Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

As businesses continue their digital transformation, many organisations are beginning to realise that there are tasks and workflows which can be automated with the impact of making their employees more efficient and productive. Research has shown that employees spent more time doing tasks that are often repetitive and mundane. They instead can use this time to do more important tasks that drive business forward.

This is where Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is able to transform workplace productivity. RPA is software that mimics human actions. RPA automates computing-based tasks that are normally done by employees by learning a process flow and then executing them automatically, thus relieving the burden on human staff of time-consuming, menial tasks that do not require complex decision-making. For example, an employee who spends a couple of hours a day doing repetitive work like data entry can eliminate those tasks from their daily activity and just check that their RPA “robot” has completed what is required. They can now focus on other important tasks such as developing new ideas or deeper customer engagement initiatives.

Research studies have shown that global spending on RPA is estimated to reach $680 million by the end of 2018, an increase of 57% year over year. Research also shows that businesses materialise between 50% to 70% cost savings by automating high frequency repeated tasks. This clearly indicates why increasing numbers of companies are turning to RPA for greater workplace productivity.

However, whilst the cost savings to the bottom line are real and measurable, the key takeaway of RPA is that businesses can redeploy their employees for more important tasks that are focused on increasing the top line. RPA is not about replacing employees; it’s about affording staff to focus on higher value work.

Organisations that implement RPA can expect to scale their business, reduce operational costs without the need to increase headcount. RPA robots can also work round the clock, thus generating gains in efficiency without compromising accuracy or performance. In fact, RPA has been shown to reduce errors in data entry (and other repetitive tasks) as well as being able to integrate legacy applications and systems without using custom APIs or expensive integration software.

With efficiency and automation being the cornerstone of the future of work, there is no doubt that RPA will have an important role for businesses in improving workplace productivity. IBM is a company at the forefront of RPA technology. To find out more about how IBM and RPA can enhance your productivity and efficiency, click here.

(0)(0)