Challenges and Benefits of Robotic Process Automation

According to a recent report, the worldwide robotic process automation (RPA) industry is anticipated to reach USD 3.11 billion by 2025. When considering RPA systems, keep in mind that there are several adoption obstacles and opportunities to consider. When deploying new technology, businesses must weigh the advantages and disadvantages. RPA technology has a number of benefits. Some, though, remain cautious and express concerns. It’s cooperation that makes the dream work when it comes to using an RPA solution to its full potential. It is critical to ask the appropriate questions.

For example, “ What value-added services are there to ensure RPA success? What are the challenges with implementation? What are the tough lessons learned during implementation that have lead to success?”

Robotic Process Automation has many benefits and potential challenges in the form of product selection, process evaluation, bot architecture, user training, and scaling up. Here are both sides of the discussion to give you a better understanding of RPA’s pros and cons.

Benefits

Some of the primary benefits of RPA software include:

Not Disruptive

One of the most significant roadblocks to IT adoption is the difficult or complicated transformation process, which prevents large organisations from rebuilding, replacing, or updating their present system. RPA, on the other hand, makes the transformation process very simple and straightforward. According to current security, quality, and data integrity standards, RPA software robots access the end-user system in the same way that people do. These software robots also avoid any sort of disruption, ensuring that operations and security are maintained.

No Coding

No programming skills are required for Code-Free RPA. RPA solutions are used to automate applications in any department where clerical work is done across organisations. Employees just need to be trained on how RPA works and how to create bots fast using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and other simple tools. It has an advantage over traditional automation techniques in that it enables business applications to be delivered faster. In addition, the setup, training, and deployment costs are reduced using this platform.

Exception Handling Based on Rules

Users can deploy bots utilising the RPA system’s rules-based exception handling. This function handles the exception in a proactive manner. When the RPA robot, for example, reports an exception, the following actions are triggered:

• The server reassigns the identical process to a different bot.
• The current bot repeats the procedure, and the prior bot is removed from production.
• If the retry is successful, the server keeps the reassignment and raises an exception and resolution alert.
• If the retry fails, the current bot is terminated and an alert is raised to notify the exception as well as the failed resolution.

Intelligence that can be used

This RPA characteristic denotes the capacity to acquire and use knowledge in the form of skills. Robots collect data, turn it into information, and then translate that information into actionable insight for users. RPA systems often include artificial intelligence and cognitive intelligence, which enable bots to make better decisions over time.

It’s easy to use

RPA software is easy to learn, understand, and apply. RPA requires no specialised skills, such as coding, programming, or a thorough grasp of IT. RPA solutions have a built-in screen recorder that records mouse clicks and keystrokes, allowing users to quickly and simply build bots. You can manually develop and edit bots using the Task Editor function in some RPA applications.

Security

When a company runs on automation, more employees will want to utilise RPA software. As a result, having effective user access management capabilities is critical. Role-based security capabilities can be assigned to RPA tools to ensure action-specific permissions. Additionally, all automated data, audits, and instructions that bots can access are encrypted to prevent unauthorised manipulation. The business RPA systems also provide extensive data on user logging, activities, and each completed job. As a result, it ensures internal security and complies with industry requirements.

The Rich-Analytical Suite

The RPA software includes an analytical suite that assesses the robot processes’ performance. This suite also aids in the monitoring and management of automated processes via a centralised site that can be accessed from any location. The following are some basic statistics about robots, processes, and other issues. The analytical suite’s analysis can be used to track operations and discover problems. There is no requirement for integration because everything is built-in and ready to use right away.

Options for Hosting and Deployment

The RPA system supports virtual machines, terminal services, and cloud deployments. Because of its scalability and flexibility, cloud deployment is one of the most popular among all the other deployment methods. As a result, organisations can host RPA tools on servers and install them on PCs to access data and do repetitive activities. Robotic process automation (RPA) systems can deploy hundreds of robots at once. Similarly, while processing a large amount of data, many bots might be utilised to execute distinct tasks within a single process.

Debugging

Debugging is one of the most significant advantages of RPA from the standpoint of development. While making modifications and duplicating the process, certain RPA programs must be paused. While debugging, the remainder of the RPA tools enable for dynamic involvement. It allows developers to test various scenarios by altering the variable’s values without having to start or stop the ongoing process. This dynamic method enables rapid development and resolution in a production setting without the need for process modifications.

Challenges

It’s not all beneficial. Here are some cons to consider when it comes to  Robotic Process Automation :

The Initial Cost of Investment

RPA is still in its early phases of development. As with any early tech, this, unfortunately, means challenges that have unexpected effects. A thorough business case must be created when considering the implementation of this technology; otherwise, it will be useless if the returns are quite modest, which can not be worth the risk. At the moment, however, businesses are having a tough time deciding whether to invest in robotic automation or hold off.

Possible Cutbacks

Human involvement is seen to be unnecessary when a robot can function quicker and more reliably.  This assumption, however, is incorrect. Take Amazon, for example. The number of robots has increased considerably while the employment rate has grown significantly, too.  Regardless, as with most employees, this remains a major concern, and it poses a significant danger to the labour market. 

Opposition

People are accustomed to their routines, and any change in the workplace can generate anxiety among employees. People that work with new technology will be given new tasks and will be required to acquire new notions about that technology. Existing workers can resign as a result of the fact that not everyone has the same degree of expertise.

Recruiting Qualified Personnel

Many businesses think that in order to work with RPA, employees must have an extensive technical understanding of automation, as robots can necessitate programming and expertise on how to run them. It also drives businesses to either acquire competent people or educate existing employees to improve their abilities.

During the initial installation and set-up, an automation firm might be useful. However, experienced personnel can only embrace and manage robots in the long run.

In conclusion

Tasks that are repetitive, rule-based, and do not need human judgment seem to be the best. Non-standard procedures are difficult to automate, and they need human contact to perform. Consequentially, RPA can only automate a limited number of activities.

Looking to switch carers? Or maybe you’re looking to learn more about Robotic Process Automation. Head on over to our courses at QCmore to get the best education on the topic. You won’t be disappointed!

SANTOSH KOSHY