A Definition of RPA

Symphony defines RPA as any capability (software and services) that allows you to  transact in any IT application  or website, typically  in the same way a human would , to automate  complex, rule-based work . In other words, RPA software allows developers to When an RPA robot is at work, it performs just like a human would: logging in, operating applications, entering data, performing complex calculations and logging out.

What Can RPA Do?

Because includ e maintenance of records, queries, calculations, and transactions. Yet, any application commonly used by your company can be operated by RPA. For example, Citrix, .NET, HTML, and Java are all technologies commonly supported by RPA. Compatible systems includ e Mainframe Terminals, SAP, Oracle, Blackline, and many more. Programmable automation means that RPA can be configured to perform almost any rule-based task.

Benefits of RPA

RPA can help digitally transform your business and unlock value by providing:

• Higher Quality Services: Better accuracy and better customer service.
• Greater Compliance: Business processes can be set to operate in accordance with the necessary regulations and standards.
• Increased Speed: Processes can be completed at fore speeds.
• Increased Agility: Reduced overhead and more flexible business resources.
• Comprehensive Insights: Improved efficiency by digitizing and auditing process data.
• Reduced Costs: Manual or repetitive tasks are carried out by RPA software at a fraction of the cost
• Employee Experience: Increased staff productivity and reduced attrition.

All these factors can set your company apart from competitors and are highly valuable in terms of shaping your business’s digital operations strategy.

RPA For Your Company

RPA can be applied to all sorts of rules-based processes in a wide range of sectors, including process automation of office tasks, IT support, and assisted automation in customer service. With such a variety of areas that RPA is known to be successful in it’s no wonder that so many companies are taking advantage of the technology.

If you’re worried about RPA being able to suit your company’s needs, do not be. Symphony has worked with clients across a wide range of industries including banking, healthcare, logistics, consumer products, food & beverage, entertainment and more; and on as wide a scope of processes as HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement and beyond. So we can assure you that RPA easily translates to many different industries and functions.

Where Should You Start?

First, get educated. This often begins with online research (like you’ve done to find this blog). Then, speak to experts who There are a lot of RPA tools out there (seemingly more every day). Get objective and experienced advice. Finally, have a change management plan. importance, and we can not stress this enough, plan to engage IT sooner than later – they are your ally and partner on this journey. Plan to identify areas of highest impact and benefit. And plan to have budgets and resources necessary to make substantive progress in 2017.

How Robotic Process Automation Works

Robotic process automation products broadly includ e three fundamental elements: a set of developer tools, a robot controller, and the software robots.

The developer tools are used to define jobs-the sequences of step-by-step instructions a robot follows to perform a particular business process. The instructions, which need to be very detailed, may includ e business rules or conditional logic, such as if / then decisions. Developer tools often feature drag-and-drop functionality and simple configuration wizards so that business users without coding experience can employ them. However, these tools are not as simple as writing “macros” and do require require users to focus on spotting exceptions, which may impede the automated process if not addressed up front. Some tools includ ea “process recorder” that speeds up the definition of a process by capturing a sequence of user actions.Developer tools are used only in modeling the processes and making changes to them; they are not required to actually run the processes.

The server controller plays three essential roles. By serve as a master repository for devised jobs, the robot controller facilitates version control. It safely stores credentials for business applications and provides them to robots only when required, ideally in encrypted form. The robot controller also assigns appropriate roles and permissions to users, and provides controls and workflows to govern the processes of creating, updating, testing, reviewing, approving, and deploying jobs to the robot workforce. Finally, it assigns jobs to single or grouped robots, and monitors and reports on their activities.

The list of actions a can is beaten to over 600 in some products³, and additional actions can often be custom-coded. Some robots keep detailed logs of their actions and decisions for compliance and audit purposes, as well as to help companies identify additional process improvement opportunities.