Do You Know What RPA (Robotic Process Automation) Is?

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is a tool focused on cognitive process automation where human labor is replaced by an artificial intelligence module capable of executing operational tasks.

This innovation promises to completely transform information system organizations across various sectors, whether in industry, commerce, or services. The applications of this technology are numerous and have the potential to optimize nearly all types of work processes.

In this post, we will deeply analyze what RPA is, its main purposes, and how to implement it. Be sure to check it out!

Understanding RPA and the Concept of Cognitive Automation

As we have discussed, RPA is an extremely functional artificial intelligence module. To better understand its operation, we need to mobilize the concept of cognitive automation, which refers to the ability to master tacit knowledge.

And what is tacit knowledge? We must clarify that, over history, computers have become capable of absorbing explicit knowledge, which is that which can be expressed in written or oral form and is thus programmable.

More recently, digital systems have begun operating under the perspective of tacit knowledge, which cannot be transmitted through data and algorithms, i.e., it is not programmable.

The evolution of this type of language has enabled the development of what has been termed Robotic Process Automation, or RPA. In practice, this means that android modules have been able to reproduce almost human-like behavior in the execution of operational tasks.

Consider that this tool can be programmed to search for patterns in data packets and thus perform certain types of tasks. Take, for example, the famous financial market robots that identify trends over a certain period in the buying and selling of assets.

This considerably eliminates the time spent on graphical analyses, an activity that serves the purpose of understanding the real profitability of some actions. According to financials and traders who use this technology, the accuracy rate of the robots is formidable.

Explore Some Applications of This Technology

We just discussed how the financial market has appropriated RPA for buying and selling operations on stock exchanges. This is just one of many possible applications of RPA.

Small and medium-sized businesses in all segments also have an extensive “hall” of possibilities that can be explored. Backoffice activities, in particular, are a feast for those looking to optimize processes and reallocate part of their staff to more strategic activities.

Check out some of the main possibilities of applying RPA below.

Chatbot

You’ve certainly encountered chatbots on various institutional websites or social media pages of companies. If you’re not familiar, we’re talking about those dialogue windows that open whenever you’re browsing a page, where you can see the icon of a virtual attendant offering you some help.

This “can I help you?” virtual service is nothing more than an android module developed from RPA. But how does this system work?

As many might imagine, certain standard questions related to the product or service offered by the company are linked to a group of answers. What the bot will do is interconnect the questions and answers by reading and interpreting a packet of data.

Client Profile Updates

Have you ever imagined keeping your client profile registration always updated without allocating any employee for this activity? This is yet another functionality of RPA.

By receiving client information through online forms on your site, the RPA tool will automatically enter the data into a database of registration information.

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Compliance Report Generation

Many companies have a demand for the compliance of information. Imagine, for example, the process of settling an electronic invoice. With the invoice in hand, the financial department employees check all the information (product/service specifications, supplier data, etc.).

In the midst of this process, many information systems are structured with data validation modules. Suppose that in a first stage, the invoice must be entered into the system, which includes attributing it with the supplier’s registration data.

In another stage, there is the verification of financial availability for the execution of the invoice and the process of transmitting payment to the bank. All this, as already exposed, structured in a protocol formed by several stages.

By applying an RPA tool to this process, all the compliance stages mentioned will dispense with a human interface. Keep in mind that when analyzing the protocol, the RPA software can report any inconsistency or validate the process if the information is correct.

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Learn How to Implement the System

Now that you know what RPA is and what its practical applications are, we can address what is necessary to implement this type of system. We can summarize the entire process in four stages:

Demand Assessment of the Company The first stage is quite intuitive and consists of a survey of your company’s demands. During this, while meeting with your team, start by demonstrating what RPA is and how this technology can address operational activities.After some discussions, make a diagnostic by department and try to evaluate the possibilities of incorporating the tool. At this moment, it is interesting to establish quantitative parameters on the impacts on the work processes from the application of the RPA tool, something like a before and after.
Choice of a Supplier The choice of an RPA supplier should be guided by the demands identified in the first stage. With this, you can rank companies according to the solutions you will need to implement in your business.Other aspects such as the company’s market credibility and experience from other clients should also be observed. After all, there is a difference between promising a package of services and effectively implementing a program of actions satisfactorily.
Implementation of the Pilot Every RPA project should be preceded by a pilot, in order to identify and subsequently repair any inconsistencies in the developed tool. At this time, the supplier should provide ample opportunity to understand what your team’s perception of the system was, with the aim of delivering the best possible result upon project completion.
System Management The time has come to put your RPA tool to work. Your challenges at this stage include:
- Establishing a governance model;
- Creating an operational model considering your company’s organizational structure;
- Managing the changes of your RPA solution.
In your relationship with the system developer, it is always important to emphasize the need for proactive maintenance of the tool. Remember that the first few months will be of adaptation and, naturally, questions and problems will arise along the way.