Technology has permeated every industry today. Many companies have developed robust IT systems to help manage their day-to-day affairs. But when the time comes for a company to automate, an RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is necessary. What is the difference between an IT system and an RPA?
An IT system is a web of interconnected hardware, software, and network components that process, store, and transmit information in an organization. RPA, on the other hand, is the automation of repetitive tasks using robots or bots. Some everyday use cases of RPAs include web scraping, automation of call center operations, customer order processing, credit card applications, etc.
RPA systems gather information through an interface connecting to your IT system’s back end or by simulating how a human would access it from the front end. In this article, we will show you how to integrate RPA with your IT system to ensure seamless operations in your business.
Here are five ways how.
1. Find Out Which Processes Should Be Automated
The first step in integrating RPA with your IT system is analyzing your system to see which processes can and should be automated. An RPA effectively takes over the repetitive, expensive, time-consuming tasks to free up time and human resources to focus on other, more critical tasks.
The role of RPA in the company should be clearly defined and KPI-oriented; thus, while looking at processes to automate, focus on the high-volume tasks geared towards solving a particular issue whose prompt resolution would greatly benefit the company. The essence of the RPA integration exercise at this stage is not to automate but to find out which roles would benefit from automation.
A company’s most frequently automated roles include data entry, report generation, customer order processing, and team member or customer onboarding. Determining which process to automate is critical, as RPA consultancy 1Rivet can attest. The functions you choose to automate can lead to the best results or adversely affect your company’s bottom line and customer relationship.
2. Evaluate and Identify Areas Where RPA Can Be Integrated
Now that you have identified the tasks to automate, focus on integrating RPA with your IT infrastructure. To do this, you must review the business processes in the company. During this evaluation and identification phase, you must incorporate the wisdom of various departments within the workplace, including business analysts, developers, project managers, customer relations managers, and other relevant team members.
Some of the questions to ask while evaluating areas to integrate RPA include:
- How will automation affect day-to-day business operations?
- How disruptive and far-reaching will this change affect the company’s long-term and short-term goals and objectives?
- How much will integrating this RPA into the company’s IT system cost?
- Will automating this particular task guarantee the company a return on investment?
- Are there relevant tools in the market that would help automate the identified processes?
- What are the potential bottlenecks that could arise during the process of integrating this RPA with the IT system?
These questions will help you choose where RPA will benefit most when integrated into your IT system and where to keep the status quo. A company like Attentus Technologies can advise you on integrating an RPA based on your IT system specifications.
3. Select The Right RPA Tool To Integrate With Your System
There is an RPA tool for every activity and industry. Some are for automating customer service and human resource management, and others for basic tasks like data entry and quality assurance. The right RPA tool to integrate with your IT system must be not only specific in its execution but also able to be supported by your IT system. Some companies still use legacy IT systems (outdated computing software that might not seamlessly interact with newer systems). Before considering integrating RPA with your IT system, look into how the particular RPA gels with your operating system and other software applications.
You should consider factors like how the RPA system of choice will affect your IT system’s security, proprietary file formats of the RPA, scalability in relation to your IT system, etc. It is worth noting that RPA tools work by gathering relevant information from existing IT systems and databases. They then use the information to execute the task they are programmed to handle. A robust IT system is, therefore, a bare minimum.
4. Deploy and Monitor
With the RPA tool already integrated into your IT system, deploy it across the business to monitor its performance. Things to look for in this stage are the overall performance and errors in execution, ease of use, integration with your enterprise applications, exception handling, and scalability potential. The information you gather from this exercise should then be used to improve the RPA and its subsequent functionalities.
5. Prepare the Team
The team at your company must know how to handle basic tasks like giving instructions to the RPA and troubleshooting it. Focus on training employees to work along the robots to improve productivity.
Frame the incorporation of RPA into your IT system as an opportunity to make their work easier, not as a threat to their employment situation. Many employees may feel like the RPA system is out to take their jobs, which while accurate in some instances, is not always the case. RPA systems are trained on monotonous activities, freeing up time for employees to focus on the creative aspects of their jobs.
Also, maintain clear and consistent communication on the exact role that the RPA will play in the job ecosystem. The team at the workplace must be involved in the implementation strategy. Their involvement will reduce the resistance towards integrating RPA with your IT system and increase their participation in the seamless incorporation of the technology in their daily routine.
Parting Shot
Integrating an RPA tool into your system will help you increase your company’s productivity, accuracy, and flexibility due to the automation of most redundant, time-consuming tasks. Even then, it is time-consuming and expensive to set up and maintain these bots. When integrating RPA with your IT system, make sure the commitment is well-informed to ensure that the company goals are met without undue strain on the IT system.
