A guide to choosing the right RPA vendor
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a proven technology that has already captured the interest of businesses across various sectors, from manufacturing to insurance to retail. Although it's relatively new in the market, there are already endless choices for RPA providers. Having said that, it's also possible that you may find yourself overwhelmed with choices in an attempt to choose the right RPA vendor to fulfill your precise automation needs. This is exactly the scenario in which businesses find themselves and so we have created this guide to help businesses address this common challenge. Run through the questions below designed specifically to help you make the right decision.
1. Does it have an Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability?
Not all RPA solutions come with AI functionality as they’re separate technologies that can run independently. Nevertheless, the two technologies complement each other perfectly and can be fused to create an incredibly powerful digital solution to create a fully autonomous process. A sole RPA tool functions through automating structured data through logic, whereas, AI works by self-learning to develop its own logic and, therefore, can easily handle unstructured data. Through leveraging AI functions such as machine learning, natural language processing, and speech recognition, an RPA + AI bot can operate at a higher level with the ability to automate more complicated processes. If the processes you wish to automate require some level of cognitive learning, such as automatically updating client information through extracting the necessary information from a phone transcript, then you must opt for a solution that is equipped with strong AI functionality.
2. Can it handle complex processes?
It is important to note that although RPA is all about automation, different tools vary in their capabilities. As the end-user, you should ensure whether the RPA solution can sufficiently automate the necessary processes as some RPA tools are limited to automating simple, repetitive processes, even if they have an AI functionality. Modern business processes have become complex which, yes, can be automated – but with the right RPA tool. Whether it's extracting data or generating a report, ensure that the RPA tool can automate a range of different tasks before making the final decision.
3. Is it low-code?
If you are looking to implement RPA with the hope of scaling it across the enterprise, it is vital that you choose a low-code RPA solution. Not everyone in the organization will have a data science or coding background, and while coding skills can be learned, doing so will consume a significant amount of time that would be better spent towards doing high-value tasks. A low-code solution allows for higher scalability, as it can be learned and used by employees quickly regardless of their background.
4. Can it be easily learned and what guidance is provided?
Even low-code solutions require learning of the tools and features. You may feel relieved to discover that many RPA vendors provide initial training to help staff grasp the core functions – however, pay attention to the availability of the offered support. If the vendor only offers guidance in the primary stages of RPA deployment or if technical support hours are not so convenient, this may lead to frustration within the team in the long term. Ideally, you would want to select an RPA provider that offers a solution that is easy to master and also provide strong pre-sales and aftersales support.
5. Is there an active community?
In addition to the level of support offered, another crucial factor to consider whether the RPA vendor has an active community. Rather than going through formal channels for technical support for every issue, the staff should have access to a friendly, active community that may help them address any challenges that arise during the learning process. Technical support is not always available and the staff may not feel comfortable asking for help in certain cases as they may believe the issue at hand to not truly be a "problem"; they may simply want to learn new ways of automating certain processes and create a discussion with the community. A vendor without such a community deprives the staff of such an opportunity and consequently results in users feeling limited in what they can do with the RPA solution.
6. Is there a clear first use case?
There is no use in adopting a tool without identifying a specific problem for it to tackle. Work with an RPA vendor that can effectively evaluate and determine the exact hurdle(s) which need to be overcome and how their solution could help. This is a great start to starting your RPA journey and also choosing the right RPA vendor.
7. Is on-premise implementation possible?
Cybersecurity is a concern for almost every enterprise – no customer responds well to a data leak with their personal details. Businesses should aim to minimize risks as much as possible and, therefore, look for RPA vendors that can deploy solutions on-premise or in private cloud servers. Not only does this allow for great flexibility, but it is also a great way to test their AI capabilities.
Partnering with Laiye
Founded in 2015, Laiye helps businesses achieve more, reach their full potential, and transform into smarter, more effective, efficient, productive enterprises. Laiye helps businesses and people realize their full potential by optimizing the human-machine collaborative alliance with sophisticated, dynamic, productivity-enhancing digital "workforce solutions". Laiye delivers the deepest, most advanced AI/RPA/NLP solutions to help businesses become more efficient, effective, agile, and successful. And it frees people to focus on meaningful, innovative, mission-critical initiatives.
Core technologies include robotic process automation (RPA), process mining, natural language processing (NLP), conversational intelligence, text recognition, and image recognition.
