RPA bots can work with any data type that it has been engineered to. Here are the most common data types:

Once an organization has the answers to the above questions, it is time to jump to the next crucial bit – data handling. The types of data corresponding to each process that is chosen to be automated, must be listed.

• This is to ensure that when RPA bots are in their customizing phases, they can be tested with the aid of this list.
• The list of data types will also help in validating the authenticity of the data processed by the bots.

Businesses to be Automated

• Invoice Processing – Receive, send, and process invoices by automating the data, reconciling errors, and working out rule-based decisions.
• Procure-to-pay Process - Automate vendor master management, sourcing and contracting, purchase order process, receiving goods, to payments.
• Human Resources – Faster and improved hiring process, employee onboarding, manage attendance, leave authorization, and timesheets with an RPA.
• Payroll Management - Bots can verify employee data across systems, validate time records, load earnings, deductions, administer benefits, and reimbursements.
• Enterprise Security – Automate regular security checks, round-the-clock network monitoring, security patches and updates, access management, etc.
• Customer Interaction – Interact with customers with their queries and navigate them to a solution based on the inputs engineered.

These are the common processes organizations across industries can automate without a second thought. However, it is often inadvisable to implement RPA bots into every business operation that runs the organization. In 2021, the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that 30% of all office processes can be automated.

This goes on to show that although RPA implementation is definitely helpful in reducing the burden of carrying out repetitive rule-based tasks – it is not the answer to all process challenges plaguing an organization.

When RPA bots are fashioned, the business rules of the corresponding processes must be taken into consideration. There must be no room for ambiguity when it comes to business rules, and they must be standardized.

Find out how much implementing an RPA would cost you.

Implementing the RPA is one part of the story. The next is evolving it according to trends, and customer requirements, fine-tuning the process to make it more efficient – all this needs a team. And the team needs a framework.

There needs to be a process controller framework in place to manage the RPA implementation activities. The framework would be better off if it included possible hiccups the implementation journey may face.

• Who will be involved in the implementation project?
• Who is supervising the project?
• What are the KPIs gauge the efficiency of the project?
• How often is the report of the KPIs generated?
• What is the test strategy and coverage?
• What are the targeted timeline goals to assess the progress of the project?
• What are the contingency plans when the team fails to achieve the RPA implementation target?

Implementing RPA without an expected ROI is like putting together a puzzle without a reference picture. The whole point of implementing an RPA bot is to improve efficiency by reducing the resources spent on the process, thereby reducing costs.

Businesses must come up with an expected ROI projection to help them allocate their resources accordingly while implementing and managing the RPA bots.

Monthly Task Cost without automation will evolve every month as it will include the task growth percentage. Every month’s task cost will be the cumulative cost of the previous month’s task cost multiplied by the growth rate percentage.

In that case, the formula for Monthly Task Cost without Automation = Sum of all previous monthly task costs without automation*(1+Growth Rate Percentage)

Last but not least, the plan to implement RPA must be communicated to all teams within the organization, well in advance. Especially the ones who will be utilizing RPA bots and working alongside them. Lack of communication may deter employees and cause them to resist the change.

Employees may also be worried about being replaced by RPA bots. It is imperative to let them know how RPA bots would still need assistance, maintenance, and advancement for which human skills are necessary. It must be communicated that implementing RPA opens up opportunities for improvement and growth in the employee’s portfolio.