The RPA industry is expected to reach US$5 billion by 2024, with 46 percent of organizations in the Asia-Pacific region adapting their technology strategy and ramping up investment in RPA and other forms of automation. When done right, these solutions streamline back-end processes – and shift to machines the burdens that often overwhelm employees or deter from more meaningful HR functions.
Automation has also advanced the way BPO service providers support customers, yielding unprecedented gains in efficiency and responsiveness. RPA enables extraordinary analytics capabilities; helps to maintain transparency and auditing processes; and concurrently supports local jurisdictions that don’t allow data transfer from host countries. Implementing RPA means numerous benefits, including for the entire BPO industry and end customers, which can now collectively focus more on higher-valued processes while leaving the low-end activity for robots.
RPA can be integrated to solutions and other offerings from IT services companies. Adoption points include services like IT support help desks, data center and server support, network support, and other areas of IT infrastructure maintenance apart from testing. Data entry and transfer from legacy systems to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is also possible using robotics.
Get to the Heart of the Process
RPA is “process agnostic.” Deployment can apply to any industry or function. The most important decisions come down to identifying which processes can be defined (or redefined) and repeated with no personnel or judgment involved. Technology is less relevant at this stage yet still instrumental.
The RPA movement is spreading across the BPO industry – and poised for dramatic growth with innovative breakthroughs to anticipate for years to come. Many service providers are rapidly adopting this technology while others are more defensive or reluctant. Fears abound about what and how to change.
Existing technology may be somewhat limited to repetitive and rule-based business processes known to be low end. As the technology matures and evolves, an even bigger RPA surge will occur as the reach extends from these “entry-level” points to advanced higher-value activities touching them. Enhancements will follow in autonomics and cognitive computing. Autonomics can help manage, configure and optimize systems without human intervention, while cognitive computing enables systems to exercise “judgment” and “make decisions.”
RPA and artificial intelligence will unite for unimaginable progress.
On-shore Off-shore Considerations
Companies who do not want to offshore or want to bring back their operations, RPA again represents a viable option. A warning flag goes up, however, for those who still want to continue offshoring as such initiatives and models will likely incur substantially higher costs on the RPA front.
RPA has contributed to a variety of services throughout Asia, including banking, financial services, insurance, automotive, and health. The common denominators among these industries are the large volume of data entry and switching among various applications. RPA can handle structured and unstructured data – and is applicable to any rules-based, repetitive tasks and large volumes of transactions.
No shortage of opportunity. No limit to what can be done. No question about the value.
So, when it comes to RPA, the only logical answer is YES. Adoption rates are undeniable worldwide and across the APAC region. Businesses that are slow to adopt risk losing ground to competitors in almost every way, from cost management to delivering customer service excellence and streamlining processes. The risks of not acting are too great, and the rewards of a cohesive RPA strategy are more than promising.
Primed for RPA
RPA has been gaining momentum for years as enterprises target seamless, efficient operations and greater levels of productivity. A recent Asia/Pacific business and IT enterprise end-user survey revealed that medium- and large-sized enterprises now rank automation in workplace operations among the top three capabilities they expect from their digital workplace environments.
As market competition intensifies, the key differentiation between various RPA platforms and offerings lies in the integration capabilities with enterprise systems and third-party applications – in addition to delivery models and usability (UI/UX features, built-in recorders, etc.).
The stage is set for RPA and Zalaris. We have the years of experience it takes to help enterprises make it real, on target and beyond expectations. We have the expertise, training, knowledge, services and solutions as well as our eyes on all the emerging trends and innovations.
If RPA’s not already in focus for your company, competitors are already likely eyeing you from their rear-view mirrors. We’ll get you on track with tangible value that’s easy to see!