RPA Adapted Ebook

How to talk about a b woAHuituthooitnmwyaRRotouitoobronoobtrcgiotocanaPntfiirldsioakcectneiotslnys You may have heard the term “RPA” floating around in recent years, but only now are we reaching the pivotal point in business where RPA, or Robotic Process Automation, needs to be taken seriously. www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite

2 A GUIDE TO ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION Contents /company/quantanite 1. What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA) 2. Why RPA and not Humans 3. What are the benefits of RPA over other Automation? 4. What about the downsides....... Are there any? 5. Why is now the best time to be thinking about RPA? 6. What do you need to know to successfully implement RPA? 7. Questions to ask yourself before you begin www.quantanite.com

1 ? An Introduction to Robotic Process Automation You may have heard the term “RPA” floating around in recent years, but only now are we reaching the pivotal point in business where RPA needs to be taken seriously if companies want to innovate and scale effectively.   Robotic Process Automation helps to eliminate time-consuming tasks and free up employees to focus on more important work.  So what is RPA? help improve everything from customer service to HR processes, as well as reducing costs and RPA is essentially a so ware or “robot” that can be inefficiencies in many areas of the business. programmed to collect data and interpret it in Companies are beginning to roll out RPA as a order to assist the company’s everyday operations, stepping stone to eventual artificial intelligence helping the business run in a more efficient way. and machine learning tools, which will RPA could incorporate analysing data, processing a undoubtedly revolutionise the future of the transaction, and responding to communications, working environment even more than the current among other uses. As well as removing headache- changes that are happening.  inducing tasks from the to-do lists of employees that are already stretched to capacity, applying RPA to your business can  www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite

2 Why RPA and not Humans? It’s the big question: Why implement RPA rather than hire humans to do the same job? The idea that robots might take over our jobs has been the subject of great debate and worry over the last few years, and now that the concept is seeming more and more possible with new advancements in technology, it is a legitimate question to be asking; should we be preserving roles for humans within organisations where automation could do a better job? The main benefits of opting for RPA so ware over humans are that they can be in operation full time (they do not need time off), are unlikely to make errors, and while they may cost money to implement, they usually end up costing less than hiring someone to do the job. But there are, of course, elements of a job role that still require a human, so organisations are moving towards automating only routine, time-consuming tasks that do not require human intervention. We can then allow people to focus on idea generation, innovation and more important work that requires real human thinking. Let’s take the standard HR department as an example, particularly as it deals specifically with human resources and therefore may have the most reservations about implementing RPA. Any HR team will tell you that they typically have a huge amount of paperwork and repetitive processes which keep them very busy. With such a high volume of data entry for upkeep on a daily basis (for example, when a new team member joins the organisation), the basic element of human interaction can o en be lost. By outsourcing these mundane processes using RPA, the HR department can enjoy more time to focus on things that require human contact, such as engaging inductions for new staff, team decision making, leadership training, creative workshops and more. The less time an HR team member spends inputting data to a spreadsheet, the more time they have to deal with complex and creative tasks that require thought, judgement and a level of intelligence. In short, while RPA can help us become more efficient, we still need a human touch to remain creative, perceptive and empathetic.  www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite

3 What are the Born benefits of RPA 1990's over other   automation tools? Coming of Age 2019 - 2025 Tools of a similar nature exist, however, there are arguably more   benefits to RPA, most notably the immediacy of the improvements Potential Economic Impact they can make within a business. According to a Knowledge $6.7 trillion by 2025 Capital Partners’ survey, it takes on average 7-8 weeks to deploy RPA tools in an organisation, which is a relatively quick COST REDUCTION turnaround considering how long it can take for a new employee to adjust to a position. For reference, note that a team of social 80% psychologists at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario studied how long it took for people to settle into a new job, and found that the RPA systems can reduce costs by up to 80% respondents reported taking as little as two months, and as much through ongoing  optimisation as a year, to feel fully confident in their new role. Without the intricacies of human interactions and the general wellbeing of staff INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY to worry about, RPA can seem the obvious choice. Of all other forms of automation, RPA is one of the fastest and easiest to 12 Months implement in your business, and here are some of the reasons why many businesses are considering taking this step: RPA systems will usually provide an ROI within 12 months from Increased productivity and reduced Existing infrastructure can be leveraged for a quick, easy costs implementation RPA offers scalability and adaptability in line with changing work environments Employees will have increased productivity, time and capacity to do a better job The cost of recruiting more staff is reduced in the long run It is simple to gather data on business processes and improve accordingly  The business could see better accuracy and less human error  RPA systems can work full time without breaks RPA gives peace of mind when it comes to industry compliance  The systems can reduce overall costs by up to 80%  RPA systems usually provide a positive ROI within 12 months www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite

