Introduction of RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
Globally, businesses tend to opt for innovation and automation. RPA or Robotic Process Automation can serve this objective effectively by automating mundane and repetitive tasks. Software automation has become a new norm in this highly competitive era and RPA contributes to improving overall productivity by bringing automation into daily operations. But then, the implementation of RPA has some challenges and enterprises need to address them.
In this post, we are going to see the key RPA challenges and the role of RPA-managed services in overcoming them.
RPA Challenges You Need to Know
Let’s go through the list of top RPA implementation challenges before moving to the most relevant solutions. Though we can mention many challenges in RPA implementation, here we focus on the top challenges only.
Cultural Differences
It all starts with employee resistance. Usually, any change or process that brings differences in the work culture meets strong resistance from employees. Employees may have to make some adjustments in their daily schedule because of RPA implementation and they find it uncomfortable for a while. Also, RPA implementation needs continuous communication and several new skills that may include technical skills. These requirements also cause disturbance in the office culture and remain major issues of RPA implementation.
Here it is fair to mention that this RPA implementation challenge or issue is a false notion because a customized RPA solution can ultimately improve the productivity of employees over the period.
Absence of Dedicated Teams
Though operating an RPA system is not rocket science, companies may need to hire a dedicated team for training and management. If the existing team has no required skills to manage the RPA system, it can be a big challenge for enterprises. The lack of a local team with the necessary skills can lead to mismanagement, and as a result, the core objective of RPA implementation gets ruined.
Startups and SMEs find it difficult to hire resources for managing the RPA system and as they work with limited resources, they cannot keep some of them aside for maintaining the RPA system. This issue may bring wrong outputs.
Maintenance and Control
This is one of the biggest challenges of Robotic Process Automation. Companies need to invest a sizable amount of effort, money, and time in RPA implementation. But, after successful implementation, it is imperative for companies to maintain and control the system to leverage the benefits.
Regular maintenance and proper control can increase efficiency but if employees have no idea of protocols it is not possible to manage the RPA-driven system. This issue can not only reduces productivity but also causes disruption in daily processes.
Lack of Accountability
Let’s face it. Robotic process automation brings several obligations and it is, therefore, necessary to define the responsibility or accountability of a concerned team member for a specific process. One of the major challenges in RPA includes the mishandling of roles. It can act as a barrier for your organization when it comes to taking the benefits of a revolutionary RPA technology.
You need to consider this factor before implementing a robotic process automation system in your enterprise. The management can assign tasks to various team leaders to ensure a seamless onboarding and operation of the RPA solution.
Limited Usage
Customization is one of the biggest technical issues in RPA development. Every business has unique needs and RPA solution providers need to consider these needs while developing tailored RPA software. Let’s understand this through an example. Some documents in your office need partial automation only. In other words, these documents need some sort of automation in calculation or data arrangement. Such documents may not need a robust RPA system.
It is difficult for RPA service providers to break the end-to-end process into smaller, rule-based tasks for the RPA system. It reduces the usage of RPA software and increases the scope for human intervention.
Infrastructural Issues
RPA is an evolving technology and its advanced solutions require infrastructure. Also, a dedicated team consisting of RPA developers and other professionals is necessary to ensure that the RPA system runs seamlessly in the desired location of your enterprise. Even if the company could invest a large sum of money in developing a high-end RPA solution, it can lead to reduced efficiency if infrastructural issues are present on the premises. It results in lower output and higher setup costs for any organization irrespective of industry sectors.
How to overcome RPA challenges
RPA services are designed to address various implementation and maintenance challenges. But then, it is essential for entrepreneurs to make enough research on market trends and define their business needs or activities that they want to automate. Proper planning and implementation of RPA solutions can take companies to a new level.
A recent PwC report has revealed that RPA is one of the most preferred technologies of modern enterprises. But then, companies that opt for customized RPA solutions should be aware of their issues. Here, RPA services can remain handy in addressing major issues. A reliable RPA services provider takes infrastructure issues, corporate operations, and resistance-related issues into account while developing bespoke RPA solutions.
On the other hand, RPA managed services are designed to address maintenance and control-related challenges. Be it application integration, operational hurdles, or regular updates, companies can leverage all the benefits of RPA while addressing challenges in real-time with the help of RPA-managed services.
Once enterprises select the proper procedures and operations, they can save money and get ready for the future. A reliable RPA services provider can assist companies to automate daily operations efficiently so that companies can get the benefits of high productivity, profitability, and a higher ROI over the period.
Concluding Lines
Implementing RPA solution has its pros and cons but this emerging technology is here to stay. Companies need to address RPA implementation challenges to make the most of this technology and stay ahead of the curve. It is advisable to consult a reputed RPA managed services provider to deal with RPA challenges.
These days, many RPA developers offer customized solutions with built-in features of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Both these techniques can make robotic software more intelligent and further reduce human effort. B2B and B2C companies can get the advantage of such sophisticated and smart robotic solutions to create higher value and offer better services to their customers or clients.
