Robotic process automation (RPA) enables businesses to enhance their overall performance and efficiency by minimizing human error, improving business insights, mitigating labor-intensive jobs, enhancing multichannel productivity and reducing overall operational costs.
However, businesses often struggle to implement RPA to reap all these benefits. According to a survey by Ernst and Young, almost 30% to 50% of RPA projects fall apart. Why are organizations failing to harness the power of this advanced technology? Are there ways to overcome these challenges? Let’s explore what’s going wrong and how to fix it.
Key Challenges Faced by Organizations with RPA
RPA implementation accrues major productivity gains. However, as mentioned above, implementing this automation is challenging in many ways.
1. Change Management
RPA implementation means introducing a digital method that aims to outperform human tasks and rework long-held methods and processes. The transition of working from a familiar manual framework to a completely different arena would attract confusion, wariness, and resentment. A shift in responsibilities, learning new skills, and unfamiliar communication emerge, posing a change-management challenge for most companies.
2. Process Clarity
RPA enables businesses to increase their productivity. RPA is the first step in a long-term automation roadmap leading onwards to conversational computing, machine learning, cognitive computing, etc. Some tasks may end up being completely handled by RPA and some partially. Defining the process and splitting up the workflow into small manageable chunks is necessary to ensure smooth technology integration. Additionally, implementing RPA is not enough, maintenance and ongoing evolution are critical factors as well.
3. Selecting a right RPA Tool / Technology
RPA offers tremendous benefits when applied to handling rules-based, repetitive, and process-driven tasks. Different RPA tools provide capabilities beyond these to varying degrees. If the selected RPA tool doesn’t meet the specific requirements of the organization, it would be a total waste of capital and effort.
4. Cost
In a survey conducted with a wide range of RPA solutions, 41% of companies said it was challenging to maintain the automations. RPA implementation involves good amount of software and hardware costs. It requires expertise to design, develop, implement, and maintain the RPA solution. Without a focused strategy and operating process, the total cost of ownership can become a serious challenge and the process could fall apart in a short time.
5. Security
Introducing RPA solutions means it would access several crucial legal, financial, and security systems. This includes CRM, ERP, accounting software, customer information, etc. Without proper execution, there is a huge chance of data misuse, cyber-attacks, or employee mistakes. As such, it is essential to secure the solution as well as the software supply chain. As it happens, this is not a task to be undertaken without a significant amount of domain expertise.
6. Infrastructure and Systemic Issues
A survey by Deloitte showed that the lack of internal and IT resources is one of the top challenges companies face regarding RPA adoption. The same study showed that only 3% of companies have the proper infrastructure for intelligent process automation and scaling their operations. Without the right interconnected systems and skills, it will be hard to craft an effective RPA solution that delivers sustained impact.
7. Setting Realistic Expectations
This is, by far, one of the most notable RPA adoption challenges organizations face. One must understand that RPA has certain limitations. It’s not the panacea to all the operational issues and productivity roadblocks. Without realistic expectations, even successful RPA programs risk delivering underwhelming results.
Ways To Overcome These Challenges
RPA adoption is possible by methodical planning and the right partnerships. With RPA adoption companies can fully leverage the benefits of RPA.
1. Working with Expert RPA Implementation Partner
As has been mentioned previously, deep knowledge of the technology and a rich understanding of the business domain are both critical to be able to craft RPA solutions that work. A partner like Ellicium would be able to understand the specific issues each organization is looking to address and define the right technology-led solution to deliver an impactful solution.
2. Opting for the Right RPA solution
It is important to choose the right RPA solutions that have the capability to deliver results in the specific context of the organization. Many factors will go into making this crucial technology choice like the likely load, data volumes, systems that need to be integrated with, the required pace of the process, etc. An expert technology partner will help drive the apt choice of platform.
3. Maintaining A Proper Testing, Security, and Review Process
To safeguard security, a team within the RPA management can monitor and report any bot issues. Organizations need a series of robust authentication programs to modify risks with sensitive data and legal documents and encrypt all sensitive information. Additionally, a built-in mechanism is essential if the organization deals with a massive amount of data. This system would monitor tasks and create alerts when an error occurs.
4. Dealing with Technical Ambiguity and Mismanagement
To ensure successful implementation of RPA projects, it is important to diminish technical ambiguity and mismanagement. Conducting awareness programs is necessary for the team implementing RPA solution. Team also must understand the RPA model and its functionalities. This includes a complete understanding of how RPA adoption works in all aspects of a business — workforce, sales, inventory, customer acquisition, talent acquisition, finances, data management, etc.
Conclusion
RPA solutions are among the most sought-after technologies in the market today. According to Grand View Research, the global market size of RPA will reach $30.85 billion by 2030. Companies know that RPA can provide powerful business outcomes. The most important aspect to overcome the RPA challenges is to work with right partner. Ellicium works with enterprises by using it’s established RPA Implementation and Managed Services programs coupled with solution accelerators and it’s RPA R&D lab. Please reach out us for a detailed discussion on RPA