What is RPA and where is the technology used
RPA (robotic process automation) - software robots that simulate
RPA is indispensable for performing routine operations,This technology can also free up time for more interesting and creative tasks that cannot be done without human intelligence - for example, searching for partners, communicating with clients, participating in the development of new products. To program the robot, it is enough to record a video from the monitor of an employee performing some task: for example, unloading payment orders or drawing up certificates. Robots will be able to do this in exactly the same way, only faster, more accurately and without breaks for lunch and rest.
RPA can work with any interfaces in anySoftware, however, in some situations, the complexity and variability of the process will not allow to do without human participation. For example, the robot will not be able to answer emails for you, but sorting mail or searching for information in messages is completely. And in combination with artificial intelligence, advanced robots can perform even more complex tasks: for example, analyze the content of documents and send them to the right recipients. AI in this case plays the role of the brain and makes decisions, and RPA implements them.
Accounting and finance
There are many in the accounting and finance departmenttasks that RPA can help with, since there are many routine processes in these areas. Software robots can, for example, independently fill out payment orders based on information from the database and send them to the bank.
You can also automate with RPAformation of acts of reconciliation of calculations so that there are no discrepancies in them. The robot itself will download documents from ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning, a system for enterprise resource planning) and electronic document management systems, determine their type, key attributes, identify contradictions and automatically connect different files of the company and its suppliers. Another use case is preparing certificates for employees, for example, 2-NDFL. In both cases, automation reduces the workload on staff, reduces time to complete tasks and eliminates errors associated with the human factor.
For more complex cases, a combination is usedRPA and AI. An example is posting bank statements. The purpose of such an extract is not a formalized field: the performer enters words into it in a different order, uses abbreviations. A software robot can log into an online bank, extract appointment information and feed it to an AI model with natural language processing. The AI will select the required parameters and pass them back to the RPA so that the software robots perform the explode operation in the accounting system.
Through the combination of AI and RPA, the Americanmanufacturer of equipment, reagents, consumables and software Thermo Fisher Scientific was able to reduce invoice processing time by 70% for 824,000 documents per year. The company used Document Understanding and Action Center products from a global RPA developer. They allow you to automatically extract data from PDA files - invoices, purchase orders and related documents, check the results and request missing information.
Procurement, deliveries and tenders
In procurement, RPA can be usedfor example, to generate orders. In the classic scenario, department employees manually transfer order data (quantity of goods, materials, etc.) to ERP from email. It takes approximately 10 minutes to transfer information from one letter. This procedure can be done by a robot. RPA will also cope with entering data about counterparties from external systems into ERP or can play the role of an assistant who will check this information and find errors.
The third common case is confirmationorder. Typically, an employee, having received information about purchased goods, must check the accounting system and add the final values to it. The robot can take over all the work from the moment it receives data from the supplier: it will filter it, enter it into the accounting system and generate documents or emails if it finds discrepancies. Software robots can even help with monitoring tenders. RPA will find letters in the mail with information about new competitive procedures, go to the tender site, copy the details and enter them into ERP or CRM.
An example of a company that is already using RPA inin this direction - the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. The company robotized the multi-stage process of paying for scrap metal supplies. The introduction of 25 software robots helped set up automatic control over deliveries, increase the processing speed of 32,000 business transactions and 20,000 files, and greatly reduce labor costs.
HR
Among the cases from our experience is worker controlemployees' time. Without RPA, HR personnel manually process data from the corporate and access control systems, brings them together in Excel to compare the planned and actual time spent by employees at different enterprise facilities and prepare a weekly report on equipment load. The robot performs all these operations automatically and can prepare daily, weekly and monthly summary reports. It collects data from several enterprise information systems. A task that a person spends 8 hours on, he completes in just a few minutes and identifies 40% more violations.
Another illustrative case is the preparation of documentswhen processing temporary transfers of employees and combining their positions. Typically, an HR department specialist needs to accept applications from employees in paper format, enter data into the information system, create an agreement to change the employment contract in the system, upload it, manually fill out orders for temporary transfer or combination of professions and generate a package of documents. In the process, you need to check paper registers, reference books, job descriptions.
With RPA, the process can be built differently:the software robot will take data from the ERP, compare it with the register of processed records in Excel, and automatically generate a list of employees who need to be transferred and packages of documents for them. It will correlate all the data and even send agreements and orders to the responsible persons. A person will spend more than 15 hours on these tasks, and a robot will complete it in two.
In which industries RPA is already being implemented in Russia
The main sector for RPA solutions globally andThe Russian market today is financial. It is in this area that employees are often busy with repetitive and similar tasks - entering data, generating reports, making calculations, opening accounts - and these processes are duplicated in different branches. VTB, Alfa Bank, Moscow Credit Bank, Rosbank and others are already using software robots.
Industry is also actively using digitalemployees: holdings are implementing RPA in shared service centers, centralized treasuries and other functions where centralized data processing occurs. In the manufacturing industry, RPA can be used to automate processes related to the assembly, packaging and delivery of goods, monitoring production technology, and quality management. In addition to the MMK PJSC group, RPA is being implemented, for example, by Norilsk Nickel, TMK, OMK, Rosneft, Tatneft, Uralchem, UMMC, Ural Steel and many others.
Who can benefit from technology
Corporations with large volumes of data andrepeating operations, RPA will reduce costs and significantly speed up work, increasing its quality. For small and medium-sized businesses, investments in robotization are not so necessary, although the introduction of software robots can help formalize business processes and free themselves from routine.
The key advantage of RPA is that whenscaling the business, increasing the number of clients and growing orders, the software robot will perform its tasks just as effectively. The number of operations is not at all important to him. So if the company understands that the volume of routine work will only increase or will not decrease, and will have to invest in hiring staff, it is worth considering the possibility of investing in RPA. Before doing this, it is important to analyze your needs and capabilities, as well as assess the potential benefits and risks.
The Russian RPA market after the departure of foreign vendors
In 2022 after leaving the Russian marketforeign players, companies urgently needed to switch to domestic providers of RPA platforms. In Next, we also began to actively look for a replacement for our customers, focusing on the features of each of the platforms and the needs of specific customers.
The leader among Russian RPA solutions can beconsider the Primo RPA platform: it takes into account customer requests and quickly improves the product. I would also note PIX Robotix and Sherpa RPA - these platforms were able to quickly respond to market changes and offer workable products.
Overall, the local RPA market is currently atstages of development. Domestic vendors will continue to actively compete and improve the functionality of platforms. According to IBA forecasts, by 2024 more than 90% of Russian companies using software robots will switch to domestic software. This could lead to an increase in the market volume to 60 billion rubles.
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Cover photo: Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik