If you haven’t heard about Robotic Process Automation (RPA) then you are missing an easy-to-use technology which can increase productivity, improve customer service and free staff to do higher-value work.
With RPA forecast to have an annual growth rate of around 40% until 2030 then it is probably something to consider.
What is RPA?
RPA can lighten the administrative load by handling those mundane and repetitive tasks which are nonetheless vital for any business which handles data.
Using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, RPA provides a user-friendly application in the form of ‘robots’ or ‘bots’ to perform repetitive and time-consuming tasks such as logging customer information, storing data, filling in forms, or sharing data between different software applications.
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By using RPA you can free employees to focus on more valuable tasks like customer service and other roles to benefit your business as well as helping to make their jobs more rewarding and fulfilling.
What does it mean for my business?
The important thing to remember is that RPA complements to your existing systems and applications by simply taking over those repetitive tasks. You are always in control.
Our experience of businesses taking the plunge with RPA is that they quickly see positive results.
One financial services company was able to move over 60% of staff who were involved in just handling and inputting data to more beneficial customer service roles. Another involved in time critical functions was able to on-board customers quicker by cutting processing time from several hours to under an hour. It was also able to reflect this in its Service Level Agreements.
What happens as you grow?
Not a problem as RPA applications grow with you. As you get to know more about RPA if you find other tasks which might benefit, and with bots having over 500 built-in skills they are likely to be able to meet the needs of any role or sector, it is easy to add new bots which are compatible with your existing applications and further improve efficiency.
What’s the next step with RPA?
RPA is all about improving efficiency and when you combine that with conversational chatbots it can provide new levels of customer service. Improved AI technology means the chatbots use natural language understanding to create human-like conversations which would have previously needed human support.
When you combine that with RPA it gives a powerful tool. For example, the chatbot finds the customer needs some information held on your system. It makes a request to the RPA bot for that information which is then returned and shared with the customer and quicker than if handled by a human. This combination works well in areas such as registering service requests, booking appointments or resetting passwords.
The chatbot can also be proactive and integrate with the RPA bot to send appointment reminders or share timely information to selected customers. They can also be multi-lingual and provide translations which can also open new markets.
To achieve all of this you don’t need a complex website as a chatbot can easily be installed on various platforms including Facebook and even WhatsApp – so they can be used where your customers are.
Take the automation challenge
Taking the step towards automation can be daunting but the fact is AI has opened the potential to make your business more efficient while allowing your teams to focus on the people that matter – your customers.
The technology is there and accessible so embrace it and gain the benefits to get ahead of your competition because if you don’t, they will.
By Russell Lawrie
Russell Lawrie is Commercial Director at software solutions business Endpoint Automation Services (EAS) which specialises in producing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solutions through the development and deployment of software robots to replace manual, repetitive processes and freeing up valuable employee time to focus on more complex tasks.
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