Your Guide to Successful RPA Implementation Journey in 2023

But an organization can reap the benefits of robotics only when the RPA implementation & planning is done in the right way, and to guide you for the successful RPA implementation, we have sorted this step-by-step RPA implementation guide for you all!

What is RPA?

Robotic process automation (RPA) is an automation solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities to handle high-volume, repeatable tasks performed by humans. 

A successful RPA implementation automates repetitive tasks, helping your organization increase efficiency.

Want to know more about RPA? Check this blog here “Everything You Need to Know About Robotic Process Automation.”

According to a study by Global Newswire, the global robotic process automation market is projected to reach USD 23.9 billion by 2030 and is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.7% from 2021 to 2030.

Source

Expectations from Robotic Process Automation

One of the most frequently asked questions while implementing RPA is the expectations and how it will scale in the future with advanced robotics. 

RPA is already helping businesses in data management, revenue generation, improving process performance, and much more.

Moving forward, businesses can implement RPA & meet their expectations, which are:

• No-code RPA: Facilitating development with no-code RPA solutions would help businesses simplify their processes even further, especially in no-code development environments.
• Utilizing process mining to auto-extract process knowledge from RPA solutions can help businesses simplify the RPA implementation process.
• Expanding bots to have more extensive capabilities to function well in RPA marketplaces enables developers to submit their code easily.
• Open-source RPA: Since RPA is expanding exponentially, the demand for transparent RPA with open source is also increasing.   

Understanding Business Challenges in RPA Implementation

Before starting on the RPA implementation journey, organizations must assess their challenges and how RPA will be beneficial for their organization. 

Businesses face various challenges in RPA implementation that range from organizational and technological to financial and regulatory challenges:

1. Organizational Challenges

Technological advancement of such a scale requires organizations to buckle up and prioritize RPA initiatives. However, limited resources, lack of the right skills, and lack of sense of urgency are some of the barriers that enterprises need to overcome to implement RPA successfully.

2. Technological Challenges

Implementing an enterprise-wide digital workforce requires the right tools, skills, and technology. 

40% of the organizations implementing RPA faced cybersecurity and data privacy concerns. Implementing RPA means granting access to all your legacy data systems to RPA bots, and in such case scenarios, there is a fear of data mishandling. 

Apart from data privacy risks, difficulty in scaling applications is a real challenge. For example, only 3% of organizations have scaled their digital workforce, according to the Deloitte Global RPA Survey.

3. Financial & Regulatory Challenges

For RPA implementation, the total cost of ownership (TCO) poses a great risk. This is because software costs such as OS costs, bot licenses, and hardware costs for machines, servers, and databases are high. 

Ensuring regulatory compliance is another aspect that must be considered during RPA development. Businesses and IT teams should collaborate and actively provide business updates to the RPA support team to update scripts in the production environment. 

In order to counter these challenges, businesses should make decisions based on individual and organization-specific requirements such as RPA’s implementation timeline and functional requirements. 

A proactive enterprise-wide discussion about the expected results would allow organizations to make the most of the RPA and its benefits.

Apart from understanding and mitigating the challenges, the stepwise approach to RPA implementation, as discussed in the next section, is also beneficial for the proper implementation of RPA steps. 

A well-prepared implementation approach helps you to take full advantage of the technology.  The Final RPA Implementation Journey involves the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Program Initiation

A clear RPA business plan is a cornerstone of successful deployment. The program initiation phase helps an organization understand the feasibility and advantages of an RPA solution. 

Step 2: Assessing Potential Opportunities

The organization’s initial process assessment is essential to attain the best results.

Make sure the focus is on:

• Input and output volume
• Process variability
• Value unlocked via automation

Volume and process variability should remain in equilibrium, directly affecting cost benefits. In addition, enterprises should consider data security, cybersecurity, and scalability during an evaluation for the implementation of RPA steps.

Step 3: Developing Proof of Concept

After process selection, enterprises should experiment with robotic process automation tools and technologies to understand their work.

Aim at the key elements of the process and not the complete initiative. Cross-check if the bot has the calibre to work and deliver the best results. This will help create an effective proof of the complete concept and ensure the efforts don’t go in vain.

Step 4: Deploy a Pilot

Once you attain conceptual proof, run the pilot. Implementing this step for RPA implementation further reduces bot deployment inefficiencies.

Deploying a pilot helps you understand if you are investing in the right software.

To ensure that, measure the bot’s performance vs. manual process. Then, keep running the traditional process against the bot. This process helps in proving its actual worth.

