Are you trying to choose the best RPA software for your business?
Maybe you are not too happy with the productivity numbers. Your wage bill is soaring like an eagle, but the profits seem determined to remain unmoved like a rock.
It could also be that certain repetitive tasks clog up the lion’s share of useful work hours that you would be more than happy to diverge somewhere else.
Choosing an RPA software for your business can be challenging. Perhaps you do not have an extensive background in programming and would like one with low code requirements. What is more, you aren’t too sure about what the RPA tool would mean for your current systems and workforce.
In this blog, we are going to discuss a few tips about choosing the best RPA software with ROI being the de facto.
Let us get started:
1. System Compatibility
Say you are using human workers to read and process each insurance claim that clients file. These employees rely on their judgment and skills to decide.
After extraction, workers feed the information they manually filter to an input application at their end of the user interface. The input mechanism could be as simple as a spreadsheet or some other form of data entry that links up with a larger server.
In such a scenario, let’s imagine you’re thinking about a great replacement system such as an OCR tool with intelligent document processing functionalities.
The OCR software would reduce the number of human workers and fulfill their primary duties of document scanning. However, there is also the secondary task of data submission into the system to think about before you decide on a particular solution.
You need to ask yourself a few questions…
Will there be a need for a bridging application, or some other technology entirely, to connect the point of data capture, and the database to be fed? Or does the OCR software can link up to the server directly?
Hence, as part of mastering how to choose an RPA software, consider your product provider’s integration features.
Cohesive integration enables perfect transition and reduces business downtime.
Sometimes RPA suppliers provide the means to execute the input data transfer to the server. This may be in the way of a linking application, for example.
Other times, that burden falls squarely on your business’ shoulders. In such a scenario, you have to foot the extra cost for the go-between that links up the server and the RPA input device.
So, remember to be thorough about the available integration provisions from the RPA provider to ensure it has options that are usable for your case. Helpsystems has an RPA platform solution that integrates front-end and back-end automation workflows across your organization.
2. Training Options
Will you be using the RPA software yourself?
Do you need specialized training to get staff up to speed with the new technology?
Getting your workplace acquainted with the new system may need educational training programs that you need to set aside a budget for. There is also the time that cuts into valuable work hours and the allowance for the learning curve phase.
So, when contemplating how to choose an RPA software and you have specific options in mind, be sure to find out about the training mechanisms the tool provides.
The best RPA software would ideally have great training flexibility.
What that means is that good RPA tools entail diverse and convenient options for training. That may be in the way of online documentation, namely testing guides, release notes, and tutorials, among others.
These training options may also include virtual or video options.
From individual demonstrations to webinars, the RPA software should have convenient video training that would not have you digging too deep into your pocket.
The goal of RPA training is to be knowledge-effective, fast, and cost-effective to deliver a great customer onboarding experience.
You may need to go over each RPA tool that makes it onto your wish list after separating the wheat from the chaff.
3. Security Features
Are you exposing your system to new threats by bringing in RPA technology?
While RPA tools reduce cyber risks, they may also be vulnerable to online threats such as data leaks.
Your system may be handling volumes of sensitive user information. RPA software like chatbots, for instance, may be the weak link in your chain and provide a loophole for data thieves to exploit. According to an article by Retarus, Businesses lose $1,500 every hour to cybercrime in 2021.
Hence, you may want to learn about what protection measures the RPA has in place.
What firewalls or other cybersecurity measures does the RPA product have?
A track record is always a good place of reference if you are not too familiar with the technical working of these tools. The best RPA software has an excellent history of minimal, preferably no, data breaches and is powered by tried-and-tested protection mechanisms, with simple document security configurations.
When working out how to choose an RPA software for your business, action accountability, for example, is a vital factor. You would want each bot and its associated processes to have some sort of identifier for problem anticipation and tracing.
In case a problem arises, you can narrow it down to the root cause and nip it in the bud.
Preventive measures such as restricting bot access or privileges are perhaps even more crucial. If the RPA has access to an important database whose values should not be altered at all costs, implementing a read-only functionality can get ahead of these issues.
Of course, the exact corrective and preventive measures will depend on what tasks you want to automate and the specific RPA tool that tickles your fancy.
4. Exception Handling
What happens when an error occurs?
If the RPA mechanism straight out crashes or halts tasks when a problem arises beyond what is within normal parameters, that is a huge red flag. That is because if this happens out of supervisory hours, it can create a BIG backlog, and production or operational schedules can run into each other.
Therefore, the best RPA software has exceptional exception handling.
Primarily, there are two types of RPA errors.
The most common one is a business error, which occurs when the RPA tool, limited by pre-programmed instructions, can’t handle business tasks beyond or below its range. For example, an RPA invoice software set to process a maximum of $500, perceives amounts above this threshold as an error.
Exception handling entails the RPA tool not only foreseeing the problem and avoiding it, but also involves the software taking note of an error when it occurs, and automatically rectifying it to return normalcy.
Sometimes the resolution could be as simple as reattempting the task, which may have been halted due to a momentary anomaly.
In more complex cases, an excellent RPA system has a diverse series of exception handling scenarios. It sequentially tries out remedies until it reaches a working solution.
If an RPA system constantly needs human intervention when it goes off course, it beats its purpose.
Hence, exception handling should be right up on your list of priorities on how to choose an RPA software that thrives.
Maintenance and Support
Findings from an EY study indicate that one in every two RPA projects fail, with maintenance costs and general support, or lack thereof, a HUGE reason. 305 to 50% of RPA projects fail, with support issues being a large contributing factor.
As you decide how to choose an RPA software, discuss the frequency of maintenance and possible malfunctions with the vendor you settle on. It should make financial sense first.
At the end of the day, the objective is to lower production costs, not increase them.
When the long-term running costs come into play, and the overall cost matches or even exceeds your current expenditure, there’s little reason to bother with RPA integration.
The best RPA software offers viable running expenses and product support.
Additionally, determine what support options are available to your business for when you come upon software hurdles along the way. And these are undoubtedly bound to happen.
Also, do you have to foot the expense of additional product support after purchase? Is there any support the vendor offers to you in the first place?
If you want an RPA solution for the long haul, consider one that you can affordably expand with as your business’s needs grow.
Conclusion
A poor selection of RPA software will have you thinking about a replacement when you are already knee-deep into the project.
With countless hours and a hefty budget in, you now must think of alternatives.
Therefore, I cannot stress enough how important it is to get your strategy right on how to choose an RPA software.
You want an RPA tool that is user-friendly and easy to implement.
One that even staff without programming knowledge can get the hang of without expensive training do-overs, which is one of the strengths of Content Intelligence Cloud platform.
The best RPA software also comes with affordable support, has remarkable exception handling, and does not compromise your business’ security or privacy in any way.
If you keep all these in mind, I am certain you will be able to make an informed decision about the RPA software that will be key to a successful digital transformation initiative for your business.