4 What about the downsides… are there any? While the benefits of implementing RPA are plentiful, many still see it as the downfall of the human resource, as removing so many time-consuming tasks can eventually lead to eliminating jobs in industries the world over. It is estimated that the rise of systems like RPA could threaten jobs for around 9% of the global workforce. That said, RPA technology exists, and denying and avoiding this would leave many businesses in the wake of their competitors, so innovation will always be necessary. The challenge is to manage the transition for workers, and alter their job roles accordingly to ensure loyalty and positive morale. How to discuss RPA implementation with your line managers and staff If you see the benefits of implementing RPA in your Here are a few things to keep in mind when discussing RPA organisation, one of the most difficult and largely overlooked tasks in the early stages is to explain to the implementation: employees who will be affected by this change, and offer Consider the hierarchy within your organisation, and meet them peace of mind. Many managers make the mistake of with the relevant managers first to let them know your ploughing ahead with an implementation process and intentions avoiding the conversation with staff, whether intentionally Remember to relay the positive potential of this change, or not. It’s worth noting that not only will this conversation and how it could affect the company in the long run help minimise worries that their jobs are under attack, it Be sure to discuss the implementation with any employees will help make them feel part of the process, and allow whose roles will be significantly affected; whether you them to feed back on the areas of their job roles that would consider it to be making their jobs easier or not  be most helpful to automate. Don’t forget to give plenty of warning for when systems will begin to work, allowing employees to plan ahead for their changing roles www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite

5 Why is now the best time to be thinking about RPA? It’s the big question: Why implement RPA rather than hire humans to do the same job? It is estimated that by the year 2020, RPA and other automation systems will streamline business processes enough to reduce employee workload by up to 65%, with the advent of technologies such as machine learning, speech recognition and language processes. What’s more, by 2020 the RPA market is estimated to be worth around $1 billion, and 40% of businesses are expected to have adopted some kind of RPA system, as opposed to the 10% that use this so ware today. Large organisations such as Walmart, Deutsche Bank, AT&T, Walgreens and American Express Global Business Travel have already begun implementing RPA, and it would seem the time to jump on the bandwagon is now. RPA Estimated Businesses using Business Employee Worth RPA by 2020 Workload Reduction Net Worth ($) 5,000,000,000 40% 65% 4,000,000,000 3,000,000,000 2,000,000,000 1,000,000,000 0 2018 2020 2025 Year www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite

7 ? Questions to ask yourself before you begin A level of planning is involved in every new project, and implementing RPA in your business should be no different. It is important to know all of the information before you dive in, as well as how you will proceed, and the predicted outcome for the people involved in your organisation. Before you begin, answer these questions to better gauge the position you are in when it comes to implementing RPA in your business. Assess the business for automation Identify your automation opportunities by asking… partner by asking... Which of the current processes could justify automation? Who are the main players in the RPA space? Which processes would be best to pilot with? Which providers could satisfy your business needs the How should you involve the current process owners? most? What are the potential impacts of proceeding with a pilot? How will you compare pricing to better understand what you are paying for? Figure out why by asking... Plan the RPA roadmap by How can automation support your business goals? asking… What could the benefits be for the organisation? What pain points are being tackled? How long should the pilot be? What data do you have to determine whether or not What are the stages broken down into specific tasks for the automation is truly valuable? people managing this process? How do you plan to scale this RPA once implemented?How Determine your strategy by asking… can you convey the reasons for implementing RPA to the impacted stakeholders? What is the strategy for continuing processes a er automation has been implemented? Ultimately, the sooner you begin to implement RPA systems, Which operating model would work best for your business the more efficient your organisation has the potential to and the people in it? become, and the faster you will start to see return on this How will you test the automated jobs? investment. Any system that helps to remove time- Are your team ready and willing to carry out new consuming, tedious background tasks, is going to help your responsibilities? workforce do their job more efficiently, and improve the Who will oversee, manage and monitor the RPA quality of your offering to your customers as a result. While it implementation process? can be difficult to speak about RPA with others in your organisation, whether this is due to a dismissive attitude towards innovative suggestions, or employees worried that their jobs are in jeopardy, the long term effects of RPA can be hugely positive, and the temporary upheaval is more o en than not worth it in the end.  

6 ? What do you need to know to successfully implement RPA A clear and detailed strategy is pertinent to the success of your Robotic Process Automation, as simply deploying the systems and hoping for the best could cause major issues, both immediately and down the line. Here are our tips for successfully implementing your RPA: Consider the long term impact this could have on the business by predicting the eventual outcomes of the systems you are looking to implement. Planning for the business to eventually reduce costs is one thing, but it is important to look beyond this to see how it could change things in order to avoid pitfalls.   In most cases, the goal with implementing RPA should be to improve customer experience. Plan which systems would be most beneficial for this business objective.  Communicate with and involve your IT department. Before making such drastic changes, especially those that directly involve specific departments, it is best to get their feedback on the situation and see how they can help implement the project. They know the systems within the business better than anyone, a er all.  Similarly, communicate your intentions with HR. Develop a plan for how they can manage the impact on people within the organisation, and the disruption to workflow. Ensure someone is overseeing the project. Many instances where RPA implementation has failed is largely due to poor management. Have someone in charge of mapping out how the various systems will work together.  Put a dedicated and knowledgeable team to work on the RPA systems, managing them effectively and maintaining their efficiency.  Plan for inevitable roadblocks. Something as simple as changing a company policy without updating the appropriate system could result in errors and lost data, so planning for these oversights could make the recovery process much simpler.  Consider how RPA will fit into your next launch. Knowing how the change will affect the future means you can use the system more effectively during your launch. www.quantanite.com /company/quantanite