Smart glasses, 3D TVs, and ‘hoverboards.’ BlackBerry phones and Vine. Each of these words represent a piece of technology that at one point was called the next big thing. As we know now – even if they experienced temporary success — each of these pieces of technology eventually lost their popularity or fizzled out altogether. It is a common occurrence in the world of technology: a product generates tremendous amounts of hype, but ultimately fails to deliver and stick around for the long haul. When it comes to Robotic Process Automation, how do we know that it isn’t just another fad?
The Staying Power of RPA
Over the past few years, Robotic Process Automation has increased in popularity as a software capable of performing business tasks that are normally performed by humans. There is no question about the considerable amount of hype around RPA – the question is whether it will stick around. Below, you’ll find a few reasons why we at KeyMark believe RPA is the future of automated business processes:
1. It Connects Systems — New and Old
One common misconception about RPA’s longevity is that new business systems will render it obsolete. In reality, because of ever-changing environments in business like compliance, acquisitions, and new technology, there will almost always be a gap between systems that RPA can fill to help communicate between them. In other words, no matter what systems a business uses for daily operation, there are tasks that require data transfer from one system to another. Where a human worker would typically perform these tasks, RPA can step in and complete them faster and more accurately.
2. Business = Repetition
Most businesses outside of very creative, thought-driven areas have processes that are being repeated the same way day in and day out. At its core, a successful business is built on repeatedly delivering a service or product, meaning that the processes to get to that result are also repeated. As your company grows, why hire additional people to perform these tasks? Digital workers are specifically made to perform repetitive tasks faster than humanly possible. As long as there is business, there will be repetition, so RPA will always be useful.
3. It Can Reduce Risk
There is always risk involved in doing business and, more specifically, in regulatory compliance. People are prone to the occasional error, but a digital worker will follow the path it was told to follow the same way every time. Since regulatory compliance changes are never going to stop, having a digital worker perform key steps in a process to match compliance could substantially reduce the risk that would otherwise exist. It also has the advantage of being secure and auditable during that process. As long as it is given the right direction, a digital worker will never make an error that a human could.
The Future of Business Processes
Once we understand what Robotic Process Automation is, and what it can do, it’s easy to see that this technology isn’t just a flash in the pan. Automating tasks with digital workers can provide real, organization-changing value to your business. Even more, the work that RPA does will never go out of style – as long as there is business, there will be repetitive tasks than can be automated.
Where can you see RPA making an impact at your organization? To get started, just contact one of our experts!
