have come across the term RPA and always think about what RPA is? If you are searching for Robotic Process Automation and how to enable a digital workforce with RPA, you have landed on the right page.

Robotic Process Automation, or more popularly known by its abbreviation RPA, is a recent innovation in software technology that automates various digital tasks. With this, one can write special codes that will act as automated software “bots,” capable of mimicking human actions or even learning from the actions using artificial intelligence and finally executing software processes based on some fixed rules.

Users can teach these bots the actions to execute quickly, and then they will start following the processes. Such software bots created using RPA, or Robotic Process Automation, technology can be implemented to interact with various systems and other software like a human can do; however, these RPA bots can run faster and nonstop 24×7 with much more precision and reliability.

RPA bots are no different than humans in terms of ordinary and everyday computing skills, like doing copy-paste, or scraping data from the internet, opening files and moving them across the system, doing some calculations, processing emails, logging into some programs, connecting to specific APIs, and more. Also, there is no need for using any particular software platform to implement RPA bots since they can be easily set up and used within any workflow or interface and can even be shared between systems and employees effortlessly.

How easy is it to implement Robotic Process Automation ? Well, it’s as easy as hitting the record button of your phone camera to record a video, playing and stopping it when needed, and using the drag-n-drop feature to move some files from one folder or system to another. One can customize as well as clone these bots and schedule them to run according to requirements.

Meaning of the digital workforce

When an organization creates a team of RPA robots with its human workers to automate some of the manual tasks so that the workers can emphasize providing more value-adding jobs instead of spending time and effort in those repetitive processes, that makes a digital workforce, it can either be small or large, but needs to be scalable. A digital workforce should enable the company to increase or reduce its size without any hassle based on their needs.

An ideal digital workforce should be configured with a digital workforce RPA and with all the technological features and advantages the employees in a company use to do their workplace jobs. These technologies can include but are not limited to various communication channels like email, private messaging, virtual meeting tools, and other business software.

How RPA will affect the current workforce

Today technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analysis are widely used in day-to-day processes, especially within the IT industry. While other industries are going through significant changes, the IT industry worldwide already made a successful transition into the digital age.

When it comes to digitization, the majority of the industry doesn’t deny that automation is what the future was making a rapid and definitive move towards. A recent report says that around 85 percent of big names in the IT industry will implement digital workforce RPA with other modern-day technologies within the first half of the next decade.

Now, while RPA is all about bringing more efficiency and reducing human errors in most cases, it also makes us think about the future of the human workforce. Will there be a reduction in people’s jobs due to the increased Robotic Process Automation implementation across the industries? However, it seems that prominent industry leaders mostly don’t think that RPA can replace human talent and expertise anytime soon.

They agree that automation indeed has its place and usage in the next-generation business models, and its impact will far extend beyond the IT industries. However, at the same time, the nature of jobs in this digital era is also being changed swiftly. Professionals are now increasingly required in critical roles in machine learning, automation, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, robotics, and IoT.

Talking about hiring new employees, RPA will never replace humans in these specialist roles entirely but will save significant time and investment by carrying out mundane jobs more efficiently.

Tasks like screening a bunch of resumes, scheduling interviews with the finalized candidates, and sending out emails to let them know the date and time of the same can be a perfect chain of repetitive manual jobs that RPA can do with more precision and ensure 100% reliability by lowering error level to virtually zero. With the rapid advancement in artificial intelligence and machine learning, RPA bots may be able to conduct entry-level interviews in the form of voice or chatbots shortly.

The future of RPA in business process

RPA In today’s digital age has innovation made it possible for a sharp rise in various business bots’ usage to automate manual tasks. Advancement in technologies like artificial intelligence and Robotic Process Automation can fundamentally change how businesses operate in just the next few years. Various departments like human resources, customer care, information technology, and finance will have relevant roles for sophisticated RPA bots to transform the traditional workforce into a more efficient hybrid model consisting of humans and bots together.

Since these robots will automate the repetitive processes that previously required human interaction, organizations will now hire employees with a specialized skillset. Humans will now be required to change their focus in acquiring more sophisticated expertise to remain employable and add new value to the enterprise. Simultaneously, further advancement and innovations in artificial intelligence will be required for these RPA robots to be more effective in this digital workforce model.

By 2020, around 35 percent of the skill sets currently in demand will no longer be as relevant, a report says. As companies will start adopting automation and AI, businesses worldwide will need to be proficient with the hybrid workforce models quickly. Therefore, transforming employees by equipping them with new skills should be the prerogative of corporations and businesses across the industries to make them ready and relevant for the drastic changes the future will bring.

