There are a range of problems that Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can solve for Small to Medium sized Businesses, which are widely known. There is a blizzard of information available as to how RPA has the following benefits.

1. Productivity Improvements. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is known for delivering an increase in efficiency, which is a big one, because organisations are always striving to do more with less, become leaner, more resilient and increase profitability.
2. Reduce Mistakes and Improve Compliance. As a result of RPA bots completing the process right first time, they improve compliance, and reduce the cost of reworking mistakes.
3. Improve Customer Experience. When work is performed faster with RPA bots it reduces a customer’s effort, gets the work right first time, and turns the work around faster, improving customer experience (for both external and internal customers).
4. Improve Employee Experience. When employees are freed from onerous repetitive based work, they get the opportunity to work on more engaging, meaningful, value adding activities and are happier.

Whilst the above is well documented we have discovered after completing several Robotic Process Automation implementations, RPA does more than you think.

1. RPA is a Business Enabler. Robotic Process Automation enables new business processes which were previously thought to be too expensive to perform with traditional ways of getting things done. Many of the most successful processes we have automated have created new revenue streams or provided reporting and insight that was a key enabler for improved profitability.
2. Everyone wants their own bot first. Once the team understand that bots are not going to take their jobs, but are going make their working day better, the team gets excited about the prospect of using bots. This fosters healthy competition across a business for who gets their bots first, creating a culture of innovation and business improvement.
3. Even SaaS companies and business application implementation businesses want to use Robotic Process Automation to solve problems. We have worked with technologists from SaaS organisations to help their business partners integrate with their platform, because the cost of building an API was too high and slow to deploy. So, if you care to think about, folks that make software for living, are even using RPA to solve problems. Another example was a business application implementation company using Robotic Process Automation to enable their new business applications to integrate with existing systems because it did not make commercial sense to use an API.

Robotic Process Automation does this and more. If you look through another lens, in summary, RPA can perform these three different functions.

1. You cannot keep throwing headcount at the problem.

If you need to hire someone, onboard them, work them into the business and then manage the said resource(s) to perform repetitive work it is a very time-consuming process, and an expensive way to go. You can reduce the cost of doing business by sending the work offshore, but you need to be prepared to take on additional risks and complexities, dealing with cultural and communication issues.

Whereas Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a much simpler, faster, and more cost-effective way to automate repetitive business processes, when compared to sending the work offshore.

2. When using an API is too slow and expensive.

When two disparate business systems do not talk to each other, and you need to transpose information from one business system to another, the most widely used approach to integrate the business systems is to use an API. However, if there is only a small or specific amount of information that needs to be transposed between two business systems Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can be that much faster to implement and completed at a fraction of the cost.

3. How to modernise your business systems without upgrading or replacing your business software

The risk, significant investment, and disruption to your business are great reasons not to replace your existing business systems. Also, to further customise your business systems can be slow and expensive. Whereas Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can modernise your business systems to meet the new needs of your organisation with a minimum of fuss, significantly reducing risk, at a lower cost and with very-little disruption to your business.

RPA can help you achieve business outcomes across your Small to Medium sized Business like never before. If you want a low-risk, low-cost, no fuss way to bring RPA bots to life in your Small to Medium sized business, please contact Sherpa Works @ www.sherpaworks.com.au.

About the Author: David Barlow, Co-Founder and Commercial Director, Sherpa Works, is passionate about helping SMEs and Mid-market companies experience outrageous success with their Bot workforce.