While many companies today are having great success with RPA, others are still unfamiliar with the concept. “What is Robotic Process Automation?” they often ask. We recently were a sponsor of the Mile High Denver ARMA International September Meeting and Business Partner Education Workshop, and sessions by two of our business partners provided answers.
But first, a general response to the “What is Robotic Process Automation?” question. Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software “robots” (essentially small computer programs) that include sets of business rules to perform data capture, manipulation, and management actions previously handled by human workers. In other words, RPA automates manual, repetitive digital tasks. The purpose of RPA is to:
- Increase the speed of data management tasks
- Eliminate errors and perform tasks with 100% accuracy
- Free human workers to address higher-level activities
The beauty of RPA over software development projects is that our Buddha Botz can be created in a matter of hours or days versus weeks or months to produce a full-blown software application. In fact, with the training and guidance we provide, our clients are able to have end users create the Buddha Botz they need, often with no help required from their internal IT department.
Real-Life RPA Examples
At the ARMA event, Brian Mueller, a digital transformation specialist, integrated records management consultant and business partner with Buddha Logic, presented a talk titled “Robotic Process Automation in the Real World.” He had previously managed content services operations and programs for a large financial organization, and talked about RPA implementations there that streamlined mortgage-related business processes from days to hours or from hours to minutes. The time and cost savings have been truly amazing.
After Brian’s session, Scott Powers, software sales manager for NewWave Technologies, a Buddha Logic partner, gave a presentation titled “Cognitive Document Automation – The Next Step After Robotic Processing.” Scott is a document management expert with more than 20 years in the business and wide-ranging document management and RPA expertise. He shared how cognitive document automation leverages robotic process automation and takes it further. His presentation emphasized that data management is continually evolving and getting “smarter” every day.
Attendees left the ARMA meeting with a much clearer picture of what RPA does and how it is used to give businesses a productivity and accuracy boost, as well as a competitive advantage.
The Most Important Question: How can my company use RPA?
Once you know the answer to “What is robotic process automation?” and “How is RPA used in general?” the next question tends to be, “How can my company use RPA?” The best way to answer that one is to have a brief call with our RPA experts. They can talk with you about your business operations and your strategic goals, and then provide insight on how RPA can be used in your unique scenario.
The first step in any successful business transformation initiative is always research. Contact us today to learn more about robotic process automation and how it can have a positive impact at your organization.
About the Author
Charles Weidman is the President and CTO of Buddha Logic. Charlie has over two decades of experience in the design, development and implementation of content services and business process management solutions. He is also an expert in robotic process automation. Charlie founded Buddha Logic with the idea that well-architected digital document capture and management processes are both beautifully simple and powerfully logical. Find and connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.