RPA, also referred to as digital labour, is currently attracting attention as a tool for automating tasks. It's best-known for its potential to address ever-growing labour shortages in a shrinking population. More companies have gradually come to deploy RPA as a means to boost efficiency and resolve labour shortage issues. One other prominent and long-standing task automation tool is the macro function in Microsoft Excel. It works to perform actions programmatically and achieves similar results to RPA. While macros have several areas in common with RPA, there are also significant differences between them. This article highlights the areas that set these two tools apart. Then we go into detail on the main characteristics of each one. The advantages and drawbacks of deploying them will also be discussed.
About RPA
Short for Robotic Process Automation, RPA is a system that automates and boosts the efficiency of tasks by using robots. The term RPA is used to refer to any kind of software used to achieve automation and increase efficiency. This technology is often used for back office work (in paperwork, or with general affairs and accounting departments). It is also utilised for other simple tasks conducted at departments that place emphasis on their efficiency. By deploying RPA, it is possible to have a robot perform data entry, checking, and other simple tasks that otherwise needed to be done manually. There are high expectations that this technology can help alleviate labour shortages, cut costs, and reduce careless mistakes. Ultimately, it can contribute to increased profits for the companies that use it.
Advantages and drawbacks in deploying RPA
RPA advantages
The leading advantages of deploying RPA are its effects in relation to boosting work efficiency and automating tasks. With RPA, you can let robots perform general office tasks in large volumes, which would conventionally require laborious manual effort. This works to resolve labour shortages and results in fewer employees needed to achieve the same task. As a result, you can expect reduced personnel expenses and overtime payments. When tasks are done by humans, you will inevitably encounter minor instances of human error, as well as reduced efficiency. However, automating these tasks with robots helps reduce these hard-to-notice errors from occurring. It can bring about a dramatic increase in the pace at which work is accomplished. In this way, you can assign robots to carry out simple, repetitive tasks instead of employees, allowing them to spend more time on other work. This helps employees stay more motivated, and can help boost overall productivity.
RPA drawbacks
While there are many benefits to be enjoyed by deploying RPA, there are also negative aspects to be aware of. Back office work often involves making changes to factors related to data, such as the references and systems that are used. However, if the data is not correctly updated accordingly by hand, the robots in RPA will simply follow their instructions as usual and process the data as it is. This can produce incorrect results if nobody corrects the data manually to accommodate these changes. This needs to be done before the robots start their processing. Similarly, humans are able to spot incorrect references in data when working by hand, but robots are not able to identify these kinds of errors.
RPA is not a hands-off system that can be left to resolve issues on its own; it requires humans to conduct maintenance and check that it is working correctly. To utilise RPA effectively, the advantages and disadvantages of this technology must be well understood. Moreover, the roles of both humans and robots must be given due consideration.
Differences between RPA and macros
Many people consider macros in Excel as the tool to use for automating tasks in back office work. Macros have similar features to RPA and provide conveniences in automating. It also boosts productivity for a wide range of simple, repetitive tasks at the push of a button. However, there are significant differences between macros and RPA, as outlined below.
Some features are shared by RPA and macros, but others are unique to RPA
RPA and macros have several features in common. They are both capable of automating tasks for tabulating data or creating tables, and both can record actions. If the programmes for processing data are organised and rigorously documented, data can be managed more quickly and effectively.
RPA can be linked with other applications
Macros have a limited scope to what they can automate because it is difficult to link them with products outside the Microsoft Office suite. When working with non-Office programs, we are often faced with problems that cannot be dealt with by macros alone. However, because RPA can be integrated with other applications, it's suitable for automating more tasks within a single workflow.
Macros require a high level of programming knowledge to create. In contract, RPA can be used by employees without any familiarity with programming. In addition, macros can only be created and maintained by a few experienced individuals. However, RPA can be fine-tuned by people involved with the task at hand to suit their needs as they see fit.
Points to consider before deploying RPA
The term RPA encompasses a wide variety of solutions, each with different capabilities and cost requirements. In recent years, there are many venues that offer seminars about RPA aimed at corporations. Hence, you may find these seminars useful as one opportunity to gain information about this technology.
Before making a choice on RPA for your company, it is advisable to think about whether the advantages that it brings are worth the cost required for deploying it. Sometimes, deploying RPA will not provide the results that you would have expected based on the costs involved.
For example, if it is possible to accomplish a certain task suitably with a macro, then it is more cost-effective to continue using the same macro. As such, you are not guaranteed to benefit from incorporating RPA into your work in all instances. In this way, it is crucial to carefully consider whether deploying this technology is truly beneficial in each case. If RPA is utilised to automate an entire workflow at your workplace, this can easily affect other departments beside yours.
Before making a decision, it is vital to first listen to people from other departments. Then identify the areas of your work that should be assigned to RPA. You can then use this insight to make decisions on the types of RPA to use, the scale for deploying these solutions, and the individuals who will use this technology. One essential factor for successfully boosting work efficiency is to choose the right type of RPA to match the tasks that you want to automate.
Will RPA help achieve workstyle reform?
We have yet to see the extent to which RPA will contribute to productivity, though an increase in overall motivation levels is one likely outcome. Conventionally, younger employees with relatively little experience were often asked to undertake simple and repetitive tasks. There are countless cases where bright-eyed and energetic employees lose their motivation after being assigned jobs with mundane procedures.
Using RPA to carry out these routine, simple tasks may help resolve issues of flagging motivation levels. If younger employees are more enthusiastic at work, this can raise the baseline for motivation throughout the whole organisation. It ultimately leads to a boost in productivity. RPA may also contribute to reduced overtime payments. It is applicable for simple tasks that need to be done monthly, such as work to reimburse employees for business expenses. This can help cut down on excessively long work hours, allowing employees to maintain a work-life balance. In this way, deploying RPA is significantly beneficial in terms of revising and improving the way people work.
There is a commonly voiced concern over whether robots will one day take over all human jobs. This is true in one sense, as robots are indeed performing tasks that were previously done by employees. However, once RPA is deployed, there is still the need for people to carefully check and maintain the system. This means that it is unlikely for our jobs to be taken away immediately. In the future, talented individuals who can use RPA effectively and work flexibly will be valued.
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