Smarter, better, faster: RPA at work
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, all sectors are under pressure to gain efficiency, increase innovation and find new ways of working. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is in the spotlight to help companies achieve just that. In Smarter, better, faster: RPA at work, our experts look at seven key sectors affected by the pandemic to provide real examples of how RPA can be used in each sector, the benefits of implementing it and how to embrace RPA and get it right.
What is RPA?
RPA is software that can mimic human behaviour and works with desktop applications. You can think of RPA as a digital assistant that needs detailed instructions to process tasks but can work 24/7 without getting tired or making mistakes. RPA can work with any application or documents. It uses them in the same way as humans– by clicking on buttons, typing, filling forms, copying/pasting, making structured decisions – while simultaneously communicating with application programming interfaces.
Benefits of RPA
- Quick deployment (usually within 3-6 weeks) and return on investment (typically 4-8 months).
- Improved customer experience as they have their requests resolved more quickly and efficiently.
- Happier employees as they spend less time doing routine activities and instead focus on value-added work, which improves job satisfaction.
- Increased capacity of the team. With the same team size, incorporating RPA allows you to serve more customers and handle more requests.
- Increased capacity of the team. With the same team size, incorporating RPA allows you to serve more customers and handle more requests.
"Since the start of the pandemic, Blue Prism ’s Covid-19 Response Program has donated ‘digital workers’ and services equalling 1 500 FTE services on the front lines of the health emergency, across many sectors including:
Jean-François Pruvot, VP Sales South Europe Blue Prism |
How RPA can facilitate digital transformation in financial services
The financial services (FS) industry has been undergoing rapid disruption for a number of years, and the impact of Covid-19 has only reinforced the need for innovation. Use of digital channels, for instance, has significantly increased during the pandemic and it will be some time until clients start returning to physical branches on mass, if at all.
The pharmaceutical sector’s important role in global health – using RPA to work smarter, better and faster
Even before Covid-19, the pharma sector was already faced with a range of challenges, including the increasing cost of sourcing and product development, data security, and compliance with safety and quality standards. Furthermore, a number of unprecedented global and economic events have also had a serious effect on market dynamics, for example reforms in pharma imports in the US, the economic slowdown in China, and, in Europe, the UK’s exit from the EU.
Meeting food delivery demand with RPA
As consumers around the world have gradually learned to live with Covid-19 and the measures put in place to control it, the food industry has found itself facing a host of new challenges and opportunities.
Finding finance savings through RPA in telecoms
The future of telecoms is under threat, as Covid-19 and market forces hamper growth and innovation for businesses, large and small. As it becomes clear that the pandemic is here to stay, bringing with it new challenges and accelerating existing forces, businesses are under pressure to find new disruptive ways of working, to achieve the cost cutting and efficiency gains that are essential for survival.
Next generation ecommerce driven by RPA
Ecommerce has been growing exponentially for a number of years but in 2020, its growth went stratospheric. As lockdown closed shops and forced people around the world to stay confined to their homes, online shopping became not just convenient, but indispensable.
From crisis to innovation – an opportunity for RPA in transportation
Even before the pandemic hit, the transportation sector was facing a number of significant challenges. However, as Covid-19 spread around the world, it brought with it a variety of additional, unexpected operational and financial issues, which have left many areas of the sector under threat.
Driving public sector efficiency with RPA
The public sector has been at the frontline of fighting Covid-19, with tireless efforts from leadership, frontline workers and volunteers. However, despite their hard work, public services continue to face criticism for inefficiency, bureaucracy and poor customer service, as they continue to be weighed down by manual record keeping, siloed infrastructure and legislative restrictions.
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