Automation is a concept in which human involvement in (business) processes is reduced. Processes that in the past were performed exclusively by humans can now be taken over by machines. In automation, labor is performed by machines, which offers many advantages to organizations that decide to automate one or more processes. A common method of automation is RPA, Robotic Process Automation.
Automation is gaining traction in everyday business, but it is also leaving its mark within companies. With RPA, many repetitive processes that require significant time investment are now performed by robots. This allows employees to focus on other critical tasks. Freeing up space and time for your employees again indirectly adds value to your organization, especially in industries where experts are needed to perform important tasks.
Automation can be done in many industries and is done through physical robots that perform labor to digital robots that focus on administrative tasks. Such a task can be easy and solved with a few clicks, or very complex, requiring multiple steps to get from a starting point to an end point. RPA is seen as a method by which costs and time can be saved in an automation effort. Processes are automated in a matter of weeks, and from the moment the robots are running, organizations keep time and fewer errors are made, often saving money.
Because automation is a broad concept, it can be used in many industries. In financial services, for example, it can be used to declare and perform transactions. Were these to be performed by hand it would take many hours. If these core tasks can be automated, and they usually can, it can streamline an organization operationally and make it more effective. In turn, companies notice that increase in productivity in other areas, such as customer contact.
Every healthcare organization needs highly trained employees. CEOs don't want these highly skilled employees to waste hours performing administrative tasks, but want to improve their service levels by giving doctors, and physician assistants, the space to reach out to patients. Through automation, specifically RPA, this has become very possible.
Administrative tasks required in many industries are subject to human error. Even the best assistants can have an off-day. Robots are not affected by this. Processes that are prone to small, process-stealing errors are attractive when it comes to automation. In fact, automating these processes allows an organization to focus not on details, but on essentials.