Step 5: Resource Organization

Before pilot production, companies organize cross-functional project teams and resources. The responsibilities must be well-defined to ensure business goals are in sync.  A successful strategy includes a plan where businesses should consider employees’ suggestions and potential impacts, and training programs are welcomed.

Step 6. Setting up an Implementation Plan

A comprehensive implementation plan with a detailed strategy is the need of the hour. A complete team of business analysts, project managers, operating staff, and RPA developers is necessary for the streamlined implementation of RPA.  You also have to consider maintenance costs and additional software development costs.

Step 7: Operate and Monitor

When bots are up and running, don’t forget to analyze their performance. Ensure they are not overloaded. Operational benefits and greater productivity are worth considering.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the above-mentioned stepwise RPA implementation journey, here’s a quick checklist to help you simplify the process further:

• Start with ‘simple to automate’ processes and list out processes to automate.
• Perform a feasibility assessment & make sure existing processes are efficient.
• Consider app scalability and AI support & prepare for advanced robotics.
• Conduct an audit trail & addressing data privacy risks. 
• Analyze the cost-friendliness of RPA applications.
• Follow a Comprehensive Team Approach. 

Selecting the Right RPA Vendor for your RPA Implementation

The RPA implementation needs are different for different organizations, and to fulfil them, you need RPA vendors who can understand these needs and offer you customized solutions.

Here’s a list of parameters you should consider while selecting a vendor for the RPA to avoid any bottlenecks in the implementation:

• Cost and time required to deploy the bots
• Ability to deliver bots that can handle financial complexities
• Provisions for encrypting the data and ensuring their privacy and confidentiality
• The presence of audit trail feature, which records the transactions made by the bot
• The RPA bot supplied by the vendor should be non-intrusive and well-equipped to adapt to the change in technologies. 

Along with the organizational credentials, the technical skills of the vendors should be verified.

Top 6 Benefits of Successful RPA Implementation

The global robotic process automation market size was valued at USD 1.89 billion in 2021 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2% from 2022 to 2030. 

The benefits of adopting the RPA systems range from boosting productivity, improving employee engagement, accelerating time to market, and generating more revenue. Successful RPA implementation can generate operational and strategic advantages.

Source: Medium

When various tasks have to be differently processed, it adds costs as well as complexity, especially for large enterprises. But the benefits offered by RPA make this technology worth every penny:

1. RPA Gives Accuracy

Human error results in the loss of billions of dollars annually. Do you remember the simple typo that caused the stock market to plunge 1000 points and wipe out $1.1 trillion in 2010? 

To achieve the highest level of efficiency, it is important to eliminate errors. The average benchmark for data entry errors ranges from 2 to 5%. This risk is significantly elevated with tedious and repetitive tasks that induce boredom.

2. Productivity Enhancement

RPA never takes leaves or goes on vacation. They keep working tirelessly, round the clock, with consistency and efficiency.

The productive gains of RPA are real as well as measurable. According to a new study from the Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, RPA enables companies to execute processes 5-10 times faster with approx 37% fewer resources.

3. Time and Labor Saving

As per The National Association of Software and Services Companies, RPA reduces labour costs by up to 35-65% and delivers a return on investment (ROI) in as few as six months.

Source: Medium (Graphical Representation of Time Saving)

4. Scalability 

The robotic workforce can be as large or as small as per your requirement. The new bots can be deployed quickly, and that too at a minimum cost.

Whenever there is peak business activity like a new product launch, RPA can handle the improved transaction volume. This means there is no need to hire new staff and train them. 

5. Improvement of Service Level 

Businesses that deploy RPA to handle routine tasks can refocus their employees on creative, strategic work and deliver better customer service.

An intelligent way to integrate it into business operations is to allow the bots to work efficiently on tasks.

For example, you can improve service levels by automating tasks during customer interaction, reducing time to resolution, and decreasing customer frustration.

6. Flexibility & Adaptability

RPA is compatible with any software system. It mimics human action without coding changes, making it flexible and adaptable to virtually any business. ERP, CRM, and industry-specific applications are the best candidates for RPA.

List of Challenges for Implementing RPA 

For a successful RPA implementation, it’s crucial to make a list of potential red flags and prepare a strategy to address these challenges effortlessly. For a ballpark idea, here are some of the key challenges businesses face during RPA implementation:

• Deluded expectations of RPA
• Working with an inexperienced RPA partner
• Deficit of skilled team members
• Inability to calculate ROI
• Identifying the wrong process for RPA integration
• Technical and operational concerns
• Lack of support from the RPA vendor
• Getting short of end-to-end process automation 
• Not following best practices 
• Culture shock 
• Post-implementation adoption

Cost of Implementing RPA

As of 2020, 53% of respondents have started their RPA journey and a further 19% plan to adopt RPA in the coming two years. 

