Robots may never take over the workplace in science fiction form, but robotic process automation (RPA) is already making its way into business. RPA uses software to automate many of the duties workers do each day, including shipping and receiving, accounts receivable, and payroll. Often RPA can eliminate mundane activities that lead to employee dissatisfaction, allowing businesses to work with a leaner staff whose activities are geared toward moving the business forward.
But is RPA the right choice for your business? Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about automating some of your repetitious processes.
Cost Effective
Most businesses initially make the switch to RPA to save money. As a business grows, the workload gradually increases for existing employees, making it impossible to keep up with daily demands. Leaders then must make the all-too-important choice to expand. RPA has given those leaders an alternative choice, letting them bring in software to support existing employees. Duties like processing transactions or reconciling invoices to payments can then be handled by the system, freeing workers up to handle more important tasks. Instead of bringing in an additional employee, complete with salary and benefits, businesses can save money by paying a monthly fee to a solutions provider for software that will scale as needed.
Disaster Recovery
If your building were suddenly lost in a fire, flood, tornado, or other natural disaster, how long would it take you to rebuild what you have today? Any paper-based files would likely be lost, but even businesses that have made the switch to paperless would have problems. If systems aren’t backed up off site each day, data could be lost if the equipment in your building is damaged. By contracting with a third-party cloud provider, businesses have the confidence of knowing their data is safe. If work areas are inaccessible in the days and weeks following the disaster, employees can still access them from any device that has an internet connection, whether they’re working from home or in a temporary work setup.
Workplace Culture
Businesses increasingly hear about the how company culture helps retain and attract employees. Today’s positive work cultures incorporate innovation at every level, helping employees feel supported. When an employee feels as though work is boring and routine, it can be easy for them to feel as though they’re in a dead-end job. By investing in automation, businesses can begin helping employees work toward the next phase in their careers, which will improve morale. Since morale affects productivity, this investment means that you’ll likely see more work each day from each of your team members. Happy employees also provide better customer service and if your customers are happy, they’ll keep coming back for more products or services, as well as recommending your business to their friends and associates.
With the right technology in place, businesses can improve efficiency and better serve their own customers and employees. RPA can handle some of the most routine tasks a business completes each day, especially in areas such as accounting, receivables, and payroll. This will improve morale in the HR and administrative areas of your business, which are crucial to helping your business grow.
