Introduction to RPA: Robotic Process Automation

To understand the need for RPA, let us take a look at a few scenarios in this and the upcoming resources. 

Scenario 1:

Here is Cathey, a BPO executive, who handles process operations in order management processes.  

As a part of her daily routine, she has to perform the following tasks:

• Login to the system and navigate to the folder containing purchase orders (PO).
• Open each purchase order (PDF document) in the folder for the current date.
• Copy the PO details from each pdf and consolidate in an excel.
• Send the excel for verification and approval from approving authority.                                     
• Login to the Order Management System and log the excel data into web based forms to trigger next steps in the business process.

Scenario 2:

Here is James, a Bank executive, who handles the credit card portfolio.

As a part of his daily routine, he has to perform the following tasks:

• Login to the banking system and check for the credit card requests logged in by customers through ATM, email, online, mobile banking platforms.
• Initiate a credit card application and gather required documents from the individuals.
• Make the necessary credit checks, background checks and decide if the individual is eligible for a credit card based on the details that are provided.
• Based on the eligibility, issue and dispatch the new credit card.

Scenario 3:

Let’s get to know Jessie, a BPO executive, who is responsible for handling process operations as a part of the customer support process at her office.

       As a part of her daily routine, she has to perform the following tasks:

• Login to the email and check the complaints logged by the customers.
• Segregate the common complaints/issues into different issue categories.
• For common complaints/issues, suggest the possible solutions to the customers.
• Route the critical complaints/issues that are not ascertained into a specific category, to be handled by the respective experts.

Scenario 4:

Here is Mike, an IT support executive, responsible for handling virtual machine issues in the organization.

        As a part of his daily routine, he has to perform the following tasks:

• For every new request, Mike receives an email with issue information. Mike then logs into the ticketing system, acknowledges and accepts the request.
• Mike logs into the VM monitoring application and searches for specified VM and its status.
• If the issue can be resolved through restart, Mike restarts the VM from the monitoring application.
• Else reroutes the requests to experts for issue resolution.

Scenario 5:

Now here is Emily, a writer who publishes her articles into various social groups everyday.

As a part of her daily routine, she has to perform the following tasks:

• Log into various social groups at a specific time everyday.   
• Write the headline and content of the article.
• Publish the article.

This everyday task turns out to be tiresome and costs her a lot. What if she can configure a computer software or robot to interpret the human actions and imitate them. These robots will publish the articles on behalf of her everyday on the stipulated time with reduced cost and time. Wouldn’t they?

What do you think are the common challenges/problems faced in these scenarios?

What do you think is the solution to these common challenges/problems?

• Automation is a technique of making the process operate automatically without human intervention.
• To tackle the problems faced in our scenarios, automation is achieved using computer coded Softwares called Robots, which enables automation of repetitive rule based processes to minimize human interaction in various Back office and front end applications.