Notably, improved compliance and unparalleled quality topped the list of benefits reported by RPA forerunners. At the same time, 59% of enterprises witnessed a significant RPA-related cost reduction, with the median payback period for RPA projects spanning less than a year. 

However, merely 3% of companies accomplish scaling their digital workforce, whereas up to 50% of RPA projects fail. 

Often, the robotic process automation cost for a single software varies from $5,000 to $15,000, and who knows, businesses might end up spending millions of dollars to achieve company-wide automation. 

So, what are the key factors behind the presumably high robotic process automation cost? 

Primarily, what does your company or organization do to unfurl RPA’s full potential without breaking the bank? 

Here’s the answer! 

• RPA vendor pricing 
• The number and complexity of RPA bots that sheath RPA deployment
• The cost of third-party RPA integrations
• Initial process analysis, RPA consultation, and engineering costs
• Maintenance, support and RPA scaling costs

💡Related Read: Cost of Integrating RPA in Your Business

Now that you have an in-depth understanding of what RPA is and how much it costs, it’s crucially important to skip some mistakes to ensure RPA implementation gives long-lasting outcomes. 

Common RPA Mistakes To Avoid 

Be aware of these RPA mistakes that can lead to failure. 

• Choosing the Wrong Processes to Automate  

Often, the common mistake is to imply RPA to processes that are non-standardized, exceptionally complex, and have over 40% exceptions. These processes need human assistance and are inconsistent with their workforce requirements. 

Therefore, RPA is an ideal choice for processes which are less complex and more time-consuming. 

What Needs To Be Done…

It is crucial to carefully analyze your business processes to get the best return on your investment made in RPA. Plus, you need to do proper research to calculate the success of automating a business process. 

• Unrealistic Expectations and Deadlines 

Another common mistake people usually make while implementing RPA is - they expect instant results after investment. So, defining unrealistic goals can give you a thought of failure. Hence, it’s essential to set an approach with realistic outcomes. 

What Needs To Be Done… 

Before having a proof of concept, you need to determine how automation can help you manage your business challenges. Besides, you need to pen down your business priorities to ensure RPA is integrated first into the one that matters the most. 

Notably, give dedicated time to craft realistic goals and place them accordingly. 

• Poorly Designed Processes 

Often, organizations fail to get the right input from the teams. Some strictly focus on technical hiccups. However, RPA implementation is not merely about a technology project. You need to remember that it’s primarily a business initiative that affects the complete business. 

Moreover, other businesses keep them directed in other directions, leaving the IT team behind in the planning and implementation process. This shortcoming acts as a challenge in implementing the technical expertise in data security, the present IT infrastructure, and more. 

What Needs To Be Done… 

While building your RPA team, it’s crucial to keep a balance between the technical and non-tech aspects. Adhering to ideas and thoughts from both sides is important to craft a thoughtful and simple design that contributes to your organization’s wider business goals and long-term digital transformation vision. 

• Defining Roles and Responsibilities 

Humans and bots need to collaborate on compositions for a successful RPA deployment. A common RPA mistake overlooked by most companies is the cliche that bots can investigate everything. 

Whereas the factual truth is that robots are designed to automate tasks and free up time. Plus, it’s equally important to ensure that the right person is available for maintenance tasks and troubleshooting any unexpected problems. 

What Needs To Be Done… 

Since RPA is the new buzzword, businesses don’t have a flowchart that outlines roles and responsibilities to accomplish new objectives with automation. Therefore, make sure you define roles and responsibilities to skip any challenges in your RPA project. 

Conclusions

Big names like AT&T, Gamestop, and Verizon have already adopted the RPA system, and soon, there will be more joining the league. RPA would be implemented across a number of operations in the organization, including processes that are customer-focused. They will be fit to deal with the data-intensive tasks error-free, sparing the sector significant time and liberating individuals to aim at high-value work.

You can successfully implement RPA when you have the right team with you. Minimize efforts, enhance client satisfaction, and boost revenue. For this, you have to test the waters and ensure every step you take is scrutinized.

Still on the fence and thinking whether or not you should bot-o-mate your business tasks? Take the help of the best RPA consultants to get the competitive edge required to get ahead in your industry.