Industry experts also predict a significant job displacement, not due to the advanced technologies and innovation in automation, but our inability to realize the importance of upskilling and upgrading the current human workforce. If we don’t educate and train our human employees to embrace these inevitable changes, a significant portion of them will soon be unemployed.

How to implement RPA in your organization 

It is not a cakewalk to implement a successful RPA. There are tons of factors that an organization needs to consider before implementing RPA. So, here are the ways to implement RPA in your organization.

Make the management understand the Value of RPA.

Companies need to ensure that the top management department understands the value and credentials ROI. If you are part of the high-level management support, set up the structure to apply and handle the procedure.

Ensure that the employees understand the value of RPA and that the tool will not replace their jobs.

Once Kofax’s Huff said that if you want to be embraced and scaled, you need to win employees’ hearts and beliefs. He also added that companies should help them realize that the tool is not made to replace them; it is there to empower them.

Handle Expectations

It is very complex to get RPA to work correctly on a large scale. There will be challenging situations. That is why it is vital to make sure that your brand’s leader understands the timeline for application and the reality that RPA’s effect will be progressive.

Start Quick and Successful Impact

Once you start the process, it becomes crucial to understand how RPA could have an immediate and fruitful effect. Such will be procedures that are high in volume, not overly complex, and can enhance the revenue if done more faster.

Ensure that software is not outdated 

When you are about to implement the RPA, we recommend you check and test the RPA tool. The organizations must make sure that the tool is not outdated and way too complex to operate. Also, ensure that it can work on the operations for which you will be using the tool. We advise you to perform more repeated test runs on data and monitor the outcomes for more certainty.

While implementing the RPA, it becomes vital for companies to map out every step in the procedure. It does not just add how the process should operate when everything goes accurately. Companies require to invest more time thinking about the unique exceptions that could otherwise slow down the process.

Include the IT department

Your non-tech departments and workers can buy and apply many tools because RPA works apart from your IT systems. However, you don’t want that it happens. For that, your IT department should be your critical partner in the implementation process. They can help your enormously. And you will require their help later.

Pay close attention to the RPA structure.

The most important thing for any organization purchasing and implementing the RPA system is to pay close attention to RPA design. The company or brand should keep their eye on how RPA bots are created to operate and how two or more bots will operate together on data. Organization leads also need to understand how RPA-based procedures will impact other unrelated business processes.

Organizations need to ensure that their daily users are engaged in the process from the initial stage. Because every company operates differently, and it is generally for a specific reason.

Do not make a mistake to stretch bots.

RPA can gather the data in such methods that companies may not have had access to before. Organizations need to beware of the temptation to jump in-depth into that data with other processes or machine learning. Those exercises and processes may put you in massive problems if you pursue those side hustle with inappropriate planning and strategy.

Control and command

Companies and organizations can install a tool to analyze how the RPA is doing and offer quick alerts when there are issues and complications.

Employ bot stores

You can leverage some RPA applications when you purchase several tools from RPA bot vendors. For highly standardized processes, you can install “Plug and Play.”

Be aware of how RPA will affect other departments.

The RPA may contain some modifications in business procedures that can impact other exercises and several other departments. It is imperative to ensure that you interact with those departments regarding your RPA strategies to get their input.

Include RPA in your development cycle

The companies do not consider RPA only as something they include to the system or process after they have created it. Brand leaders must think about RPA possibilities as they create and develop all their business procedures and IT systems.

Understand how RPA can transform processes for consumers

There are a plethora of advantages to implementing RPA in your business process. It just not only saves your time and effectively helps you to strategize. But, it also can change how a consumer communicates with your company, for better or worse. For example, chatbots can provide immediate services such as quick answers without customers having to wait on hold for a call representative from your brand.

Be proactive in making others understand that RPA software will bring change. 

Robotic Process Automation will impact employees’ jobs. Ensure how workers will be affected and communicate this to them early and others during the entire RPA process. It is necessary to maintain job adjustments that affect employees. So that you use the spare time you got by RPA for higher-value processes that you previously couldn’t do because of capacity limitations.

Conclusion

Non-tech and IT managers should understand how it is crucial to implement digital workforce RPA. RPA helps organizations perform a broad range of business procedures efficiently. But they should also know that there is a requirement for a perfect tool to perform the processes. So, if you plan to implement RPA in your organizations, make sure that the tool you choose fundamentally changes the way leaders, teams, and businesses get work done and enhance their productivity. Get in touch with us at sales@ndz.co for any further enquiries !